ICU nightmares

quazar · May 30, 2016

I often dream that I am in college, signed up for a math class, dropped it, then realized right before the final exam that I actually didn't really drop it. I've missed class, all homework, and haven't studied for the final.
Hate that one.

I have that dream at least once a month. Omg. I HATE MATH.

Editorial Team / Moderator · May 31, 2016

That's a common anxiety dream, and yes, I've had that one. :)
I often dream that I am in college, signed up for a math class, dropped it, then realized right before the final exam that I actually didn't really drop it. I've missed class, all homework, and haven't studied for the final.
Hate that one.

I have that one too! I realize that I have been signed up, haven't gone, have missed weeks and weeks... lol. Why math? I am good at math! Crazy, the way our brains deal with anxiety.

BSN16 · May 31, 2016

I've never had a dream about messing up at work, but i have lots of dreams where my teeth fall out or they're rotting out, ive read up on it and it usually has to do with stress. A nurse being stressed, who would have thought??? :roflmao:

gonzo1, ASN, RN · Jun 5, 2016

I have had all of the mentioned nightmares including my teeth falling out. Occupational hazard I guess. I also dream that I'm at school and can't get my locker open to get my work, so I don't get to class on time. I also dream that I forgot to go to a class for the whole semester.

The weirdest dream is that I screwed up and didn't really graduate from high school, but I'm already a nurse so I tell myself I guess they aren't going to come after me and take my license away since I've been a nurse for over 12 years.

The goofy thing is I was a tiny bit of a slacker in high school but in college x 2 degrees I have a 4.0and a 3.9 so obviously not a slacker, but in my convoluded little sleepy brain I'm a looser. LOL

Pheebz777, BSN, RN · Jun 8, 2016

I've had dreams sometimes where I didn't know anything on any patients. I couldn't read any of the orders. I wasn't familiar with the staff, I didn't know why I'm working in this unfamiliar place. I've had dreams of Code Blues and surprisingly I knew what doses to give, what meds to give and even treating the dysrhythmias on the monitor.

Woke up in a cold sweat several times, heart racing lol

BeenThere2012, ASN, RN · Jun 8, 2016

oh my God! I can't tell you how many of this same sort of dream I have had over the years. Also, sometimes it involves me having to go somewhere else in the hospital and hours later I can't find my way back to my unit....no matter how hard I try, I can't find my way back.

dec2007 · Jun 11, 2016

I guess its good to know that I'm not the only one who does this, but I do it almost every night. Sometimes its three or four different dreams per night and I wake up in between terrified. I get that the cause is stress, but guys, I've been doing this for more than two decades. Why am I STILL having these nightmares constantly? And, more importantly, what do I need to do to stop them??? This is a very real problem for me!!

RescueNinjaKy · Jun 11, 2016

I've had a recurring nightmare where I am informed that I actually didn't complete all my courses in high school and that I had to go back. And of course I remember nothing from high school so I do terrible in that dream, and forget to do my homework cause I wasn't aware there were any. And it always ends with me thinking what the heck, I graduated college. I have a nursing license! What am I doing here? Then I wake up.

Editorial Team / Moderator · Jun 11, 2016

So last night I dreamed that I was working in my old ER, that all the chart racks had changed, I couldn't find my charts for my rooms, and someone kept turning off the lights and I couldn't see. But then I knew I had a pt with bad burns, and I didn't have to worry because that was my only pt and I woke up feeling like I had handled whatever that was. Lol. I guess that's good?

angle71054 · Jun 11, 2016

So my first crazy nursing dream was also a "co-dream" with my husband. So I started my nursing career and found my husband at the same time. And well sleeping (literally) with some one was new too. In my nightmare I was in my patient's room and heard the code alarm go off. I went to the patient's door and couldn't open it. In my husband's dream he was stocking shelves at Walmart (his job at the time), and I was knocking everything off the shelves. In reality I had got my arm stuck underneath my husband. So when I attempted to pull my arm out from underneath him-in my dream I was pulling on the patient's door. And when I would attempt to get my arm out-in my husband's dream I was knocking things down. He woke me up by shaking me and telling me to stop knocking things down and I shouted "Well let me out of the room first". LOL. Oh the wonders of dreams.

angle71054 · Jun 11, 2016

That is my life every 3 months or so. But then again I'm an Agency nurse.

Horseshoe, BSN, RN · Jun 11, 2016

I've had a recurring nightmare where I am informed that I actually didn't complete all my courses in high school and that I had to go back. And of course I remember nothing from high school so I do terrible in that dream, and forget to do my homework cause I wasn't aware there were any. And it always ends with me thinking what the heck, I graduated college. I have a nursing license! What am I doing here? Then I wake up.

I have similar dreams. In the dream, I wonder why I'm stressing so much about my grades when I already have a college degree. But I can't help myself. Often I can't find my classroom, or I realize I haven't been to one class since the first day.

Anxiety dreams really suck.