Imagine waking up on the day of a major exam, consumed by panic, realizing you haven’t attended a single class throughout the semester.
Fortunately, it’s merely a dream. Yet, the question remains: why do these school-centric dreams persist, often years following graduation?
According to Dr. Alex Dimitriu, a psychiatrist and sleep medicine physician based in Menlo Park, California, feelings of unpreparedness in dreams often originate from daily life stress. However, he suggests that specifically dreaming of being unprepared in an academic setting might be linked to the formative nature of those years.
He explains that for many, school represents the initial encounter with the anxiety of being unprepared. When adult stress arises from work or other circumstances, these early memories of lacking readiness, being tardy, or missing something important can be profoundly impactful.
Dylan Selterman, an associate teaching professor of psychology at Johns Hopkins University specializing in dream research, observes that dreams related to school are frequently “profoundly distressing.” Individuals commonly dream of missing an entire semester and facing failure, struggling to locate their classroom, or discovering an imminent, unprepared-for major exam. He posits that this phenomenon might be due to the academic system itself often being “highly emotionally taxing for most individuals.”
A national survey of high-school students revealed that the majority held negative sentiments towards their educational experience. Selterman points out that students frequently feel compelled to learn unengaging material or face penalties for non-compliance. Furthermore, studies also show that many students suffer from insufficient sleep, due to early school mornings conflicting with late-night study sessions.
Selterman asserts that academic environments often entail high-stress, high-pressure scenarios marked by peer competition and significant stakes. He concludes that, when these elements are combined, the school experience itself can be quite unpleasant.
A further theory, according to Selterman, is that seasonal cues can evoke school-related memories. For example, the late August and early September period, coinciding with the start of the academic year, might provoke more recollections or dreams about school.
It is generally understood that experiencing such dreams occasionally is not usually a cause for alarm. However, frequent occurrences could indicate another underlying issue, such as persistent anxiety. Dimitriu advises individuals to address this stress by either making lifestyle changes to eliminate its source or by developing effective coping strategies.
Dimitriu also attributes unusual or stressful dreams in some individuals to inadequate sleep hygiene. His recommendations include maintaining a consistent sleep-wake schedule daily, refraining from heavy meals or alcohol consumption prior to bedtime, and allocating time for relaxation before sleep.
He explains that the human brain cannot transition rapidly from a state of high activity to complete rest within a short period. Dimitriu advises his patients to power down all technology by 10 PM—avoiding screens, work emails, and similar stimuli. Engaging in activities like online shopping or social media scrolling just before sleep can be overly stimulating, causing the brain to remain active when it ought to be winding down.
He further suggests that embracing silence can improve sleep quality and also alleviate significant anxiety.
He proposes that individuals engage in methods for processing any bothersome issues, which might also enhance feelings of readiness and serve as an “antidote” to stress dreams—like the scenario of missing a final exam.
Dimitriu concludes that stress dreams serve as “a prompt to prioritize relaxation and adequate sleep.” He emphasizes, “The importance of sleep cannot be overstated.”