Vivid Dreams During Pregnancy: What Does It Mean?

So, your subconscious is throwing up a wild mix of madness that feels like it was co-authored by David Lynch, Stephen King, and Anaïs Nin — with a little bit of Cirque du Soleil chucked in for good measure.

Welcome to the wonderful world of vivid pregnancy dreams.

Yup, these delightful little gifts from the recesses of your brain can bring about all sorts of feelings from extreme horror and dread, to the kinds of sensations that may just have got you started on this whole pregnancy journey to begin with.

(Seriously, body, is this the time to be wanting some serious action?)

You may be comforted to know that this is totally and completely and utterly normal.

No, you’re not losing the plot.

When it comes to producing the most unbelievably vivid dreams, pregnancy seems to be holding fast in top place.

So, sit back and enjoy the ride as we delve into the ins and out of vivid dreams during pregnancy, what might cause them and when they might visit you.

In this article: 📝

Why are pregnancy dreams so vivid?

Vivid dreams during pregnancy is a subject that is by no means cut-and-dry — so there are of course multiple reasons why you’re going on this particular ride.

But as it turns out, these crazy vivid dreams are a super common pregnancy symptom, and while science can’t quite pinpoint the exact reason, there are some likely suspects:

• Hormones: As with many (maybe even all) things pregnancy, the probable culprit is your fluctuating hormones, with progesterone and estrogen leading the charge. These power players mess with your emotions and how your brain works and processes information, which can turn your dreams into wild adventures (or nightmares, depending on the night!).
• Sleep cycle disruption: Those midnight bathroom breaks and all-night heartburn sessions can seriously mess with your sleep cycle. This disrupts deep or REM (Rapid eye movement) sleep, which is when you typically dream the most intensely. It can also impact your ability to remember dreams, so it might make you think you’re having more vivid dreams. So, even though you might not be getting the best quality sleep, your dreams end up feeling extra-vivid when you wake up. [1,2]
• All the emotions: Let’s be honest, pregnancy is an emotional rollercoaster. One minute you’re glowing with excitement, the next you’re sobbing uncontrollably at a dog food commercial. These intense emotions can easily spill over into your dreams, making them feel all the more dramatic and bizarre.
• Stress and anxiety: As embryologist Navya Muralidhar says, “While planning for a baby involves a lot of excitement, it comes with its fair share of stress and anxiety as well. It has been hypothesized that pregnancy dreams can be a way for your brain to tap into it and attempt to solve these problems in your dreams as well, leading to more vivid or intense dreams.”.
• Messages from your subconscious: Some experts believe dreams are your brain’s way of processing stuff and getting ready for what’s coming. During pregnancy, this “stuff” could be anything from anxieties about motherhood to practicing baby-care scenarios in your sleep. Basically, your brain is prepping you for the big show!

Are dreams more vivid during pregnancy?

Yes, many of our mamas on Peanut have shared their stories of vivid pregnancy dreams, and there are even studies to back them up! [3]

There is a theory, however, that dreams aren’t more vivid during pregnancy, and that, instead, your dream recall is better.

All those hormones, anxieties, and subconscious thoughts you have are amplified when pregnant, so more vivid dreams during pregnancy are pretty much par for the course.

Wet dreams during pregnancy

One of the more common types of vivid dreams during pregnancy are sexy dreams.

First things first, if you’re asking is it normal to have wet dreams during pregnancy? The answer is: Yes, yes, yes. 😉

But why sexy dreams? Well, some possibilities are:

• Hormones: Yep, hormones again. They may feel like they’re running the show in all sorts of ways right now, so if sexy vivid pregnancy dreams are the kind of show they want to run, we’re not complaining.
• Anxieties around sex: This is a complex one. All these changes in your body can leave you feeling a little out of sorts when it comes to your sexy side. There may be changes in the way you engage with your partner or in how you are feeling about your sexuality in general, and all these feelings are put together in a variety show produced by your subconscious.
• You may just be feeling sexy and awesome: So maybe you’re just feeling at your sexual best and, whether or not you are exploring this in the waking world, your body sure as hell wants you to explore it in the dreamy one.

So those are the sultry vivid pregnancy dreams — but that’s by no means the only type on the menu.

Pregnancy nightmares

This particular breed of weird pregnancy dreams is understandably not terribly thrilling in an already troubling time.

Waking up in a cold sweat from what feels like a real-life scary encounter is not great at the best of times.

Nightmares while pregnant, however, can be altogether frightening.

Pregnancy nightmares can be the result of some serious anxiety around what lays ahead.

There are just so many, so who knows?

Nightmares are usually triggered by emotions, so you may be feeling nervous about birth or labor, or the crazy task of being a mama.

You may be worried about finances, life as a working parent, or what sort of future your baby is going to have.

But, while pregnancy nightmares can be disconcerting, they can also be a way to have a dialogue with your subconscious to find out what’s really up.

Random, crazy dreams during pregnancy

Yup, sometimes it’s just penguins riding bicycles or your Pilates instructor being elected president, or your own parents being so small they can fit in your pocket.

Where do these weird pregnancy dreams come from?

As Navya explains, “One is hormonal changes, which cause tiredness, leading you to sleep more frequently and maybe, end up having more of these dreams.”.

And the other — well, one of the main sources is that sleep is tricky during pregnancy (thanks, night-time peeing) so you hang out in REM quite a bit of the time.

Also, all that waking up gives your conscious mind front row seats to what’s going on beneath.

Dreams about going into labor while pregnant

If you’re having vivid dreams early in your pregnancy about going into labor, that doesn’t necessarily mean that labor is soon to follow.

Dreams about going into labor while pregnant can just be a subconscious thought — after all, it’s totally normal to feel anxious or excited about going into labor and meeting your baby.

When do vivid dreams start in pregnancy?

You can have vivid pregnancy dreams at any point during your pregnancy.

There is by no means a fixed timeline to your subconscious’s programming schedule.

But a few of our mamas on Peanut report having more weird pregnancy dreams during their first trimester, but more vivid pregnancy dreams during their third trimester.

But having weird pregnancy dreams in your second or third trimester, or vivid pregnancy dreams in your first or second trimester, that’s also totally normal!

How early in pregnancy do vivid dreams start?

As we said before, vivid dreams during pregnancy can start in your first trimester — or more weird pregnancy dreams.

So early pregnancy dreams are nothing to worry about. Just try to enjoy the show!

💭 Dreaming before that BFP? What Does it Mean When You Dream You Are Pregnant?

What to do about vivid dreams during pregnancy

If you’ve started to experience crazy dreams during pregnancy, one of the most useful things for you right now is to not judge yourself for what’s coming up.

Your brain has enough to deal with without additional punishment for responding in a perfectly natural way.

Rather, see what you can learn from the parade of vivid pregnancy dreams that are being put on just for you.

You can use this whacky time to tap into your creative side. [4]

Rather than try to shove your pregnancy nightmares and weird pregnancy dreams into a box and hide them in the darkest, most inaccessible parts of your being, use them to understand yourself better and perhaps even as fodder for a creative project.

If it works for you, journaling can be a useful tool, both to construct meaning out of the madness as well as to record your thoughts and feelings for the Later You to read.

And if writing is not your jam, other art forms can step in here. Why not attempt to draw?

Or create a collage based on what your brain has been showing you?

Or simply share your dreams with other mamas-to-be on Peanut for a real good laugh (and a reminder that you’re definitely not alone!).

😴 Rest up, mama: How to Sleep When Pregnant

How to stop pregnancy nightmares

Bad dreams during pregnancy stopping you from getting a good night’s sleep?

Here are a few things that can help stop pregnancy nightmares and put an end to pregnancy insomnia:

• Try sleeping on your left side
• Avoid liquids soon before you go to bed — as Navya says, “this helps avoid the urge to urinate in the middle of the night”
• Avoid going on your phone or watching TV before bed
• Try out a calming bedtime routine
• Avoid long naps in the morning that could keep you awake at night
• Give pregnancy meditation a go
• A little light exercise before bed
• Recall and address your pregnancy nightmares

What does a vivid pregnancy dream mean?

Whether you’re having bad dreams while pregnant or the kind that you want to not wake up from, they can make you feel extraordinarily out of the ordinary.

What do vivid dreams during pregnancy even mean?

Well, they can be your subconscious mind’s way of telling you something.

That doesn’t mean that dreams about going into labor while pregnant mean labor’s just around the corner, but maybe that you’re feeling a little anxious about it.

After your vivid pregnancy dreams, we suggest writing them down in a dream journal, then re-reading them with a more alert mind to see what they could mean.

If nothing else, your weird pregnancy dream journal could be entertaining to read!

Are vivid dreams an early sign of pregnancy?

Not always, no.

While it’s true that sometimes, your body knows something’s up, and plants subconscious thoughts into your dreams while you’re asleep, it’s not always the case.

Since hormones are one of the main causes of vivid pregnancy dreams, you can also have vivid dreams at other times in your menstrual cycle.

So if you’re wondering if vivid dreams are early pregnancy or PMS signs, the truth is that they could be early indicators of either.

So if you’re experiencing vivid dreams during pregnancy, why not share them with the other mamas on Peanut?

You’re definitely not alone!