18 of the Most Bizarre COVID-19 Dreams People Are Having

If you’ve been having “weird” dreams or nightmares during COVID-19, you’re in good company. In times of heightened stress and anxiety, it’s common to remember your dreams in more detail than in times of normalcy.

“We know that when people get acutely stressed, you can narrow your focus and remember things that are particularly relevant,” director of UCSF’s behavioral sleep research program Aric Prather said in an interview with KQED News. “It could be that, during this time period, our brains are kind of on high alert and tagging things [as relevant] more frequently. And this is resulting in remembering our dreams more vividly.”

We wanted to know what “weird” dreams people are having during the COVID-19 pandemic, so we turned to our community to share their experiences with us. Below we’ve rounded up the dreams they shared. What weird dreams have you been experiencing? Let us know in the comments.

Here’s what our community shared with us:

1. “Had a dream the quarantine was over, but within 24 hours, there was an alien invasion so we had to go back under quarantine, but me and my friend all got a house and stayed together for it because we were so tired of being apart.” — Abby C.
2. “I was sleeping in the back room of my store. I had to go up front in my PJs to keep telling people the store is closed until 7 a.m. Over and over. And having to constantly tell my co-workers that I wasn’t on the clock, seeing how I was still in my pajamas.” — Jessica N.
3. “You know those movie scenes where it’s at a low angle and a girl in a dress is running through a field of tall flowers, running her left hand across the flowers as she goes and looking over her left shoulder at the same time? The sun shines at such an angle that it expresses happiness and joy. Yeah, that. The girl is me. I’m in a dress. Running free through tall flowers of some sort. I never wear dresses, and I’ve never ran through a field of flowers. Perhaps my mind’s subtle way of freeing me from quarantine and letting me feel joy instead of constant sorrow. I like it.” — Sayer H.
4. “I had another dream that I was Flynn Rider and I was living in the castle with Rapunzel and her family. Going out with Rapunzel was difficult, though, because we kept getting attacked by old enemies of mine. Eventually, Rapunzel’s dad got angry at me for endangering his daughter, so he locked me up in a tower. Fortunately, there were magical people who lived in my closet and sold me belts that I could hook together into a makeshift rope to escape.” — Audrey Y.
5. “I was laid off at the end of March. I continually have dreams that I didn’t get up and am now late for work. Once I get there, I’m told I’m still not needed and they’re not sure why I’m there. It’s aggravating because I wake up having that anxiety of being late, but also unwanted.” — Ashley S.
6. “I have had the most vivid dreams. Some are strange like being trapped in a house with a serial killer on the loose, Some are comforting like hanging out with Nathan Fillion at a con discussing my tattoos or going to coffee shops with friends that I miss. But I remember so many right now and they feel very real.” — Stephanie A.
7. “Up until this week I hadn’t had any COVID dreams. This week, I’ve had them every night. The one I remember, COVID was a living, walking, talking stick figure that followed me everywhere I went.” — Lillian D.
8. “Versions of my own NCIS. Been watching too much Netflix lately.” — Jenny P.
9. “I’m fortunate enough to be working from home at this time. I had a dream where my boss laid out all the areas where I wasn’t doing enough and made me feel awful. Woke up feeling terrible after that.” — Ashley S.
10. “I had a fantastical dream that in the darkness of night, there was a bright light in the sky, thousands of people followed the light to a loading dock in the center of the city and Spiderman appeared out of nowhere!” — Carole O.
11. “Being in the grocery store and a sudden wave came like a Tsunami, and washed the inside of the store. It was everyone for themselves to get out. We were all going to die. No one was safe.” — Jane N.
12. “My worst most anxiety-filled dream was that I was at a gas station. I was standing there ready to pump gas, but I couldn’t remember how to do it. And as I grabbed for the pump, I couldn’t grip it or I completely missed it. I kept going over the steps to myself trying to figure it out. I could feel people staring at me and laughing. Once I figured it out and got in my car to go, it wouldn’t start. Then I tried to get my phone to call for help but I couldn’t find it in my purse. I woke up while trying to find the phone. The whole thing was looking through my own eyes which makes it much more intense for me.” — Allison S.
13. “I keep having dreams about bizarre obstacles at work (I’m a server). I had one where I had to swim to and from work. There was another where the tables were really high off the ground (I’m talking like skyscraper high) and I had to try and jump between buildings.” — Heather G.
14. “I bent over to move some boots and a huge tarantula crawls towards me! With the same impulse as in the dream, I pushed myself completely off the bed! Woke up from the pain the impact caused when I hit the ground.” — Melissa R.
15. “I dreamed that I went on my now canceled beach trip vacation and an alligator tried to attack me. A man grabbed it by its tail and it turned away from me and went into the water after some other people.” — Angie G.
16. “I had a dream a friend of mine became a cat and I needed to go to their flat and buy a bed and things for them and they kept meowing me things to do.” — Steven H.
17. “I am a post-apocalyptic pirate who tries to save the world from ending like a bad Michael Bay film.” — Janina J.
18. “It’s not really a weird dream but lately, my cat (who passed) is visiting me in my dreams at night. He is probably dropping by to give me comfort and reassurance that everything will be OK.” — Courtney H.

For more on the coronavirus, check out the following stories from our community:

• How to Get Through COVID-19 Quarantine With Your Partner
• Feeling Calm in the Midst of the Coronavirus Pandemic Might Be a Trauma Response
• The Problem With Saying ‘Only’ the Elderly and Immunocompromised Will Be Affected by COVID-19
• 7 Things to Do If Social Distancing Is Triggering Your Depression