Do women have the scariest nightmares?
We’ve all been there: waking up in a cold sweat having been chased through our dreams by someone waving an axe at us. Nightmares are something most people experience every now and then, but do women have more frightening dreams than men?

A recent study has found that women’s nightmares seem to leave more of an impression than those of men and it has been suggested that the monthly cycle could be the culprit.

Psychologists claim that the monthly changes in a woman’s body temperature are responsible for more frequent, disturbing dreams.

170 people took part in the research at the University of the West of England where only 19% of the male volunteers reported having nightmares compared to 30% of the women. The nightmares experienced by the female volunteers were also reported to be more emotional.

Dr Jennie Parker, who carried out the study, believes that there are three key types of nightmare during which the brain acts out or ‘rehearses’ a distressing scenario or event. The first involves being chased or hunted, the second the loss of a loved one and the third strange or new environments. Her research also shows evidence of a connection between bad dreams and a raised temperature during a woman’s menstrual cycle. A woman’s body temperature is usually at its highest after ovulation, about halfway through the monthly cycle, and returns to normal just before a period begins.

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