# I had the "Awful Bathroom Dream" last night **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [August 21, 2002, 12:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-had-the-awful-bathroom-dream-last-night/124901 "2002-08-21T12:21:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Skeezix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/839c29/32.png) [@Skeezix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skeezix)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2002, 6:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-had-the-awful-bathroom-dream-last-night/124901/21 "2002-08-22T06:08:48Z")
Sounds like someone’s been playing **way** too much SimTower lately… Or izzat a whoosh for me? [sub]I’ve never had a dream remotely similar to the above mentioned bathroom stuff… If I have one tonight, at least I know who to blame.[/sub] ---
**Author:** ![jujuju](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/7993a0/32.png) [@jujuju](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jujuju)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2002, 7:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-had-the-awful-bathroom-dream-last-night/124901/22 "2002-08-22T07:31:55Z")
i have the public bathroom dreams alot. specifically, i’ve dreamt that i was at church (i don’t even go to church) and the toilet was in the congregation separated by one of those stand up wall things, used in living rooms. no ceiling, ect. and the room was full of people all quietly praying. also, much more common for me, is dreaming that the chair i am sitting in, in the middle of a living room, is the toilet. the chair is always a new addition to the room, and has a flusher on the side. so i am supposed to go right there, and this is supposed to be normal, but i can’t do it. there are other people i know in the room. weird. ---
**Author:** ![Eats\_Crayons](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/278dde/32.png) [@Eats\_Crayons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eats_Crayons)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2002, 12:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-had-the-awful-bathroom-dream-last-night/124901/23 "2002-08-22T12:07:31Z")
**Shanaladee** from what I understand, it’s actually just a very run-of-the-mill stress dream, and a fairly common one too. It goes hand in hand with the “I Missed THE Important Exam” and the “Discovering You’re Naked at Work/School” dreams. I’m in the process of moving (mostly moved actually), so it’s most like just a product of that stress. **Aglet** never fear, “The Awful Bathroom Dream” is a pretty common one. Anamaniacs made fun of it once in a goofy sequence. The character could not find a place to be, even though he was lugging a toilet around with him. **Breaknrun** Actually I know a few males who’ve had this dream as well. One of my male friends who has this dream from time to time always compalins about the “scary sink”. His dream always ends up featuring the kind of sink that’s a like a big, round trough in the middle of the room. No faucets – it has a bar/pedal near the floor. You step on the pedal and water comes out in a gentle, cascading sprinkle from the centre of the thing. Hard to explain, but I’ve seen them mostly in older public buildings like schools and the occasional factory. ---
**Author:** ![Zyada](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zyada/32/3028_2.png) [@Zyada](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zyada)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2002, 12:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-had-the-awful-bathroom-dream-last-night/124901/24 "2002-08-22T12:33:22Z")
I’ve had the insanely public dream as well. It’s always in a public building and all of the stalls are either in use, broken or the door is off - and there are loads of people in the bathroom, most of whom will use the open stalls, and I won’t. There’s always another section just around the corner but it’s the same story. I always wake up from this one needing to go to the bathroom really bad. ---
**Author:** ![Zebra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c0e974/32.png) [@Zebra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zebra)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2002, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-had-the-awful-bathroom-dream-last-night/124901/25 "2002-08-22T17:04:46Z")
I have never had either one of those dreams. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2002, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-had-the-awful-bathroom-dream-last-night/124901/26 "2002-08-22T18:54:53Z")
I’ve never had a _public_ bathroom dream but whenever I dream I’m in a bathroom it means I need to wake up and take a leak. ---
**Author:** ![Trob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Trob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trob)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2002, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-had-the-awful-bathroom-dream-last-night/124901/27 "2002-08-22T18:57:19Z")
Thank goodness. I thought I was the only one. I am a guy BTW. It’s always an icky bathroom, and i t stinks. Funny thing that. This is ALWAYS becuase I have to wake up and go myself. Now f I could just remember to wake up. ---
**Author:** ![kittenblue](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ba8739/32.png) [@kittenblue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kittenblue)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2002, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-had-the-awful-bathroom-dream-last-night/124901/28 "2002-08-22T23:49:07Z")
I have to agree with **Eve** …the dream means wake up and go to the bathroom! The public bathroom dream, and the dental work dream are the two I now recognize as wake-up-now dreams. ---
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2002, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-had-the-awful-bathroom-dream-last-night/124901/29 "2002-08-23T00:00:27Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Jeff Olsen \* > \*\*I’ve never had a _public_ bathroom dream but whenever I dream I’m in a bathroom it means I need to wake up and take a leak. \*\* Once I dreamed I had to take a wiz, and in the dream I walked into the bathroom, whipped it out, and started going. Only I started going in real life. I pissed the bed. ---
**Author:** ![nashiitashii](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/7c8e57/32.png) [@nashiitashii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nashiitashii)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2002, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-had-the-awful-bathroom-dream-last-night/124901/30 "2002-08-23T00:00:42Z")
Funny, I’ve never had any of those types of dreams… then again, going to the bathroom in public or slightly unsanitary places doesn’t bother me. (I figure I’m washable enough to survive) ---
**Author:** ![Aglet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/aca169/32.png) [@Aglet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aglet)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2002, 12:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-had-the-awful-bathroom-dream-last-night/124901/31 "2002-08-23T00:15:19Z")
I actually never knew that this was a common dream theme! > [@](#): > > _Originally posted by breaknrun:_ > Oh and B]Aglet\*\* and ShanalaDee , I don’t want to hijack this too much but don’t put much stock in dream interpretation. There’s no science there. Thanks for your concern about where I place my stock, **breaknrun** :). I do know that when I go through phases of recurring dreams about stinky, disgusting, horrific public bathrooms that there is something that is making my brain create these images in all their putrid glory. Maybe it _is_ my brain’s way of telling me to get up and go as has been suggested (which I’ll have to verify next time). Seems a little drastic; couldn’t my brain just send me visions of a gently flowing stream with a big slash through it? As far as interpretation, sometimes I dream about a chocolate cupcake with frosting and sprinkles, and it probably just means I want one. Thankfully, the toilets and cupcakes are never in the same dream (probably until tonight . . .) ---
**Author:** ![emulsified](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/emulsified/32/2915_2.png) [@emulsified](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/emulsified)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2002, 2:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-had-the-awful-bathroom-dream-last-night/124901/32 "2002-08-23T02:16:39Z")
Does anyone else have the dream where your teeth are falling out? ---
**Author:** ![Eats\_Crayons](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/278dde/32.png) [@Eats\_Crayons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eats_Crayons)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2002, 12:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-had-the-awful-bathroom-dream-last-night/124901/33 "2002-08-23T12:13:13Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Aglet \* > \*\*I do know that when I go through phases of recurring dreams about stinky, disgusting, horrific public bathrooms that there is something that is making my brain create these images in all their putrid glory. \*\* Anecdote: Back when my SO was living with her now-Ex, there was a night when her now-Ex had a horrible nightmare about being chased by homeless people who were utterly filthy. In the dream, they smelled so foul it was as if they’d been squatting in the sewer systems and hadn’t bathed in years. The putrid stentch was unbearable and yet they followed the now-Ex everywhere relentlessly. Turns out, the cause of the nightmare was my SO who had eaten heaps of spicy food that day for both lunch and dinner and had been creating foul methane clouds under the blankets all night. ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2002, 12:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-had-the-awful-bathroom-dream-last-night/124901/34 "2002-08-23T12:28:21Z")
Yeah, it’s always a relief to figure out a nice, straightforward explanation for these things. Sometimes, however, it’s not just because you’ve gotta pee or because your bedmate overdid it on the Mexican food that day. I believe that sometimes my dreams are a way for my higher power to communicate with me when there’s something I need my attention drawn to. Thus, when I’m having recurring dreams, I usually try to figure out what they’re about. I’m semi-management at work (all the responsibility, none of the perks), so arranging and assigning things, as in my house dreams, or “you can’t get there from here,” as in my elevator dreams, seem kind of straightforward expressions of my concerns and frustrations. On the bathroom dreams, though – what are they about? One obvious message is me telling myself “you’re full of shit,” which is, frankly, a level of self-loathing I’d prefer to think I don’t participate in. I’ve been thinking about this more the last day or so, though (who needs therapy when you’ve got SDMB?), and now I’m thinking it might be “you’re feeling overwhelmed by all the shit you’re carrying around [e.g., job responsibilities] and don’t see a good way of getting rid of it.” So whoever said something about stress and anxiety might well have been right. ---
**Author:** ![Eats\_Crayons](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/278dde/32.png) [@Eats\_Crayons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eats_Crayons)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2002, 2:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-had-the-awful-bathroom-dream-last-night/124901/35 "2002-08-23T14:00:13Z")
**Twicks** I also reduce the dream to its essential component: Urgent task, continually stymied. (The whole bathroom aspect is secondary to the fact that I _need_ to get something done but can’t.) In my case, with my move to my new apartment and all the frustrations that accompany it, it’s no wonder I’m having stress dreams. It hasn’t been a _bad_ move, but definitely a frustrating one. ---
**Author:** ![Aglet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/aca169/32.png) [@Aglet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aglet)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2002, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-had-the-awful-bathroom-dream-last-night/124901/36 "2002-08-23T14:35:14Z")
> [@](#): > > _Originally posted by emulsified:_ > Does anyone else have the dream where your teeth are falling out? Me. But only very occasionally. I also have had dreams where I am trying to take chewing gum out of my mouth (because the flavor is all used up) and it is sort of like the trick handkerchiefs the magicians use––you just keep pulling and pulling and it is never-ending. Both of those are recurring themes for me (albeit not very often). > [@](#): > > _Originally posted by Charmian:_ > Turns out, the cause of the nightmare was my SO who had eaten heaps of spicy food that day for both lunch and dinner and had been creating foul methane clouds under the blankets all night. Something for you to look forward to :D. ---
**Author:** ![Eats\_Crayons](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/278dde/32.png) [@Eats\_Crayons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eats_Crayons)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2002, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-had-the-awful-bathroom-dream-last-night/124901/37 "2002-08-23T15:57:32Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Aglet \* > \*\*Something for you to look forward to :D. \*\* That’s why I don’t stick around after curry. ---
**Author:** ![ShanalaDee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/db5fbb/32.png) [@ShanalaDee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShanalaDee)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2002, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-had-the-awful-bathroom-dream-last-night/124901/38 "2002-08-23T17:50:21Z")
I have always been interested in dreams because I also have certain re-occurring dreams that usually occur whenever I am bothered by something. I usually try to figure out what _I_ see as significant and I then decide what that means to me; i.e. the bathroom means to me to get rid of something (makes sense). Then I go to the web and see what the “experts” say. Most of the time they jive. > [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by emulsified \* > \*\*Does anyone else have the dream where your teeth are falling out? \*\* Dreams that have to do with teeth falling out could signify a [EMAIL=http://www.dreammoods.com/commondreams/teeth.htm]a few things. I ahve had this dream also and usually I am afraid of how I am being percieved by others. I definitely do not claim to be an expert on defining dreams so I won’t do thins as a living but sometimes I get them right 🙂 As for the bathroom one, maybe others can benefit by reading [EMAIL=http://dreammoods.com/cgibin/searchcsv.pl?search=bathroom&method=exact&header=symbol]this ---
**Author:** ![ShanalaDee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/db5fbb/32.png) [@ShanalaDee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShanalaDee)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2002, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-had-the-awful-bathroom-dream-last-night/124901/39 "2002-08-23T17:54:46Z")
hmmmmm. It didn’t work, the hyperlinks, I guess I didn’t do it right. I will just write them done, here they are; the one for the bathroom one is [Dream Moods](http://dreammoods.com/cgibin/searchcsv.pl?search=bathroom&method=exact&header=symbol) the one for the teeth is [http://www.dreammoods.com/commondreams/teeth.htm](http://www.dreammoods.com/commondreams/teeth.htm) 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![breaknrun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bbce88/32.png) [@breaknrun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/breaknrun)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2002, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-had-the-awful-bathroom-dream-last-night/124901/40 "2002-08-23T18:01:56Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by emulsified \* > \*\*Does anyone else have the dream where your teeth are falling out? \*\* Check the obvious stuff first. Did you brush your teeth before going to bed? Did you eat a late night snack? How does your mouth feel when you wake up? I frequently get up in the middle of the night for a snack. Usually a piece of chocolate or pumpkin pie or nutter butter patties, so even if I brushed before going to bed (the first time) I can still get the dreams. I’m a bit of an insomniac and this sometimes helps me get back to sleep. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-had-the-awful-bathroom-dream-last-night/124901.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-had-the-awful-bathroom-dream-last-night/124901.md?page=3)