LAFAYETTE, La. (KPEL-FM) - A new study has been released showing the top cities in the US where people report having the most nightmares, and Louisiana has landed not one, but two cities on the list.

As a matter of fact, one Louisiana city just barely missed taking the number one spot. And, no, it's not New Orleans.

So what's the deal? What is it about Louisiana that is giving so many people nightmares? Is it the heat, the food, the stress?

Let's see what the folks over at naplab.com came up with...

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Unsplash Via Elti Meshau
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US Cities Where People Have The Most Nightmares

Naplab.com surveyed Americans from every state to determine where people are having the most nightmares. To compile their the scores, they used factors like cemeteries per 100k people, crime rate, missing person cases per 100k people, venomous snakes per state, fatal car crashes per 100k, and more.

From naplab.com -

Ever had one of those nights where you wake up in a cold sweat, heart pounding, convinced something was lurking just beyond the shadows?

 

While nightmares can strike anywhere, some cities might just be more primed to feed your subconscious fears.

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The Top 5 cities where people have the most nightmares:

1. Bakersfield, California – 73.35
2. Baton Rouge, Louisiana – 73.32
3. Memphis, Tennessee – 70.46
4. Fresno, California – 68.09
5. Little Rock, Arkansas – 68.06

As you can see, Baton Rouge just narrowly missed taking the number spot on the list.

New Orleans is the other Louisiana city that made the list, coming in at No. 12 on the list with a score of 64.19, actually tied with Tulsa, OK.

Unsplash Via Robert Zunikoff
Unsplash Via Robert Zunikoff
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Why Do People Have Nightmares?

People have nightmares for a mix of psychological, biological, and environmental reasons. Nightmares are essentially the brain’s way of processing stress, emotion, and memory during sleep.

When something stressful or unresolved is weighing on your mind like anxiety, trauma, grief, or even an argument, your brain may “rehearse” it in a nightmare as it tries to make sense of it.

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One of the biggest causes of nightmares is stress. People going through breakups, job changes, financial problems, or health scares often report more nightmares.

Read more about why people in Baton Rouge and New Orleans have so many nightmares over at naplab.com.

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