I have a recurring theme in my dreams of squeezing through tight spaces. Typically I'm going up or down stairs, then when I get to the top/bottom there's a low ceiling and I have to squeeze through, but as I start to feel stuck I wake in a panic. Usually it's vertical space (i.e. low ceilings and I have to lie on my stomach and push through), but recently I dreamed of having to get through narrow horizontal space, but also interestingly to get up some stairs. When I feel stuck, this is then the point where I become lucid, and try hard to wake up, but I still then feel the panic of being trapped and unable to breathe. I've never been claustrophobic in real situations, but as I've got older and these dreams have been more often, this has become more of an issue. For example, my child wants me to hide under the bed covers but I feel panicky and can't stay there more than a few seconds; a few years ago this would have been fine.
I'd love to hear what people think about this, and how I can work through something to reduce these dreams happening, or at leat to manage it more effectively.
Thank you.