• Over three-fifths of US workers have nightmares about work.
• Common nightmares include being late to work, job loss, and romantic dreams about coworkers.
• Dreams are often a reflection of the inner self, therapists say.

For many people, work extends well beyond the standard 9-to-5. The pressure from their jobs can disrupt sleep, leading to restless nights and stressful dreams.

In a survey of 1,750 working adults in the US conducted by Each Night, a sleep resource platform, more than three-fifths of workers reported having a nightmare about their jobs.

The most common workplace nightmare is being late to work, according to an analysis of global search data conducted by the job search platform JobLeads. Losing your job, getting a new job, and colleague romances were also commonly reported dreams.

Annie Wright, a psychotherapist who operates boutique trauma therapy centers in California and Florida, told Business Insider that dreams are worth analyzing.

The fear of being late to work can signify a sense of uncertainty, she said. "It doesn't terribly surprise me that that's showing up because, you know, we have that classic dream in college and high school of being late for a test," she said.

Through the lens of gestalt psychotherapy — a therapeutic approach that focuses on understanding a person's present experience — every element of a dream, from the setting to the people, places, and objects, can be viewed as a reflection of the dreamer's inner self.

Wright offered a hypothetical workplace dream in which the dreamer sees their boss, closest colleague, and a challenging client. The boss is yelling at the colleague about their interactions with the client.

Wright said she would ask the dreamer to describe the qualities they associate with their boss. "Critical, demanding, and hostile," they might say, she said. Then, they would describe their colleague. "Supportive, kind, but incompetent sometimes," she said.

She would ask the dreamer to think about all these aspects within their self.

"What does it say that the critical, angry part of you is attacking the, you know, supportive but kind part of you," she said. Perhaps the person would realize that the dream was about something else entirely.

"I cannot turn off this critical voice about my inability to get pregnant," she said, as an example. "When we unfold it from that lens, it can become less about the workplace itself or the workplace figure itself and more about what those different parts symbolized by the workplace or workplace figures represent."

Stressful dreams often reflect a person's sense of vulnerability in the wider world, she said. Whether it's the workplace or the middle school hallway — the most common setting for a stress dream — the setting of a dream is like a subject that our mental state seeks out. "In other words, the state of vulnerability seeks that out and gloms on to it," she said.

Here's a closer look at the top most searched workplace stress dreams, according to JobLeads data.

President Trump challenged U.S. birthright citizenship the day of his inauguration, attempting to strike down a 19th century constitutional doctrine via executive order.

The big picture: Though a core part of American citizenship, unrestricted birthright citizenship is mostly a facet of the Western Hemisphere.

• Many other nations make citizenship conditional on the legal status of the parents or a person's length of residency in the country, per the Library of Congress.
• In Africa, Asia and Europe, most countries either don't offer birthright citizenship or offer it conditionally, some through an application process.

What they're saying: "The historical foundation of this principle in the U.S. reflects its aim to eliminate legal inequalities and promote inclusivity," the American Immigration Council said.

• Another explanation of its foundation is colonialism, John Skrentny, a sociologist at the University of California, San Diego, told Politifact in 2015 when Trump first raised his qualms with birthright citizenship.
• European colonizers, he said, wanted to build populations in North and South America to outnumber Indigenous populations.
• "Getting people to move in was a good way to establish authority," Skrentny added.
• He pointed out that birthright laws remain in South America, which has historically had fewer immigrants.

Zoom out: Universal birthright citizenship was restricted or abolished in Britain, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand and India in recent decades, the New York Times reported.

• Ireland in 2004 ended unrestricted birthright citizenship after 79% of voters supported a constitutional amendment that hinges citizenship on parents' residence and history.
• The Dominican Republic's abolition of birthright citizenship in 2013 denationalized about 200,000 people, largely of Haitian descent, according to the Center for Migration Studies.
• It was a decision the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights condemned and the Open Society Justice Initiative said was "part of a long history of discrimination against Dominicans of Haitian descent."

Catch up quick: Trump has also faced criticism for rhetoric used to push for more limits on immigration and promote mass deportations.

• States and civil rights groups immediately sued his administration after the president signed the birthright citizenship order, which was set to take effect on Feb. 20.
• A U.S. district judge sided with four Democratic state attorneys general who argued in lawsuits that the order was unconstitutional, and the decision Thursday temporarily blocked the order nationwide.
• Trump's defense of the order was that children whose parents aren't citizens are "not subject to" American jurisdiction as envisioned in the 14th Amendment.

What's next: The case is likely to be appealed to the Supreme Court.

• The Justice Department "will vigorously defend President Trump's EO, which correctly interprets the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution," it said in a statement to NBC News.

Go deeper:

• "Blatantly unconstitutional": Judge blocks Trump's birthright citizenship order
• Trump offers first defense of birthright citizenship order in court filing
• Tracking: States suing to block Trump's birthright citizenship order

• Bill Gates, in a recent Journal interview, said Elon Musk's DOGE could be "a valuable thing."
• Gates said the federal deficit will "create a financial problem" for the US if it isn't reduced.
• But the Microsoft cofounder also said it was important to retain vital programs.

Bill Gates, in a recent Wall Street Journal interview, said the Elon Musk-led Department of Government Efficiency could be a "valuable" effort, adding that it's important to reduce the size of the federal budget deficit.

"I think the idea that looking at government expenditures on a sort of zero-based budgeting approach could be a valuable thing," he told the newspaper. "I'm amongst the people who think the deficit needs to be brought down because otherwise, it will create a financial problem for us. That effort could come up with some good things."

DOGE, which recently saw the departure of businessman Vivek Ramaswamy as a co-lead, aims to tackle government inefficiencies and reduce the deficit.

After DOGE was first proposed, Musk set a goal to cut $2 trillion in spending. However, during a conversation with political strategist Mark Penn earlier in January, Musk said the $2 trillion figure was a "best-case outcome" and that the commission had a "good shot" at saving $1 trillion.

DOGE announced on Friday that it had canceled roughly $420 million worth of existing or forthcoming contracts, in addition to two leases. However, according to Business Insider's calculations, the commission would need to be far more aggressive in its spending cuts to meet any of its goals.

During Gates' interview, Journal editor in chief Emma Tucker asked the Microsoft cofounder where he'd look to find savings if he was leading DOGE.

"Well, given the numbers that they've tossed around, they'll have to look at everything, including pension, defense, healthcare," he said.

However, Gates said he had concerns about the government shutting down resources that have "long-term benefits" for citizens, specifically citing HIV.

"I obviously believe in HIV medicines, where the US is keeping tens of millions of people alive," he said. "If you cut those off, not only would they die when we have a cure on its way, but the negative feelings you'd have, say in Africa, would be worse than never having done the thing at all."

While rising to prominence in the technology sphere, Gates has also long been known for his philanthropic work through the Gates Foundation, which he cofounded in 2000 with his then-wife Melinda French Gates.

During the 2024 presidential race, Gates didn't publicly endorse Vice President Kamala Harris. But the New York Times reported in October that he privately donated $50 million to a pro-Harris super PAC. After the story was published, Gates released a statement pointing to his bipartisan background while adding that "this election is different."

In December, Gates traveled to Mar-a-Lago to dine with then-President-elect Donald Trump and recently told The Journal he was "impressed" with the president's interest in global health issues.