What Do Your Dreams Really Mean?

Have you ever woken up from a dream so bizarre, you immediately got out of your comfortable bed and spent hours online trying to find an explanation for it? Regardless if we remember them upon waking up, practically everyone dreams, and we all have our fair share of truly outlandish dream stories to tell. The very idea of dreams has perplexed society for centuries. And while some believe dreams don’t hold any form of deeper meaning, others have written entire dissertations on how to interpret one’s dreams. Our most vivid dreams occur while in our deepest form of sleep which is referred to as REM (rapid eye movement) sleep. It’s important to sleep on a premium mattress in order to get the most amount of REM sleep possible each night so that you have a greater opportunity to dream, as well as to interpret your dreams. We spend a third of our lives asleep on our mattresses, which means there are endless hours of dreams: some we remember, but most we don’t. While there is no definitive answer as to what your dreams say about you, there have been patterns found amongst commonly experienced dreams. If you’ve ever wondered what your dreams are trying to tell you, here are 5 of the most common dreams and their supposed meanings:

If you’ve ever dreamt about your teeth falling out, this isn’t because you need to take better care of your dental hygiene. Dreams that involve teeth falling out often indicate that you’re feeling stressed out, particularly about your self-image. You may see yourself in a negative light, focus too much on your flaws, or are generally worried about your appearance. These dreams may also point to being concerned about having said or done something you felt was embarrassing. If you experience a dream like this, that’s totally okay! Allow it to serve as a reminder to take a step back and appreciate yourself every once in a while.

Dreams that involve the action of falling often mean that some aspect of your life isn’t going how you would like, or that you have lost control over a situation. You may feel threatened by the fact that this particular situation is out of your hands. With the occurrence of these dreams, it could be worth rethinking your decisions or life choices. However, don’t allow for this kind of dream to frighten you! No one has it all together, and it's normal to feel this way but remind yourself this feeling will pass. Instead, you can use it as motivation to conquer what’s bothering you.

The kind of dreams in which you are flying actually hold two opposing meanings. Some claim that flying dreams can be a sign that you’re feeling a newfound sense of freedom or independence. However, others claim that these dreams indicate you feel the need to escape a current life situation. Depending on what’s occurring in your everyday life, you either feel the desire to be liberated, or you already feel free.

Dreaming about someone specific actually holds less meaning than you may think. Generally, when someone in your life appears in your dream it simply means you were thinking about that person earlier in the day.

First thing’s first, dreaming about death does not mean anything dangerous is going to happen to you. Allow yourself to exhale. If you have dreamt about the death of either yourself or a loved one, this is an indication that you may have a feeling of fear towards a recent change in your life. If something has altered your life, leaving a feeling of anxiety for the unknown, this kind of dream may occur. But remember, although change may feel daunting, it’s entirely normal and change can be a great thing! Although many swear by the proposed meanings behind dreams, everything is up to interpretation. Many times, our dreams are truly just random thoughts and are nothing to be overly concerned about. More than anything, dreaming (and interpreting dreams) should be thought of as fun, and never to be taken too seriously. Sweet dreams!