30 Common Dreams and Their Meanings

Everyone dreams at night, even if you do not remember your dreams. It is estimated that most people spend an hour and a half to two hours dreaming every night. While some of these dreams are obviously just replaying your thoughts and feelings from the day, there are psychological reasons for other dreams to happen. Across diverse cultures, there are many different common dreams that happen. From falling to losing your teeth, these dream meanings have similar meanings and interpretations.

In the past, Freud once wrote that dreams were the creation of our subconscious. The dreams are not straightforward because they are essentially coded messages sent by our subconscious about how we think, feel or believe. In ancient cultures, dreams were thought to be signs about the future, our deeper consciousness or signs from beyond. For the most part, dreams do not predict the future or demonstrate how someone else is feeling. Instead, a dream just shows the dreamer’s thoughts, feelings, worries, memories and desires. Unless you already know how someone else feels, there is no way for your dream to show anything other than what is going on in your subconscious.

1. You Dreamed That You Are Flying

Flying dreams are some of the most common. When you dream that you are flying, it is generally a good sign. A flying dream demonstrates that you feel like you are confident that you can reach your goals—at least, as long as you are able to fly successfully in your dream. If you fly high and feel euphoric in your dreams, it is a sign that you feel like you are close to achieving your goal in real life. Likewise, low flying dreams that are filled with obstacles shows that you feel frustrated in achieving your dreams.

2. You Dreamed That You Lost Your Teeth

Dreaming about your teeth being lost may indicate that you feel unattractive or that you are afraid of getting old. Freud actually believed that dreaming that your teeth are falling out means sexual repression, but it is generally a sign that you feel insecure about something or are overly worried. Losing your teeth in a dream may demonstrate a sudden life change that you are not comfortable with.

3. You Dreamed About a Cross

Crosses have been associated with various religions for centuries. In the past, criminals were often hanged on the cross to die, so it may be a sign of death. Depending on the circumstances, it could also be a sign of rebirth since Christ came back after dying on the cross. It is often a sign that a certain part of your life has ended and you are reestablishing a new balance in your life.

4. You Dream About People

Most dreams actually involve people, and they may or may not have a deeper meaning for your dream. If nothing significant happened, the person may have just appeared because you have memories of them or you see them a lot in normal life. Often, the presence of someone in your dream represents a certain feeling. For example, if you normally feel uncomfortable or anxious around your grandmother, the presence of your grandmother in your dream could symbolize that you feel uncomfortable in real life. If you dream of your lover, it could be a sign that you are focused on them right now. The exact circumstance of the dream will determine exactly what the person means.

5. You Have Nude Dreams

Being naked is normally associated with being vulnerable in some way. If you appear naked before a crowd, it could demonstrate that you feel embarrassed and emotionally vulnerable. Sometimes, only a portion of your body appears to be nude. This could provide additional insight into how you feel or what you understand.

6. You Dreamed of Death

If you just dreamed that you or someone else died, don’t panic just yet. Normally, death is a sign of a rebirth or a transition. For example, if you are getting a new job, an old co-worker or your old boss may die in your dream. You may also dream that an ex-boyfriend or girlfriend dies when you are making the transition into single life. Although death could symbolize that you are worried about a specific person, it is just as likely to show a transition toward something new.

7. You Dreamed That Your Partner Cheated

Do not panic if you dreamed that your partner cheated! It is unlikely that they cheated in real life because dreams are generally not clairvoyant. Instead, it may indicate that you feel like your partner does not spend enough time with you or that you do not fully trust them. These types of dreams are extremely common if you recently thought your partner was flirting with someone else or if you have not gotten to spend enough time around them.

8. You Dreamed That Your Were Chased

One of the most common dreams is being chased. This type of dream normally shows that you are anxious or tense. It is exceptionally symbolic since you are actually running away from something in the dream, and this often correlates to a problem that you are running away from in real life. When you dream that you are being chased, it shows that you are not dealing with a problem head on and may be trying to avoid it.

9. You Dreamed of Demons

Good news: You are not possessed or evil. The bad news is that dreaming of evil and demons shows that you are repressing some of your emotions. It is generally a sign from your subconscious that you need to change your ways in life and take a different path.

10. You Dreamed of Vehicles or Transportation

Dreaming about transportation can come in many varieties: planes, ships, cars, trains or bicycles. Often, this type of dream is a demonstration of the direction that you life is going. Having a vehicle to drive gives you power, so it shows that you feel like you have control in charting your destiny. If there are obstacles in the path, it could demonstrate that you feel like there is something in the way of you achieving your goals or destiny.

11. You Dreamed of Sex

Sex dreams are some of the most common dreams to have. It normally shows that you feel an intimate connection with the person. If you dream of an ex-boyfriend or ex-girlfriend, it is a sign that you miss some aspect of the relationship or that you are experiencing boredom in your current relationship. A dream of a random person could symbolize that you are physically attracted to that person or you dreamed of them randomly as a placeholder for someone that you have yet to meet. Normally, a sex dream means that you want that level of intimacy in your real life.

12. You Dreamed of Having a Baby

This type of dream often symbolizes creative growth in your life. Although some cultures like the Taiwanese believe that dreaming of a child means you will have one soon, it is normally just a sign that you have an idea or job that will be developing in your life.

13. You Dreamed of Your Hair

Having an excess growth of hair in your dream may indicate a growth in your sexuality and libido. Losing hair is often a sign of a loss in libido or that you fear that you will lose your hair.

14. You Dreamed of a House

This dream indicates the different parts of your life and current existence. Each room represents something, so it is extremely important that you remember which room you were in. The basement symbolizes a neglected part of your life, while being in the kitchen or living room can show warmth and the growth of interpersonal relationships.

15. You Dreamed of Being Paralyzed

In a way, sleep is a way of being paralyzed. You do not generally move in your sleep and most physical actions stop. Due to this, it is incredibly common to feel paralyzed in your dreams—especially between REM sleep and waking up. Sometimes, paralysis in your dreams is also a sign that you feel like you lack control in your life.

16. You Dreamed About Clothes

Clothing is one of the key ways that you show the world who you are and control your perception. If you dream that you are in a different style of clothing, it could demonstrate that you feel like a lifestyle change is about to take effect. Dreaming of shabby, old clothes could also be a sign that you feel unattractive and not up to par.

17. You Dreamed of Mountains

Being on a mountain top is generally a sign that you have accomplished something serious or that you are objectively reviewing an aspect of your life. Meanwhile, dreaming that you have to climb a mountain shows that there is an obstacle in your life that you need to face.

18. You Dreamed That You Were Falling

Falling dreams can be uncomfortable and scary to experience. If you are falling uncontrollably in your dream, it shows that you feel like a part of your life is out of control and you cannot do anything to stop it. If you are experiencing a slow, peaceful fall, it shows that you are letting go of some part of your life and letting fate take its course.

19. You Dreamed of Food

Food is one of the main ways that people bond together. Depending on the circumstance and the type of food, it can demonstrate a hunger for new knowledge or developments. Comfort food may show that your mind wants to have a heightened level of interpersonal relationships and support in your day-to-day life.

20. You Dreamed of the Television or Radio

Dreaming of television, the radio or even a phone call is generally a sign that your subconscious mind is trying to communicate clearly with your conscious mind.

21. You Dreamed of Murder

If you are the murderer, this may demonstrate that you want to get rid of someone or some problem in your life. Often, this shows that you deeply dislike the person and want them to suffer. If you dream that you or a loved one is being murdered by an outsider, it indicates an outside threat or a fear that harm will come to your loved ones.

22. You Dreamed That You Were Trapped

Dreaming that you are trapped demonstrates that you feel contained in your normal life. You may feel like it is impossible for you to be set free and that you are being forced to make an important choice.

23. You Dreamed of Snakes

Throughout most cultures, snakes are a terrifying symbol and a sign of evil. Dreaming of snakes may mean that you are facing a challenging or intimidating experience. Depending on the circumstances of the dream, it may also show that you are about to go through a period of transformation—this is due to the snakes ability to molt and shed its skin for a new one.

24. You Dreamed of Hands

When you dream of washing your hands in a dream, it often indicates that you feel guilty. Tied up hands demonstrates that you feel unable to make the moves or steps that you want to and everything in life is futile. If you are trying to have lucid dreams though, you should attempt to look at your hands because this will help you to gain the power that you need to control your dream.

25. You Dreamed About Money

Dreaming about money or precious items in your possession often shows that you have a heightened self-worth. The exchange of money or valuables shows that you expect a new change to take place.

26. You Dreamed of Your Classroom or School

When you are unprepared for something in life, you may dream that you are taking a test in your dream. Additionally, a dream of a classroom can just be a replayed memory from the past. If you felt comfortable at school, your subconscious may be trying to provide you with the safety and security that you are missing out on in real life.

27. You Dreamed That You Were on the Road

Dreaming that you are driving or on the road shows that you are taking a new path in life. If you have not made a decision about which way to go in real life, your subconscious may be trying to tell you that you have to stand up and make a decision.

28. You Dreamed of Getting Married

When you dream that you are getting married, it typically symbolizes that you want a closer bond with your current partner or that you want to get married. If you are currently single, then dreaming of a marriage may be a sign that you want to have a relationship and a close emotional connection.

29. You Dreamed of Water

Water is often a symbol of your unconscious mind. Due to this, the type of water or the way it is moving can show how you feel. Cloudy water shows that your emotions are hard to read, while clear water shows that everything is going well and you understand all of your motivations.

30. You Dreamed of Broken Machines

If there is faulty machinery in your dream, this demonstrates that you may feel performance anxiety. There is also a possibility that it occurred because of how dreaming works. Parts of your mind are shut down while you are asleep, so this could make it difficult to operate a machine or even dial a phone number while you are dreaming.