Top 10 Common Dreams And Their Meanings
Published on October 7, 2008 - 216 Comments
Everyone dreams (even if we don’t always remember them after the fact) and researchers have found that the majority of us have dreams with similar themes. For years people have tried to interpret the fleeting images that we see when we go to sleep - some interpretations are outright bizarre, while others are pretty understandable. This is a list of the interpretations that the Association for the Study of Dreams has given to the most recurring and common types of dream. Be sure to tell us whether you think it is accurate from your own experiences.
In these types of dreams you are usually in or near a car or some other type of vehicle which is out of control or has other problems that seem insurmountable. For example, the brakes may have failed, you may have lost control of the steering, or be heading over a cliff or crashing. You can either be the driver or the passenger. This is a very common type of nightmare and it occurs in all people - not just those who can drive. This dream usually means that you are feeling powerless over something in your life - or that you are heading for a crash (metaphorically speaking).
In the faulty machinery dream you are trying to operate mechanical equipment which either fails to work, or fails to work in the way that you expect it to. The vast majority of these dreams involve a telephone - either trouble dialing, losing a connection, or dialing a wrong number. It can involve a lost Internet connection, or something manual like a jammed or broken machine. This dream often means that you feel you are losing touch with reality, or that a part of your body or mind is not functioning as it should. It can also occur when you are feeling anxious about making a connection with another person in real life.
Dreaming about being lost is very common and will usually occur when you are having conflict in deciding how to react in a situation in real life. In the dream you are trying to find your way out of an area - such as a forest, city streets, a large building, or other maze-like structure. Another way this dream plays out involves you being trapped, buried alive, caught in a web, or unable to move for some other reason. This is often accompanied by a feeling of terror. This dream usually means that you are trapped in real life - unable to make the right choice.
In this type of dream you are rushing to catch a bus, train, plane, or other type of public transport - but you miss it - usually by a fraction of a second. Rather than feeling fear in this dream, you usually feel frustration. This dream can also occur in a different form, in which you arrive late for an important performance or sporting event that you are supposed to participate in, only to find that the event has already begun. This dream usually means that you feel that you have missed out on an important opportunity in your real life. It will often occur when you are struggling over an important decision.
This dream usually manifests itself in people who have been out of school for a long time. In the dream you are prevented from passing a test in a variety of different possible scenarios. In one scenario you find that you are unable to make it to the test on time, often through being unable to find the test room. In other versions you are unprepared (either through lack of study) or you are missing equipment. This dream usually means that you are feeling tested in some way in your real life. You may feel that you are unprepared for something or playing the wrong part in life.
In this dream, you (or a loved one) are ill, injured, or dying. It is a moderately common dream and, not surprisingly, occurs often at the onset of an illness. Aside from becoming ill, this dream can mean that you are emotionally hurt or are afraid of becoming hurt. The dream may also be warning you of an upcoming physical risk to yourself or a loved one. When it is someone else in the dream that dies, it can mean that you feel that part of yourself (that you see represented by that person) is dead. It may also mean that you wish the person would go away, or that you fear losing them.
Dreaming of being chased can be a truly horrifying experience. Most often the chaser is a monster or some person that is frightening, and occasionally it may be an animal. You may be surprised to know that this is the most commonly experienced nightmare theme. The meaning of these dreams is that someone, something (possibly something as obscure as an emotion) is making you feel threatened. One way to determine the root of the threat is to ask yourself who or what in your real life most closely resembles the “creature” or circumstance in your dream. It is also worth noting that sometimes this dream is a replay of an actual event in your life.
Teeth dreams are fairly common and they usually involve the discovery of extremely decayed or missing teeth in your own mouth. Sometimes you will dream that you open your mouth and your teeth begin to fall out. The fact that the majority of people today have reasonable teeth (perhaps with the exception of the British), it is not surprising that we feel so emotionally disturbed by these dreams. So, what does it mean when we dream about missing teeth? At the most basic level it means that we are afraid of being found unattractive. At a deeper level, it can signify a fear of embarrassment or a loss of power in real life. Oh - I was just kidding about the “British” thing!
In this type of dream you are in a state of undress, partial undress, or inappropriate dress (for example wearing pajamas to work). Occasionally you are the witness of another person who is naked while you are clothed. This is often accompanied by feelings of embarrassment and shame, but occasionally with the feeling of pride or freedom. The meaning of this dream is that you are feeling exposed, awkward, or vulnerable, or you are afraid that you have revealed too much of yourself (such as a secret or a very personal feeling) in a real life situation. An interesting fact about this type of dream is that it occurs much more frequently in people who are involved in a wedding ceremony in their real life.
We have all had falling dreams - it is such a common dream, in fact, that myths have arisen over them; the most common myth is, of course, that you will die if you hit the ground in the dream. I can assure you, having hit the ground in more than one falling dream, that this is not true at all. In the falling dream we are usually falling through the air and frightened. Occasionally we may be sinking in water (and in danger of drowning). Typically a person having this dream is feeling insecure or lacking in support in their waking life. These dreams often occur when you are overwhelmed in life and feel ready to give up. If you have this dream you should evaluate your current situation and try to locate the problem that is overwhelming you. Deal with it and this dream should go away.
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1. JUNQUEMAN - October 8th, 2008 at 1:59 am
I dreamt I was early on the list
2. ianiiii - October 8th, 2008 at 2:00 am
always dreamt #1 3,4 & 5
3. Boaby - October 8th, 2008 at 2:02 am
There has only ever been one dream that I have had more than once, it involves me being in the middle of a large body of water (most likely the sea) and its night, all around me there are patches of grass floating on the surface and when I attempt to climb upon one of these grassy floaty things, the sink and its as if they cannot support my weight. So I start to panic because in real life I hate swimming in open water. The fear of drowning is a big part, the feeling of stepping into seaweed or some other sea foliage creeps the sh*t out of me!
The weirdest dream I have ever had involved a number of playing cards lined up showing what they were (can’t remember number/suit of each) and they were flying fast towards my face then going back to their original position before a different card would do the same. Pretty strange huh ? Oh there was something about Kurt Cobain wrapped around that whole card flying towards me dream, it reminded me of him/made me think of him.
4. jfrater - October 8th, 2008 at 2:09 am
Boaby: that card dream sounds really weird - I can’t even begin to imagine what it might have meant. I was told by an eminent psychotherapist once that the true interpretation of a dream comes from the feelings you had while dreaming, rather than the images in the dream itself. That may offer a clue.
5. jfrater - October 8th, 2008 at 2:11 am
Oh - and I have had all of these dreams except 6 (failing a test), and 10 (car troubles). In the nudity dream I was wearing my pajamas at school - I had that dream when I was about 10 - I am surprised I still remember it.
6. 0rz - October 8th, 2008 at 2:19 am
I don’t dream much, but there’s one dream I’ve had that I can’t really put any meaning to. Starts off in a house, and there’s a giant (big orgre or troll type thin only, made out of dogs) in it. For whatever reason, I go up to him and keep spraying him with fly spray. He chases me out of the house, until I go back in and keep spraying him. This happens over and over a few times, then I wake up.
7. jajdude - October 8th, 2008 at 2:24 am
I often dream I am floating or have the ability to levitate, sometimes with a great sense of power, other times with powerlessness.
8. Bahar - October 8th, 2008 at 2:27 am
I always dream # 1, 4 and 6.
That Falling part is very weird, because I always wake up when falling and like if I’m still falling (of my bed) but still lay still. Very strange feeling.
And being chased. Then in my dreams, my leggs get heavier, like if I can’t run anymore, because my leggs are slowing me down. Very stressful dream.
9. Bahar - October 8th, 2008 at 2:30 am
I also dream about me flying . The strange thing about this is, that I fly close above the ground, never high. But still, it is a wonderful feeling. I love those dreams.
10. Tivvyred - October 8th, 2008 at 2:41 am
Perhaps its just me, but my dreams always seem to revolve around sex and or me saving someone from impending doom. Had none of the above.
11. Suskis - October 8th, 2008 at 2:43 am
When I was younger I wrote all dreams I had about a girl I was in love (she was not interested in me). I wrote down I think over 2000 dreams!
I stopped writing them down the day we settled down and went living together in our house (she has been my girlfriend for 13 years now)
[obsessive, isn’t it? :-p
12. beff - October 8th, 2008 at 2:54 am
wow
really neat list
i don’t know how much i believe in dreams meaning the same for everyone but i have that dream about phones quite a bit. I can never dial the right number or get ahold of the person i am trying to reach so it seems quite obvious that is what i would mean.
and my being chased is more like being hunted with people who have weapons.
thanks
since i just woke up i was dreaming about school and i was kicked out for having a spoon? i guess my teacher was against metal items and i was trying to hide it for a reason like it was drugs or something. i haven’t been in school for a long while.
Also i dreamt of going to a water spot a seeing crocodiles. I often dream of water, almost every night…..
yawn
it is early
13. otarin - October 8th, 2008 at 2:56 am
strangely I had the falling dream when I fell out of the top bunk of a bunk-bed. I hit the ground the same time as in my dream.
14. downhighway61 - October 8th, 2008 at 3:05 am
I’ve never had the nudity, test taking,or being sick/dying dreams before. I’ve had the teeth ones, but I think it’s because I’ve recently had some dental work done.
I’v always dreamed about having problems with cars, even when I was very young, like 5 years old. Those are awful!
I remember one in particular, I must have been under 10. My mom went into a mcdonalds, which then blew up, and I had to drive her car, but I couldn’t control it so I was driving through the woods in a car that couldn’t be stopped.
15. otarin - October 8th, 2008 at 3:09 am
When I broke up with my girlfriend I had several dreams that I was driving her car and every time I went over even the smallest of hill the car would launch itself into the air dukes of hazard style.
16. warrrreagl - October 8th, 2008 at 3:11 am
I’ve never had the teeth dream, but I’ve had all the others. Also, I have been killed in my own dreams many times, and I’ve always been told that’s impossible.
17. warningdontreadthis - October 8th, 2008 at 3:31 am
I once dreamed I was driving towards a wall really fast and I couldn’t stop and just when I was about to crash I woke up.
It was scary and I think I was about 10 or 11 when I dreamed it.
18. pankhudi - October 8th, 2008 at 3:47 am
Cool List.
I have had all these dreams except 3 and 8. 1 and 7 have become so regular for me that I actually miss them if they don’t occur in a week.
Also, one common dream is where I am standing in a garden full of red roses but still I am sad. Don’t know what does it mean.
By the way, I am seeing some ‘Fatal Error Occured’ type of weird dreams since I have started my job.
@Boaby [4]: Your water body dream is really spooky.
19. godiva - October 8th, 2008 at 3:49 am
am i the only one who often dream that i’m flying?
20. pankhudi - October 8th, 2008 at 3:53 am
@Suskis [12]: That’s sweet…wish you both luck
21. MT - October 8th, 2008 at 3:58 am
Sometimes I dream I’m in a car with no brakes and sliding out of control into traffic. I’m usually going to school to take a test that I’m late for. I get out to walk and start flying while I’m being chased in the nude and I’m lost in the city. I’ve also been having a lot of dreams about dead relatives, especially my mother. Gotta go now…time for my therapy session.
22. nimitz - October 8th, 2008 at 4:06 am
i had the weirdest combination of #1,2,3,4,and 5 once, all in one dream.
23. postman - October 8th, 2008 at 4:07 am
I dream of going on a wild shooting spree………maybe I need a new job.
24. watching - October 8th, 2008 at 4:20 am
The majority of the themes on this list have been in my dreams. I often dream that I’m looking for something and weirdly enough , of toilets. A lot of my dreams have filmic tones to them also.
25. thirtytwo - October 8th, 2008 at 4:30 am
I regularly dream about my teeth falling out. Had a few of the others too.
Good list!
26. Spocker - October 8th, 2008 at 4:44 am
I keep dreaming about getting shot at. I hope it isn’t some bad omen or ominous foreboding.
27. Vivii - October 8th, 2008 at 4:44 am
Nice list Jamie!
Most of the dreams I can remember are nothing like the ones described here though. The only ones on the list that have happened to me (that I know of) are the dreams about death and falling. The second one used to happen quite frequently and the explanation of being overwhelmed in life is probably correct, in hindsight.
Also, I love that there’s an image from Little Miss Sunshine for item 7!
28. Julie - October 8th, 2008 at 4:47 am
This is one really f*cking stupid list that has been done over and over and over. Get some original and interesting ideas for once in your damn life.
29. Ghidoran - October 8th, 2008 at 4:51 am
Awesome list.
30. kittym - October 8th, 2008 at 4:52 am
I’m constantly dreaming about my teeth falling out. And not just falling: they actually crumble into much smaller pieces, and I end up spitting the pieces out all throughout my dream. I was having that dream so regularly that I actually went and talked to someone about it, and they told me it could mean I wasn’t feeling nurtured or loved by those around me, such as my family and friends. An odd interpretation I thought at the time, but looking back now, it makes a lot of sense!
Good list!
31. Peri - October 8th, 2008 at 4:59 am
Let’s see…I recall #10 once, but my car had only run out of gas. At that time I was considering taking on a new project when I was already overloaded. I took it as a warning that “I” would run out of gas if I took on that project, so I turned it down. Turned out to be the right decision.
#9, I’ve been trapped in a wonky elevator a few times…the floor tilting from side to side, the doors opening and closing rapidly, lights flashing…does that count?
#4, I’ve dreamt of being in a crowd of people running, though we weren’t chasing anyone. But in those running dreams I have unlimited energy and could run forever. I usually wind up flying by the end of the dream.
#2, I’m usually inappropriately dressed for whatever the situation, most often I’ve forgotten my pants.
#1, I’ve had this numerous times. I usually wake up before I hit the ground or drown, my lungs burning because I’ve been holding my breath.
32. fanty - October 8th, 2008 at 5:03 am
When I was little I used to have nightmares about being chased A LOT. Usually there’d be two thugs, and I’d be running away from them towards my house, but I could never reach the door no matter how hard I’d try, and they would just be slowly closing the distance between us.
The dream which left the most impact on me is the one where I got shot to the back of my head. In the dream it was really unexpected, I remember I was really confident that nothing bad will happen. When I woke up I checked if there’s no hole in my head cause it felt like there actually was one, I even could feel blood flowing down my forehead! (my head was fine, thankfully :p)
And I find it a bit disappointing that I never had a dream about falling, with it being the most common dream people have and all…
33. Ernmas - October 8th, 2008 at 5:08 am
The only dream on the list I’ve ever had was #1. I usually don’t remember any of my dreams. The only ones that I remember out were violent ones and some vivid ones when pregnant. I am glad I don’t remember dreams or I’d be forever analyzing them.
34. Rusty - October 8th, 2008 at 5:18 am
Well I’m not as angry as Julie!! But this is a very pop psychology type list. I am sure it will get a lot of comments as the last list did - ‘Top 10 Amazing Facts About Dreams’.
Unfortunately it does contain the same populus errors and third age type thinking.
There is not a lot wrong with wanting to make sense of one’s life. It is a huge industry and travels the gambit from legitimate study to outright cons. Dreams and their analysis have a long history in most (all?) cultures, and particularly in the 60’s, in ours. But there was a lot of shonky ‘research’ done and not many of those movements survive today. Some of you will remember Ann Faraday, the Senoi Dream workshops, Castenada, Cayce, et al. The work of Freud and Jung is not particularly in vogue now either. Current thinking includes those who believe dreams are psychotic and meaningless (Hobson and Solm). Even the Wikipeadia entrys for dream interpretation are bereft of quality and citations.
So I am extremely sceptical of potted dream analysis done in a manner not dissimilar to horoscopes.
A couple of errors carried over from the previous list:
- not every one dreams. Infants do not, some brain damaged, and medicated do not, and some otherwise normal individuals do not. None of them go mad from not dreaming.
- most dreams are of common daily events and seem to have no adaptive purpose.
For a reasoned summary of how come we have it all wrong and current thinking on dreams and their possible meaning to waking life today - see G. William Domhoff, University of California, Santa Cruz:
http://psych.ucsc.edu/dreams/L.....2006a.html
35. DUMDUM - October 8th, 2008 at 5:23 am
i live in Africa so i often dream about witchcraft as this is a common issue in a Africa but i think that i dream about this kind of stuff because iam a very afraid person can someone please explain this better for me
36. Caroline - October 8th, 2008 at 5:41 am
In 95% of all the dreams I can remember, someone is trying to kill me. It’s been that way for as long as I can remember. I’m 21 now and you would think that I would grow out of the horrible, reality shaking nightmares. Not so.
If you met my psyche you’d understand, we don’t get along well…
37. carpe_noctem - October 8th, 2008 at 5:44 am
I aaalways have dreams where I’m being chased, but my legs refuse to work properly, so I end up moving at a ridiculously slow pace and just as I’m about to get caught, the dream either changes, or I wake up. Except one time I got to see myself eaten by a crocodile, so that was interesting at least
And Julie ^^^^ thanks so much for your valued contribution to our lives.
38. Lark - October 8th, 2008 at 5:50 am
i’ve all but three of these dreams (9, 6 & 7) but the dreams i had that were like the ones on the list were different from the explaintions given.
i.e.
2. I’ve dreamed this in relation to school, but only in my middle school years (the worst 3 years of my life) as soon as i moved on i stopped having them.
3. i’ve heard this has a lot to do with smoking as well (or trying to quit smoking) & while i was trying to quit i’d have a great number of these dreams, so it makes sense to me.
4. one of the only two reoccuring dreams in my life. no matter how old i am when i have it, i am around 6 years old in the dream & being chased by a man (usually who wants to abduct me).
10. The car trouble dreams i had a lot as well when i was younger. usually it would be me taking my parents car (i was not of age to drive in the dream or at the time) & my little brother would always be in the passenger seat & we’d be so happy until we got a few feet out of the driveway & then i’d lose control somehow & fear getting in trouble with my parents. coincidentally, i stopped having that dream when i started driving (around 15 or so).
5. this dream is probably the most horrific to me & the most common recurring dream. it involves men breaking into my house & my father getting up to see what is happening when he is shot (almost exclusively in the stomach or chest) & he begins to die, albeit, slowly so he has time to smile & joke & pretend he’s going to live. I’m the only one that witnesses this in the dream & i’m the only one that sees my father die. i’m always the same age in the dream (12-13) & my did is always young, about in his 30s. it never fails to shake me up.
39. DamienKarras - October 8th, 2008 at 6:01 am
I remember most of my dreams… the trick of writing them down while they’re still fresh in your mind really works in helping you remember them.
Lately I’ve been successful at controlling my dreams in an extremely limited capacity. At some point I slow down and say to myself (in the dream), stare at ONE object for awhile to help remember. So far its been working.
40. romerozombie - October 8th, 2008 at 6:03 am
Too bloody right you were kidding about the British thing. I hate stereotype. I’m British, and i’ve only ever had one cavity in 18 years!
I’ve had the falling and teeth dreams, but ususally my dreams are messed up. Once I dreamt a puppet Jesus came into my bedroom and starting talking to me. He kinda looked like the puppet outta Saw…
And last night I dreamt I was being chased by spirits and poltergeist in a cinema.
41. si - October 8th, 2008 at 6:04 am
i had one dream where i was involved with a shootout against the mafia and ended up dying, but then my ghost/soul/whatever rose from my body, and i could see my dead body, but i was still somehow alive. also, last night, i had a dream that i was on my computer, then i went to get a cup of water, and when i was coming back i saw myself on the computer, even though i was standing in the doorway. i could somewhat control my “other self”. i dunno, i thought those were the two weirdest dreams in my life.
42. romerozombie - October 8th, 2008 at 6:08 am
Don’t you hate it when you wake up just as the best part of the dream starts (I know what that involves with guys…), or can’t remember something cool?
I once dreamt I knew all the secrets of the universe, why we’re here, everything. It felt that way. Then I couldn’t remember a thing when I woke. Sad face.
43. anonymous - October 8th, 2008 at 6:18 am
i had this dream the other night where i was chatting with this girl who i really like.. that was really weird. i felt really happy and i felt that my vision was actually the pc monitor. i cant see my hands or the keyboard. it was very weird.. really. the funny thing about it was the previous night i waited for a few hours for her to go online then 5 minutes after we started chatting, she had to go. i really got disappointed and i decided to go to sleep early. then i researched about dreams and ended up here.. haha! one thing really does lead to another..
44. Ano - October 8th, 2008 at 6:20 am
Tell me, what does it mean if I’ve never ever had a dream before, I’m serieus, It’s just a black image, I just don’t dream…
Am I a Psycho?
,
45. Mortivore - October 8th, 2008 at 6:20 am
I’ve only had two weird dreams like these. In one of them, I’m really young, back when my parents were still together, and this gigantic T-Rex, large even for a freaking dinosaur, tears off the roof of my house. I go and hide under an endtable, while my mom tells the dinosaur I’m not there. Oh, and the dinosaur can talk. @.@
The second one is where me and a bunch of other people are riding on this ferry-type-thing in a gymnasium about half full with water. We keep trying to get away from these odd looking people-shark things. Then I randomly take it into my head to jump in the water and start chasing the ferry. Maybe I’m finally starting to conform? XD
46. Heroajax - October 8th, 2008 at 6:21 am
Dreams actually don’t “mean” anything. Psychology/Psychiatry has shown repeatedly that dreams are simply the unconscious mind’s way of dealing with external stimuli; sounds, smells, touches that occur while we are asleep. Almost everyone has a recurring dream. Recurring dreams occur due to the mind attempting to interpret sensory input while asleep. The problem is most people don’t remember their dreams at all. Since everyone’s mind is different from everyone else’s then it’s reasonable to determine everyone dreams differently even when presented with the same stimuli.
It’s fascinating to see how people dream and how amazingly vivid they are, but there’s no real meaning in them.
47. tapdiva2003 - October 8th, 2008 at 6:23 am
I don’t have any of these dreams. My weirdest one though was when I was little after my sister was born I dreamt that I was using the bathroom and she accidently crawled in and I flushed her down the toilet. I think I was going through some jealousy issues
48. Callie - October 8th, 2008 at 6:35 am
does anyone have dream soundtracks? I constantly incorporate songs into my dreams and I won’t remember them until I hear the song again and then I’m like..oh this is from the dream where such and such happened.
49. Boaby - October 8th, 2008 at 6:39 am
jfrater: wow the man himself ! Greetings ^_^
The feeling I had during/after the dream was sheer terror. It was like my brain was fooled into thinking I was perhaps going to the dentist (major butterflies in my stomach) or going on holiday (major butterflies caused by the fear of death by plane crash,excitement etc).
And quite a messed up/effing strange one, when I was a kid I would have dreams where I would be holding a girl (about to kiss her) like they used to do in those old b&w movies and when I close my eyes in my dream (weird lol) she changes into an ironing board! I don’t mean an ironing board that is ready to use, collapse the legs on an ironing board and presto you got yourself a love-of-boaby’s-life-transforming ironing-board-girl!
Keep up the good work Mr. Frater (^_^)
50. DiscHuker - October 8th, 2008 at 6:41 am
being that the majority of posters on this site only believe what hard science can proove, see the creationism list, i find it hard to believe that so many would accept the pseudo-science of dream analysis and to some degree, psychology as a whole.
51. DamienKarras - October 8th, 2008 at 6:42 am
Holy crap… those are the dreams that piss me off the most.
The one where you either have: a)the idea for a product that would change the world or b)you figure out some universe changing theorem. I never can remember them when I wake up. I just wake up with an amazing sense of loss.
52. jake ryder - October 8th, 2008 at 6:50 am
i have dreams I’m naked in public all the time.
i love those dreams.
53. Dani - October 8th, 2008 at 6:58 am
I constantly dream about loosing my teeth and constantly dream of tornadoes.
Why can’t it be anything good?
54. Mom424 - October 8th, 2008 at 7:03 am
I’m with DiscHuker, dreams are the brain’s way of collating, organizing and filing the reams of information we all absorb or are exposed to every day. I’ve had almost all of these dreams at one time or another, and they all mean the exact same thing. Diddly squat! And just because you don’t remember them doesn’t mean you don’t dream. Everyone but the brain damaged, has REM sleep. REM sleep is dreaming sleep. You can’t avoid it.
The dream I most remember as a kid was one where I was babysitting. I put the kid in the roast pan and put the roast pan in the Lazy Susan cupboard. I spun the cupboard around and opened up the roast pan. The kid had turned into a big roast pan full of cornflakes that percolated. You know blup, blup?. Yeah there is some deeper meaning to this dream than a brain hi-colonic. I think not.
55. Cullinan - October 8th, 2008 at 7:11 am
I find that fascinating that the ‘failed test’ is linked to not being able to find the test room. I get that periodically - It’s usually college and I’ve blown a class off for almost the entire semester - and once finals come I have to find a map and locate the room like it’s my first day there
56. whitewolf - October 8th, 2008 at 7:29 am
I one had a realy scary dream: I was beining chased by a women who wanted to kill me, just when she almost had me I woke up. Still scared as hell I turned on the light (light makes me feel beter) but the women from my dream was standing next to my bed with a huge knife ready to kill me and then I realy woke up.
It is so strange to dream that you woke up but you actually did not woke up.. if still somebody get what I’m saying.
Anybody else who had this as well??
57. kris - October 8th, 2008 at 7:32 am
I often dream most of the above dreams… I don’t know why!!!
58. papabear - October 8th, 2008 at 7:43 am
Great list. I’ve had most of these dreams. I often dream about seeing fish or fishing. What do you think that means?
59. Boaby - October 8th, 2008 at 7:45 am
Mom424: Way to pick the most random dream!
Just because you have meaningless dreams doesn’t mean everyone does.
Never assume everyone is the same. Its rude and wrong and funny.
Charo Camu
(2008-2093)
60. charlimara - October 8th, 2008 at 7:48 am
I read somewhere in order to try to “understand” dreams you should not focus on the dream itself or things that happen in the dream but more in the feelings you experience in them.
Im always dreaming #3 but i dont think its because im afraid of not being attractive but more like losing power in real life
loved the list!
61. MQK - October 8th, 2008 at 7:52 am
I once had a dream where I was being chased and shot at by the whole school, teachers and all.
That until I climbed onto a waiting blimp and flew off.
I guess I didn’t like school much as a kid.
62. SaturnIon - October 8th, 2008 at 8:00 am
I have a recurring dream where I’m being chased by a sweaty bodybuilder as I run naked through a train that keeps going through tunnels.
I think it’s sexual.
63. robneiderman - October 8th, 2008 at 8:08 am
I occasionally dream that I’m seeing a plane crash. Every time, I’m horrified and powerless to stop it, and sometimes it crashes so close to me that I have to escape/help people escape the explosion.
I also get chased by bears in some dreams, though I’m usually not afraid of them. I always thought it was weird that I was so calm.
Also, I once dreamt I was eating a large marshmallow. When I woke up, my pillow was gone.
64. carl - October 8th, 2008 at 8:15 am
hmm. i’m British and my teeth are fine.
65. logar - October 8th, 2008 at 8:19 am
This reminds me of Real Genius when Chris Knight says:
“Was it a dream where you see yourself standing in sort of sun-god robes on a pyramid with a thousand naked women screaming and throwing little pickles at you?”
How would you explain THAT dream? If it’s simply processing environmental stimuli as you sleep, I’d love to see that stimuli!
66. Kahvi - October 8th, 2008 at 8:24 am
I thought for sure that flying would be on this list. Maybe it’s not all that common after all. I’ve never even heard of the car and machinery problem dreams, or the bad teeth one. But I have had all of the other ones, especially the one about being unprepared for the test. I also sometimes dream that I’m on my way to a soccer game,(which I haven’t played in over 10 years) and I’m missing a part of my gear, such as a sock or shin guard.
67. Blogball - October 8th, 2008 at 8:29 am
Hey Cullinan #55 I have dreams simalar to that. I’m back in school and can’t remember where my next class is. Another one is I find out that I don’t have enough credits to graduate.
68. MzFly - October 8th, 2008 at 8:44 am
I don’t remember my dreams much anymore but at one point, a few years ago, I was getting out of a troubled relationship and generally going through some tough things and I had a recurring dream that I was driving and suddenly the brakes went out on the car. It was an intense feeling - I never crashed, as I would wake up.
69. MzFly - October 8th, 2008 at 8:49 am
Oh, #4 just made me think of something.. when my cousin was in high school he admitted to me that he was plagued by a recurring nightmare that would cause him to wake up sweating with fear in which he was being chased around a giant chessboard by Bill Cosby! lol.
70. mirewen - October 8th, 2008 at 8:51 am
I have dreamed #4 nearly every night for most of my life. I’ve dreamed I was being chased down by monsters, the mafia, assassins, cannibals, drug dealers, the police, the FBI, wolves, orcs, dragons, and nearly everything else you could possibly imagine hunting a person down.
These dreams usually don’t even scare me anymore, I’m so used to them.
71. dzmay - October 8th, 2008 at 8:56 am
I’ve dreamed #3 and #6. I had recurrent dreams featuring tornados–I believe they represent a situation I had no control over that would overwhelm me. I would also dream about standing outside the house I grew up in. It’s always night. Sparks fell out of the sky onto the grass. I would desperately run around trying to stomp out these little fires and more would come. When I gave it some serious thought, I realized those fires represented minor annoyances or grudges from my childhood towards my mom which were now totally useless. I prayed God to forgive me for holding onto this anger,that I was ready to let it go. It felt like a weight was lifted from my shoulders, and I never had those dreams again.
72. Christine - October 8th, 2008 at 9:03 am
I’ve had all these dreams except the bad teeth one. And, I have them almost every night. My dreams are always scary or tense.. I guess they’re more like nightmares. In fact, just yesterday I was dreaming about being chased.
One common recurring theme in my dream is toilets; they are either extremely dirty, in public view, or some other strange thing. Haven’t figured that one out yet…! I don’t have a particular fear of using a public toilet so there must be some sort of deeper meaning I guess.
73. blaze fielding - October 8th, 2008 at 9:07 am
i once had a dream about a car crash, involving a bus, someone being throw through the windscreen and people beng stuck for hours while fire fighters tried to cut them free. it was really detailed and the next day i had a strong urge to tell everyone about it. strangely, on the news that day the exact thing happened not far from where i live. a bus crashed into a car, and the driver was throw through the windscreen and a few people were stuck for hours! creepy :s
74. anglez - October 8th, 2008 at 9:09 am
This is so weird.
This morning I woke up from a dream where I had one of my molar (rearmost tooth) was loose and fell out, and it was difficult to close my mouth for some reason and it was just so uncomfortable.
Anyway, Im the type of person that NEVER remembers dreams at all. for some reason I can clearly recall this one. So I had the ambition to look it up today on the internet and see what it means.
And Lo and Behold, I go to listverse.com as part of my daily routine. and their list of today turned out to be this list here, “Top 10 Common Dreams and Their Meanings”, and my dream is #3 on the list “missing teeth”. Really creepy.
75. B_Ott 14 - October 8th, 2008 at 9:13 am
If i have a nightmare, it is always 100% the one in which i am being chased. im always running through a forest and the part of the forest behind me is always pitch black so i cant see whats coming. In front of me is just rows and rows of trees and what seems to be endless sunlight. until i fall of a cliff at the very end when i try and look behind me and then i fall but i wake up before i hit the ground. weird huh?
76. Ms B - October 8th, 2008 at 9:15 am
I have had the dream where my teeth fall out frequently, and it’s most unpleasant. However, I found a different meaning.
I’ve checked my dream interpretation books, and they both said that this dream meant that the dreamer was holding something back, such as wanting to say or do something and not doing so.
Of course, the interpretation here makes sense too.
77. MartinL - October 8th, 2008 at 9:20 am
I too think it’s odd you didn’t include flying on the list. For a long time I seemed to keep finding people who’ve had the flying dream, and I’ve had it scores of times — it’s my favorite. I don’t go soaring off into the stratosphere, but I have the knack of taking a breath and stepping off the ground a certain way, and then I go floating, whizzing about, or even walking at about treetop level, or stay up near the ceiling if I’m in a building. And in my dreams, everybody knows how to do it — it’s as easy as riding a bike.
I’ve also had the dream of not attending a class all semester, and now having to find the classroom and slip in to take the test without the teacher noticing me, feeling like a prize asshole the whole time. (I’ve also been out of college for a few decades now — and I was an excellent student, Latin honors and the whole works. Never came close to pulling anything like this dream stunt.) I also used to dream of having a rather puny car that people looked down on because it was basically a kid’s toy with a larger engine; I could literally pick the car up and carry it off under my arm when I wasn’t driving it. (Can you tell I’m no fan of SUVs?) I also have the dream now and then of not being able to find my car (not a toy, but a big burly classic muscle car in fine shape) because it’s in some crumbling lot or ramp that I’ve forgotten the location of, so I have to wander around a decrepit old town (like the sadder parts of Buffalo, New York, where I live), getting more and more lost.
And I’m almost always badly dressed, half-dressed or nude in public. And I’m supposed to play a gig with my band, but I can’t find my pants or shoes or my guitar, and gig time looms. (I had some actual gigs back in the day that were damn close to that.)
78. Keppa - October 8th, 2008 at 9:26 am
When I was little every time I was sick and had a fever I had the same dream…
I was rowing in a boat on this beautiful pond…everything was silent and perfect. Then all of a sudden people would jump out from the woods that surrounded the pond. They would yell, throw things into the water, trying to get towards my boat.
Then I’d wake up…as soon as I feel asleep again, my dream would start over.
Seemed so weird to me at the time - but makes a lot of sense now when I think about it. The brain does weird things…
79. Eggs - October 8th, 2008 at 9:36 am
So, what we’ve all learned about MartinL:
1) He was an excellent student in school (Latin Honors everyone).
2) He has a big burly classic muscle car (it’s in fine shape)
3) He plays guitar, and back in the day his band played gigs.
4) He wants to impress a bunch of people who don’t know who he is, nor do they care.
Have a good one MartinL, and keep in mind that people on the internet don’t give a shit about your achievements in life. If you could stick to the point of your story and cut out the fatty bits it would be appreciated.
80. Metalwrath - October 8th, 2008 at 9:38 am
For the running away dream, with me what often happens is that I have difficulty running… you know.. I feel heavy and sometimes i fall and I’m so heavy (or weak) that I can’t get back on my feet.
I have a similar thing when I dream about fighting with someone else… i have difficulty landing strong punches and just feel very weak.
great list, had most of these dreams… i don’t remember them precisely but i know I had them. The only one which doesn’t ring any bell is number 10, the car problem.
81. Spider - October 8th, 2008 at 9:39 am
#63 Something similar happened to me: I dreamt that I died and went to heaven, there I was given a second chance and I chose to come back as a Spider (?!), I was thrown back to earth and while I was falling I was trying to generate some spider web to hold on to something, I was trying so hard and suddenly my wife woke me up in panic shouting: Honey you are shitting yourself!!!
Can someone explain that?
82. Metalwrath - October 8th, 2008 at 9:41 am
Also, my falling dreams are never really “free fall”… for what I can remember, its always something like walking up the stairs and the staircase falls with me on it.. and I always wake up before impact.
Great list by the way.
83. Emily - October 8th, 2008 at 9:48 am
Does anyone else besides me think it’s funny that Miley Cyrus’s picture is under the nude category?? Heh.
84. Simone - October 8th, 2008 at 10:19 am
what about dreams where you kill people? lol I know it sounds crazy, but like i often have dreams where I kill someone…
85. onwisconsn - October 8th, 2008 at 10:52 am
While I am not convinced what dreams mean, if anything, I do know this. Either I wasn’t dreaming or I simply wasn’t remembering them until I got treated for sleap apnea. Now my dreams are really vivid (I have had most of the ones on the list now). For those that mentioned not dreaming, this could be a possible cause. Apparently it is fairly common due to the lack of good REM sleep.
86. MPW - October 8th, 2008 at 11:02 am
Interesting list. I once dreamt I was being chased by Jason from the Friday the 13th movies and when I woke up the TV was playing a movie review of the latest Jason movie. I started dreaming about noises going on around me while I slept, not the first time that has happened.
87. Ren - October 8th, 2008 at 11:02 am
I have had some weird dreams but now I can’t remember most of them. The most vivid dream I’ve ever had and I still remember everything, happened when I was in 4th or 5th grade. I was kidnapped by a creepy skinny bald guy. He kidnapped me and my two friends benjamin and michael. He took us to a shed in the woods. He stepped outside for a cigarette and michael ran away and escaped. Then later (since I was obsesed with Pokemon at the time.) A pokemon named Mewtwo floated in to rescue us. The kidnapper transformed into another mewtwo and then a big arena came out of nowhere. They had a fight and the kidnapper lost. The good mewtwo teleported away with benjamin and left me there. Then later the kidnapper took me with him to my school where he was being given an award from the mayor for some reason. I tried to ask for help but he put a weird yellow suction cup thing on my mouth. I sat down on a tree stump and saw my dad walk by. He sees me and runs away. He comes running back and grabs me. Then we are walking up the hill to my house and the suction cup is gone. A red truck being driven by the kidnapper comes driving up behind us trying to run us over. We move out of the way and he drives past. We run to our house and then I woke up. I still remember that dream about 8 years later and it is the first thing I think of whenever someone mentions weird dreams. I also had another dream with that same friend benjamin where we were driving around in my grandmother’s volvo (we were probably about 7 or 8 at the time.) I decided it would be more fun to drive from the back seat so he stayed in the passenger seat and I climbed back and drove. Somehow I could control it so it wasn’t a car out of control dream, except that I couldn’t get it to speed up. Another one I remember from when I was really young. Maybe around 5, was going down huge twisty amusement park slides with the characters from Winnie the Pooh. After that for about a year, when ever my mom asked what I dreamed about, I told her that for some reason.
88. knight_forked - October 8th, 2008 at 11:05 am
Nice list! I would have thought #4,#5, and #6 to be higher up in the list, but I completely agree with numero uno!
I am a digambar so #2 is not an issue
j/k.
89. copperdragon - October 8th, 2008 at 11:16 am
I frequently dream that I’m flying. Not very high, really, just above house level (where trees and power lines loom!)
My flying style is not like Superman, but more “swimming in the air” with a frog-style stroke, including the ability to hover (float).
Not sure how its connected to external stimuli or daily life (I dont swim often), though I equate both with weightlessness.
90. NemoBatkastle - October 8th, 2008 at 11:32 am
Here’s my theory on the teeth: We all lose teeth as children, and I think our bodies remember that freaky weird apprehension and discomfort. Possibly instead of embarrassment, lack of control, or the onset of insanity (all theories I’ve heard), I think maybe the thought of change, and the difficultly and potential fear of losing something to change, may be the secret metaphor to that particular dream.
91. JayArr - October 8th, 2008 at 11:35 am
I think #8 should have explaination more along the lines of the person not having control over a situation or decision, rather than relating to a ‘right choice’…
As for #6, I’ve only ever had this sort of dream when I actually WAS in school - never since then.
Interpretation of #5 is ambiguous and vague. Far too many avenues of approach on it… needs clarity and tightness.
Okay, I’m seeing the serious over-arching theme of dreams here… but we need to categorize them into two core camps - good/benign dreams and nightmares.
That said, benign dreams are essentially those where we are enjoying ourselves - freedom of action and word, control over situations, enjoyment of situations, love and lust, happiness, friendship, etc. The good/benign dreams leave us waking refreshed, curious, and even bedazzled.
Our nightmares are those dreams which indict, scare, perturb, and even anger us. They are the set of dreams that we have little or no control of situations, are fearful of people/places/things or the loss thereof, suffer injury and/or embarrassment, disappointments, and so forth. The mechanism of our nightmares has more to do with familiarity of time/place/people/events than the situational environment within the nightmare, though the environment often heightens the effect of the nightmare’s (or good dream’s!) focal point.
Most of my nightmares have been so vivid and disturbing to me that I’d not want to discuss with anyone, and most of my good dreams are too weird or naughty to discuss in an environment such as this.
92. JayArr - October 8th, 2008 at 11:42 am
0rz(6) That nightmare seems to be one of futility - that no matter what you do, you are not succeeding at the end goal, but have not come up with an alternative method of achieving the goal…relying on the same actions/processes over and over again.
93. Brickhouse - October 8th, 2008 at 11:55 am
Driving dreams - also depend on if you’re driving or being driven. If you are not the driver, you may feel they have some control over a portion of your life.
Nice list!
94. JayArr - October 8th, 2008 at 11:56 am
DUMDUM(35) It’s likely your personal fear of the unknown - those things which you have little or no understanding of and no way of controlling. It’s certainly common, as evidenced by this list and many of the comments. One thing to try is to learn/understand what witchcraft means to you and to the members of your society - this can give insight as to how you can then deal with those things which you have no control over, and make them less frightening to you.
By the way, I am not a doctor and I do not play one on TV.
95. JayArr - October 8th, 2008 at 12:04 pm
Okay… my last comment here for the day. I can’t believe nobody has mentioned the dreams that ultimately lead to you waking up to a wet bed - yes, you pee the bed (or have juuuuuust trickled a drop or two…), and it was pre-ordained in your dream… slipping into a nice warm bathtub or swimming pool… oh no! :-O
96. Rachel - October 8th, 2008 at 12:05 pm
I’ve had a dream of being chased before, by my step-father no less.
…Granted, I was reading The Shining at the time, so that’s probably why, hehe. I rarely remember any dreams I may have had, and if I do remember them they’re relatively tame. Usually relate to something happening to me in real life, or something that I’m currently interested in or looking forward to.
I do remember one dream I had a long time ago, when I was…in middle school, I think? I can’t remember exactly, but it was about school. I recall, in my dream the front of the school kind of resembled the entrance to a theme park, with steel gates and whatnot, and when I tried to go to the art room its entrance was blocked by a pit filled with thorns…or something like that. Not sure what that dream was about, probably something to do with anxiety towards school or something (although why that pit in front of the art room was there I’ll never know, as I love art). It’s the only dream I can still remember somewhat vividly.
97. BishopWhiteT - October 8th, 2008 at 12:07 pm
The only one here I can remember having was the teeth thing. I think it’s because I play hockey.
98. shaymm - October 8th, 2008 at 12:24 pm
I usually have dreams about what I want to do with my life…like traveling, women, sports, careers…stuff like that. Though, I have had the teeth one, not because I feel insecure about myself, but probably because I’m almost reasy to graduate college and enter the “real” world.
99. Koneko - October 8th, 2008 at 12:25 pm
I once had a dream where a tiny baby was stuck to my foot and I couldn’t get it off. I actually felt the warmth, although that was probably more due to the fact that my cat was asleep on my foot.
relative told me that this probably meant I was feeling reluctant about leaving my childhood behind (I’m a teenager now, but I’ve always been rather childish).
100. Lisas - October 8th, 2008 at 12:42 pm
What does it mean if you dreamt Snow white got chopped up and cooked on the barbeque when you were 6?
Or being stuck on a Ferris wheel with the man from monopoly?
Pushed him off in the end…..
Those are a couple that have really stood out
101. Davo - October 8th, 2008 at 12:46 pm
everyone is aware dreams don’t have acommon meaning right? the above is all a load of crap
102. YogiBarrister - October 8th, 2008 at 12:53 pm
JayArr, I was going to mention the dreams about taking a piss. Fortunately, I am able to realize it’s a dream and always wake up to a dry bed. Probably time to get my prostate checked.
My car problem dreams are usually that I’m driving up a hill that is so steep the brakes lock up but fail to stop me from sliding back down. In order to regain control of the steering, I have to let up on the brakes and go really fast backwards, downhill. This is another situation, where I realize it’s just a dream, so the experience is like riding a roller-coaster. I don’t like roller-coasters.
Like most men I assume, I have lots of combat dreams. If they occur in broad daylight, I’m always armed with a shining gold sword, and I’m invincible. They are actually quite pleasant as I joyfully send the heads of my evil enemies flying. If the dream takes place at dusk, I’m usually part of a Greek Phalanx that is defending some VIP standing behind me. These are neutral, even though I recognize the danger, I have no fear, in fact no feelings at all. If it’s dark out, my combat dreams are usually nightmares. I have a small caliber handgun that fails to drop my enemies. They often turn into chase dreams.
103. YogiBarrister - October 8th, 2008 at 1:00 pm
I think the falling dreams are a physiological phenomenom, occurring just as you fall to sleep.
104. zweebna - October 8th, 2008 at 1:12 pm
I’ve had 10 and 6 rolled into one. My family and my grandparents were all in the car, which was going really fast down a hill, when we smashed head on into a Ferrari, and flipped through the air. While airborne, my grandfather (who is very confused, and can no longer be left alone) flew out the window, dying. Probably the worst dream I’ve had.
The weirdest dream I’ve ever had was one where I was being chased through an obstacle course by a big guy in a tuxedo who was shooting lasers and missiles out of his eyes. I could jump really high and was dodging all the lasers and missiles, and I had one of those heavy duty flashlights, and was whacking passersby with it. Come to think of it, it kinda reminded me of capture the flag in Team Fortress 2, and I was the Scout. o.O
105. Phillies - October 8th, 2008 at 1:25 pm
Yes, dreams! I’ve had the falling dream plenty of times. One time I actually physically lifted myself out of the bed, and, upon impact, slammed myself back down into the bed. Crazy stuff! I love dreaming, tho. Most of the ones I remember have plots, and I HATE waking up before I get to the ending. Ah well
106. Kelly. - October 8th, 2008 at 2:07 pm
I once had a dream I was getting married and my grooms head changed and he was some other guy. I dunno it was pretty weird. I dunno why it changed but it was soooo weird like one moment I am marrying the guy I love and then the next moment his head changes to my guy friend.
107. Kelly. - October 8th, 2008 at 2:08 pm
I once had a dream I was getting married and my grooms head changed and he was some other guy. I dunno it was pretty weird. I dunno why it changed but it was soooo weird like one moment I am marrying the guy I love and then the next moment his head changes.
108. appie - October 8th, 2008 at 2:34 pm
I experienced all of these dreams..
In my own experience I always dream of being late in an exam, in a trip or at work, sometimes because of excitement or being nervous.
Superstitiously, Filipino folks believe that if you’re loosing a tooth or teeth in your dream, a family member or someone close to you will die. You have to bite a wood as soon as you wake up to stop it.
Another belief is when you cross a body of water (like rivers) in your dream you have to make sure you’re not gonna reach the other side or else you will die.
109. appie - October 8th, 2008 at 2:38 pm
One funny thing is that sometimes I can control my dream, like if I wanna fly, I can fly. Or if I wanna be a superhero, I can be a superhero. hahahaha..
110. Ginger - October 8th, 2008 at 2:57 pm
I stopped dreaming about my current boyfriend when I started going out. I’ve had 1 dream about him since we’ve been together. And I’ve only had it once. It scares me that I might not be in love with him the way I believe myself to be.
I don’t dream of other men though, except Kurt Cobain. But I always dream of him.
111. jay - October 8th, 2008 at 3:01 pm
I only had the teeth one.
i had this crazy dream other night but, i was on a aeroplane with my family (recently got back from hong kong and on the flight terrified of it crashing) and it was just flying everthing was honkey dorie, when suddenly like the movies the mofo started to drop!. i could feel the aeroplane pelting and the terror and then it crashed..here begins the weird.
into this old fairytale looking house (16th century looking cottage) with a big circular window.the plane is sorta in half n im sitting near the back so i take off my seat belt n walk out the burning plane,also surviours are doing same.
im walking around the backyard in this like alice in wonderland garden and i look past this lake/swamp and there is like a themepark ride going over these large trees and you can here the usal carnival noises n what not.
then across the swamp , i see these two kids (6-8 years old)
walking n skipping dressed in the 50’s fashioned clothing n laughing and behind them these two goblin/tall deformed elf walking behind them carrying all there things, like all the shit they got at the carnival n that.i think there was this like piano music playing the in backyard a creepy one.
so anyways there skipping and im just wathcing and when they get equal with me they all imediately stop and just turn n pull this blank evil kinda stare at me….
n thats all i can remeber,pretty trippy true should lay off the bong for a week.
112. Rising Falls - October 8th, 2008 at 3:32 pm
I had a dream about being chased by Dracula down a curved corridor. It was in black and white.
113. gezzanater - October 8th, 2008 at 3:37 pm
I have this occassional dream where I am somewhere in public naked, it freaks me out cause it seems so real.
114. Lynn in Oregon - October 8th, 2008 at 4:30 pm
I love this list!
I love dreaming so much and I do it so often that I sleep any chance I get. Some of my dreams even roll credits at the end.
I’ve had the “teeth falling out” dream many times, but I have always heard that it meant you were feeling overwhelmed.
I often have dreams that I am in a fistfight, but I can’t punch like normal. It’s like I’m punching through water or jello or something like it. VERY frustrating!!
Something that I have often thought was weird is that ALL of the dreams I remember (usually 3 or 4 per night) have water in them. Every night, every dream… anything from the ocean to rain or it could even be just a glass of water, but it’s always there.
My favorite dreams are the ones where I am living under the ocean. I am afraid and panic at first, but then I realize that I can breathe underwater so I just start walking around and looking at everything. It’s so cool!
115. James - October 8th, 2008 at 4:34 pm
I’ve never had a falling dream…
116. GOFairy - October 8th, 2008 at 4:35 pm
I’ve had almost all but the teeth, nude, and death dreams.. But the most frequent kind of dreams I have are zombie or shark dreams.. In the zombie dreams I am in my father’s neighborhood(Fletcher, Ohio) and then all of a sudden the whole place is infested with zombies and we have to hide in the house. In the shark dreams I am back in school and the cement is solid but theres a shark swimming through it like it’s water. In both dreams I talk to my father.(who is still alive and well)
117. jhoyce07 - October 8th, 2008 at 5:08 pm
ive dreamt most of them…waaaaa..
118. Hillery - October 8th, 2008 at 5:54 pm
Re: 116 GOFairy, I have Zombie dreams, too. I’ve always had trouble finding out if other people have them, and I get them a lot. In mine, I’m never in a familiar area, but I keep having to hide. Sometimes I get on a boat.
I’ve had all but 3,6, and 9.
My most recurring dream isn’t on the list, though it’s probably pretty easy to interpret: I’m in a house that is falling apart, filthy, haunted, or filled with junk and dirt. It’s always moving back in with my parents and siblings, my husband and daughter are never in these dreams. If you’re guessing what it means, you’re probably right.
119. Atinna - October 8th, 2008 at 6:07 pm
once I had a dream that I was falling off a cliff but that was when I was in 3rd grade. Last week I got the dream #6 and instead of a test the dream was a quiz. I’ve been dating for a month now and my boyfriend had a dream where he received a text message telling him that I was admitted to the hospital and at that time he had to go home to celebrate Idul Fitri with his family. The following week after he told me about his dream, I was involved in a traffic accident and have to go to the hospital, at the same time he had to go home. My friend once had a dream of a falling teeth and two weeks after that his father died of a heart attack. I had those dreams that is on the list but it rarely mean anything to me, but the people who are close to me (my friends, my boyfriend) had a those dreams and it resulted badly (I got in an accident, my friend lost his parents). Right now, I mostly dream about fighting with my boyfriend and he has the same thing. In our waking life, everything is actually okay. I guess both of us afraid to lose each other in the dream
120. ElenaSFA - October 8th, 2008 at 6:26 pm
You know that’s funny, all my naked dreams are filled with happiness. I usually dream of going to school naked, and loving it, and I dreamed one time that I had better teeth only to wake up to my gap tooth.
It grew together eventually though.
Happy happy dreams.
121. Felicity - October 8th, 2008 at 6:53 pm
I’ve never had any of these dreams.
122. liam - October 8th, 2008 at 6:57 pm
i have never had a teeth or falling dream, but i do have alot of flying dreams…sometimes flying, sometimes trying to fly and more gliding! haha
123. Cambrex101 - October 8th, 2008 at 7:00 pm
I’ve only had a few of these…
what I have a lot are dreams of exploration and dreams of people at my windows.
Er….yeah.
124. easterbunny - October 8th, 2008 at 7:06 pm
i always dream about being chased by zombies or something. then i would hide in a building and try to escape. funny thing is, most of the time, i can control the way my dream pans out. whenever something happens bad in the dream i can rewind it then choose another way out. it sounds weird but does that ever happen in your dreams?
125. rodrigo - October 8th, 2008 at 7:28 pm
My grandmother used to tell me that when we dream about loosing a tooth, it means that a person near you will die soon, and the three times that i have dream about that, it has become real, so i’m kind of afraid of that kind of dreams.
BTW, it is a rural chilean belief!!
126. DoppHopper - October 8th, 2008 at 7:34 pm
I haven’t dreamt any except the being chased one and that was only once.
Most of my dreams are semi-lucid dreams about alternate lives.
127. Rosa - October 8th, 2008 at 7:43 pm
I very often dream the falling thing. I wake up when I hit the “floor” or whatever, but I feel like I just fell onto the bed from somewhere up high.. I almost feel like i’m gonna bounce a couple of times.. It’s a strange feeling.
128. Ryan - October 8th, 2008 at 7:53 pm
Wow, Ive dreamt a lot of these. Sometimes, I have variations of them. Ive had number 10 a lot, but sometimes its a little different. Sometimes in a dream, Ill get in a fight with somebody, but in my dream, I have very little control of my own body, just like the car. I feel like my limbs weight about 100 pounds each, and I move very slowly, and clumsily with no hand eye coordination. I also feel incredably weak and hopeless when the person im fighting gets me into submission. Lol I hate those dreams. They definitely mean the same thing as number 10.
129. Anon - October 8th, 2008 at 8:37 pm
jfrater,
I’m British and have never once had my sleep interrupted by dental anxiety! (All my own, I tell you: just one extracted recently.) A common dream, you say?
The 10 dreams listed are all anxiety- or neurosis-based. Flying and levitating dreams have also been mentioned in the comments above. I guess they must be quite common. For me, at least, these come under the heading of exhilarating, invigorating experiences I hate returning to reality from. They can at times feature among those dreams that feel so real it almost needs a kind of double *waking up* process to realise they are indeed only dreams! One especially empowering sensation is as if defying gravity. I am able to leap prodigious distances in the air, but unlike levitation (free-flying) or piloting small aircraft dreams, it always involves a series of complimetary returns to earth. None of these dreams is ever accompanied by any sense of insecurity. A tremendously long and fast fall dream, when I believed (in the course of it) that I would die at the end (as told by a friend in real life), finished in a gentle feet first landing and a tremendous sense of triumph over fate!
These exhilaration dreams rapidly replaced terrifyingly frightening nightmares I used to have regularly as a child, so probably represent a(n occasional!) sense of greater control over my adult life. Finding myself on a crowded bus and wearing no clothes at all below the midriff is the converse of that, however.
I often dream of particular people I knew way back at school and in early life, and events take place in the contexts of those times. They usually involve competetive situations where either the others or I may come out on top. Another theme at rare intervals (again as very realistic) has my parents still alive (or else one of them didn’t die). This is always a wonderful relief, but less so are the invariable financial and legal problems as a consequence. The latter probably represent anxiety at my sloppy, dilatory business sense!
130. Anon - October 8th, 2008 at 8:54 pm
Postscript,
One that occurs quite regularly over the years, which I always hate, is seeing an aircraft fall out of the sky, invariably a large, multi-engined machine. It’s always so realistic. Sometimes the plane is high up and the crash far away. At others so close, that I am trying to get there in case rescue is needed, but dreading what I shall see. I’m never affected or in personal danger, always a dispassionate spectator. Nor does the event ever involve actual people, known or unknown. In real life flying doesn’t concern me, and that still holds, even after the very recent loss of our two friends in a crash.
131. segue - October 8th, 2008 at 9:01 pm
Well, I’ve certainly had versions of all of these dreams, but the the ones that truly perplex me are mt recurring dreams. Dreams which I’ll have, over and over, exactly alike, without change, for years.
The other dreams, which scare me a bit, are like the recurring dreams, but for the fact that new “chapters” are added every now and again!
I have one dream in particular which I’ve been dreaming for at least 40 years.
It has grown, that is, new chapters have been added, but the basic story line has remained the same. Some of the characters are “real”, some are “fanciful”, but all interact as if equals.
Even though the story has reached what I believe to be the end, I continue to occasionally dream it.
It is a quest dream. I have finished the quest. So why I still dream the dream is anybodies guess.
It’s just weird.
132. astraya - October 8th, 2008 at 9:03 pm
My alarm went off in the middle of a dream this morning. Immediately after, I had no recollection of what the dream was about.
One recurring dream is of being on my way somewhere and taking a shortcut through a building. This turns into an endless series of stairs and doors that lead nowhere.
Another recurring dream is of “waking up”, sometimes in my own apartment, but sometimes somewhere completely diffent. This often happens when I’ve got something important to do the next morning, like start a new job. I dream that I’m late for work, then “wake up” with a sense of relief, then realise that I’m still late for work (in “dream level 2″). Then I wake up really.
This is slightly related to a dream in which I “wake up” and am walking around “my apartment” (which may or may not actually be “mine”, then I realise that I’m still asleep and must walk back to my bed. The last time I had this, I could “hear” the creak of the floorboards and the bedsprings.
I’ve had the “failing a test” dream many times. I’m back at school to re-sit my final exams, and I’m way behind on maths. (Maths was in fact my top subject at school, but I’ve used very little of it since.) My brother-in-law mentioned that for him it was always English. Now, as a specialist surgeon, he writes papers that are published in major medical journals.
Just occasionally, I have hyper-detailed dreams. Once I was walking through an futuristic city, which I visualised perfectly.
Then there were the times I dreamed about Jamie, and about a gathering of LU members in “real life”.
133. boredgirl - October 8th, 2008 at 9:17 pm
i always dream i get struck by lightning and I always wake up when i get “struck”. I wonder what it means?
134. Kruik - October 8th, 2008 at 9:39 pm
I have a dream that always seems to come up once in a while. I am either trying to shower in a public locker room or trying to use a public bathroom. People keep coming into my stall or trying to take a peek.
It’s funny but rather annoying. I keep telling them to go away but they just keep on opening the stall door or just walk right in and stare at me. I get very frustrated in these dream and also embarrassed.
PS. I’m a girl.
135. rocknopera - October 8th, 2008 at 10:25 pm
This belongs in the upper echelon of lists I’ve read on this website (I’ve read them all).
136. Pika - October 8th, 2008 at 10:46 pm
I’ve always dreamt of flying, but here’s the catch… I have to do a “swimming” motion in order to fly/float.
137. Anon - October 8th, 2008 at 11:18 pm
astraya, (132),
That was one version of the *double waking up* experience I was referring to in 129. The waking up from one dream into another. It can be quite strange and disconcerting, and for me only seems to happen after ultra-realistic dreams.
Another common feature I find with dreams is the lack of a *satisfactory* ending for the vast majority. Many remain seriously and disconcertingly unresolved. I even find myself trying to finish off the *story-line* mentally at times after waking up! Maybe one usually continues post-REM sleep after those that do wrap up neatly and so never remembers them! They say everybody dreams, and those who claim not to merely continue sleeping afterwards. Apparently researchers can catch anyone dreaming and obtain a fresh and vivid account simply by waking them during REM.
I dream quite vividly in colour, and can often remember the precise colours of objects. Other friends tell me they only dream in black & white. Strange!
I’ve often wondered what other life-forms might dream, or at what brain-size dreaming becomes possible, presumably even essential. Dogs and cats certainly do. Both have REM periods when they also go through the twitchings of certain obvious real-life movements and moods. Peter Sellers’s goon partner, Spike Milligan, wrote a collection of poems called “Small Dreams of a Scorpion”, but methinks scorpions don’t dream, alas.
138. astraya - October 8th, 2008 at 11:44 pm
Anon: Sorry, I missed your reference to double waking up in 129. wikipedia has an article about “false awakening”, which is exactly what we’re describing. Yes, most of my dreams are unfinished. Either I wake up, or the dream just stops, or it “segue”s into something else.
My father claims not to dream. He also claims not to be thinking about anything when asked “what are you thinking about”.
Beddy-byes time in Chile? Very sleepy, wish I could have a siesta time in Korea!
139. BeachyKeenNCGirl - October 9th, 2008 at 12:50 am
Weirdest dream I ever had involved snakes. I was walking through what I believed to be a public park. I was on a cement walk/bike path and I was walking along looking up at the trees. To my horror, I discovered hundreds of snakes hanging from the trees…they were alive, but they had been skinned. Ugh…pink snake bodies writhing in the trees above me. Also…pink was the only color that stood out in the dream, almost as if everything else in the dream was in black and white. I dream in color, so not sure why I only saw pink in this one.
140. Miss Nimbus - October 9th, 2008 at 1:45 am
The general theme of most of my dreams is that I am in a warzone or in a natural disaster and everyone around me is freaking out and panicing… I always seem to stay calm in my dream and find a safe way out of the situation, (usually taking a random person with me), in this dream i often wonder why everyone else is not doing/going to saftey like me???
In my other re-occuring theme, i’m looking for someone/thing and can’t find it, and everyone i meet is hindering me/lying to me… its very frustrating, and i usually wake up with a horrible feeling in my gut.
For some wierd reason people seem to dream of me alot too. My boyfriend often have dreams where I am being really mean to him.
I dream heaps and still clearly remember dreams I had more 25years ago in detail. Dreams rock.
141. beff - October 9th, 2008 at 3:29 am
Christine #72
i have those dreams a lot. where the stalls are public or in others view or it is too difficult to get in the stall. those suck.
they are usually in a place where others are around like a school or something and i will search for one to go in….ugh
last nights dream was about water again and i saw platypus….odd since i live in Pa and i don’t know if i have ever seen a real one.
142. Atinna - October 9th, 2008 at 6:36 am
@rodrigo: its probably true,, my friend had that dream and it came true
143. JayArr - October 9th, 2008 at 6:49 am
Ginger(110) Sounds like you only dream of the men you desire. Once fulfulled, the dreams are no longer necessary - as you have the object of your desire. I’d say that, if you don’t dream of other men (except the one of lust
), you got your man. 
144. JayArr - October 9th, 2008 at 7:06 am
Kruik(134) Sounds like ‘life interrupted’ - you want your privacy and don’t seem to get it when you want it. People are likely interested in you, but possibly not for the reasons you would prefer; though you do not openly begrudge or push them away.
145. colander - October 9th, 2008 at 7:12 am
i hate no 1,,, i dont usually fear something but because of my dreams of falling i literally is afraid of the feeling of falling,,, i would always dream of falling into air with black background and seems that there is no end,,, and ending up like i just hit my bed badly,,, i even fall of the floor one time,,,
146. YO-YO - October 9th, 2008 at 7:26 am
I always dream of #1 falling & wake sweating
147. W - October 9th, 2008 at 8:07 am
I had the car trouble dream a week or so ago. Dreamed the brakes were failing and I kept hitting the car in front of me. Never had a dream like that before.
148. Katie - October 9th, 2008 at 8:19 am
When I was a kid in school I had a recurring dream once a year, always in september, where i was in the three little pigs story. I was with each pig, running from the wolf after he blew down each house in succession. Seriously, every year in September like 5 years in a row I had the same dream. I guess it had to do with school starting and me feeling threatened with starting a new year and what it would be like…. but the three little pigs? bizarre…
149. kofeelite - October 9th, 2008 at 10:06 am
Won’t ever forget this dream/nightmare-my youngest daughter and I were out for a drive and saw an old farmhouse with a for sale sign. We stopped to check it out, but no one answered the door. A young boy came by on a bicycle, told us he knew the owner and let us in. The door opened into a dark, dusty library with a thin old man standing on the opposite of the room. He offered to show me the house and I turned