What do random dreams mean

They often have themes such as confrontations, being chased, or falling. You can have neutral recurring dreams or recurring nightmares. If you have recurring nightmares, it may be due to an underlying mental health condition, substance use, or certain medication.

False awakenings have been noted to occur alongside lucid dreams and sleep paralysis. Prophetic dreams are thought to be dreams that have foretold a future event. Historically, dreams were considered to impart wisdom or even predict the future. In some cultures today, dreams are still considered to be a way of receiving messages from the spirit world. Some believe that a prophetic dream is just your subconscious anticipating a particular outcome and having you dream it to prepare.

Vivid dreams are almost always associated with waking up during REM sleep when your dreams are most vivid and more easily remembered. You may also remember your vivid dream a lot easier than a typical dream. Have you had a dream about your teeth falling out, flying through the sky, or being chased? These are common themes that many people dream about. Dreaming about specific things like this could mean many things, or as some researchers believe, be completely nonsensical.

Dreams about falling or being chased may indicate experiencing anxiety or conflict, or even falling in love. Dreams about teeth falling out have been interpreted as everything from stress and big life changes, to indicating dental health issues. Everyone is doing it. Kryger, Kuras and Loewenberg discuss meanings about common dreams and symbols in dreams. Though there's no true evidence that the elements have particular meanings -- it's mostly speculation, Dr.

Kryger says -- there are some associations that seem common. Water is thought to symbolize emotions, Loewenberg says, and different types of water can mimic different emotions. For instance, muddy water can represent sadness, tidal waves can represent overwhelm and clear water can represent emotional clarity.

Fire most often equates to anger or distress, Loewenberg says, while wind can represent imminent changes or changes that you're currently going through. While many symbols have a general meaning that can fit most people and common situations, you have to account for your personal associations with symbols, she explains.

Kryger says it's very common to dream about death, particularly about the death of someone close to you emotionally. It's also common to interpret those sorts of dreams as communication from the dead, which isn't really a surprise: "death has such a great impact on the living that it is often incorporated into dream content," he says.

Loewenberg says dreaming about death can signify the end of something in real life, and that doesn't necessarily mean the end of a life.

According to Kuras, "this all depends on what these images mean to the dreamer in the context of their life and challenges. Dream work is very much the exploration of feelings and meaning for the dreamer and is somehow related to the 'work' of managing life and its challenges. Like the elements, there's no actual scientific proof that darkness and light have set meanings, but many dreamers associate each with a particular feeling, Loewenberg says.

For example, dreams that take place in the dark can represent uncertainty in real life -- such as if you are "in the dark" about something going on and you need more information to make a decision. Darkness has also been associated with sadness or loneliness. Dreams that take place in the daytime, on the other hand, may not mean anything for most people. But if you typically dream in dark settings and suddenly have dreams set in daytime, it could signify that an issue was resolved or that you've come out of a period of sadness.

Again, dream interpretation is almost entirely speculation, and what's important is how you relate your dreams to your own life. Have you ever dreamed that you were falling and jerked awake? Researchers compared the dream content of different groups of people in a psychiatric facility. Participants in one group had been admitted after attempting to take their own lives. Their dreams of this group were compared with those of three control groups in the facility who had experienced:.

Those who had considered or attempted suicide or carried out violence had were more likely to have dreams with content relating to death and destructive violence. The right and left hemispheres of the brain seem to contribute in different ways to a dream formation.

Researchers of one study concluded that the left hemisphere seems to provide dream origin while the right hemisphere provides dream vividness, figurativeness and affective activation level. A study of adolescents aged 10 to 17 years found that those who were left-handed were more likely to experience lucid dreams and to remember dreams within other dreams.

Studies of brain activity suggest that most people over the age of 10 years dream between 4 and 6 times each night, but some people rarely remember dreaming. It is often said that 5 minutes after a dream, people have forgotten 50 percent of its content, increasing to 90 percent another 5 minutes later. Most dreams are entirely forgotten by the time someone wakes up, but it is not known precisely why dreams are so hard to remember. There are factors that can potentially influence who remembers their dreams, how much of the dream remains intact, and how vivid it is.

Age: Over time, a person is likely to experience changes in sleep timing, structure, and electroencephalographic EEG activity. Evidence suggests that dream recall progressively decreases from the beginning of adulthood, but not in older age. Dream also become less intense.

This evolution occurs faster in men than women, with gender differences in the content of dreams. Gender: A study of dreams experienced by males and females found no differences between the amount of aggression, friendliness, sexuality, male characters, weapons, or clothes that feature in the content. However, the dreams of females featured a higher number of family members, babies, children, and indoor settings than those of males. Sleep disorders : Dream recall is heightened in patients with insomnia , and their dreams reflect the stress associated with their condition.

The dreams of people with narcolepsy may a more bizarre and negative tone. One study looked at whether dream recall and dream content would reflect the social relationships of the person who is dreaming. College student volunteers were assessed on measures of attachment, dream recall, dream content, and other psychological measures.

Everyone dreams, although we may not remember our dreams. At different times of life or during different experiencs, our dreams might change. A study investigating anxiety dreams in children aged 9 to 11 years observed the following :. Studies comparing the dreams of pregnant and non-pregnant women showed that:. Those that give care to family or people who have long-term illnesses often have dreams related to that individual.

A study following the dreams of adults that worked for at least a year with individuals at United States hospice centers noted :. It is widely believed that oppressive dreams are frequent in people going through a time of bereavement.

A study analyzing dream quality, as well as the linking of oppressive dreams in bereavement, discovered that oppressive dreams:. In another study of people experiencing bereavement:. Younger people are more likely to dream in color.

The number of people aged in their 20s, 30s and 40s dreaming in color increased through to Researchers speculated that color television might play a role in the generational difference. Another study using questionnaires and dream diaries also found older adults had more black and white dreams than the younger participants. Older people reported that both their color dreams and black and white dreams were equally vivid.

However, younger participants said that their black and white dreams were of poorer quality. Some researchers claim to have evidence that this is possible, but there is not enough evidence to prove it. Most often, this seems to be due to coincidence, a false memory, or the unconscious mind connecting together known information. Dreams may help people learn more about their feelings, beliefs, and values. Images and symbols that appear in dreams will have meanings and connections that are specific to each person.

People looking to make sense of their dreams should think about what each part of the dreams mean to them as an individual. However, for those who are interested in such books, there is a selection available for purchase online. One study followed the dream content of people who regularly use crack cocaine in Trinidad and Tobago during a period of abstinence:.

People with complete vision loss have fewer visual dream impressions compared with sighted participants. People who have been unable to see from birth report more auditory, tactile, gustatory, and olfactory dream components, compared with sighted participants. So what do you think? Do some of these dream interpretations seem accurate? If not, don't worry—your dreams are unique and highly personal. You are not likely to find anything more than simple entertainment in generalized interpretation books and dream dictionaries.

Instead, consider your dreams a reflection of your waking life, mirroring your fears, anxieties, desires, hopes, and aspirations for the future. Consider the personal meaning of your dreams. In all likelihood, the things you experience in your dreams are probably a reflection of the concerns you face in your daily existence. Ever wonder what your personality type means? Sign up to find out more in our Healthy Mind newsletter. Schredl, M. Freud's interpretation of his own dreams in "The interpretation of dreams": A continuity hypothesis perspective.

International Journal of Dream Research, 1 2 , 44— Linking psychological need experiences to daily and recurring dreams. Motiv Emot. Am J Hosp Palliat Care. Nir Y, Tononi G. Dreaming and the brain: from phenomenology to neurophysiology. Trends Cogn Sci. Your Privacy Rights. To change or withdraw your consent choices for VerywellMind. At any time, you can update your settings through the "EU Privacy" link at the bottom of any page. These choices will be signaled globally to our partners and will not affect browsing data.

We and our partners process data to: Actively scan device characteristics for identification. I Accept Show Purposes. Dreams About Falling Dreams about falling from great heights are very common. Dreams About Being Naked in Public Have you ever have one of those awkward dreams where you show up at school or the office in your birthday suit? Dreams About Being Chased Dreams that feature being pursued by a known or unknown attacker can be particularly terrifying.

Dreams About Dying Death is another common subject of dreams and one that can be particularly disconcerting. Dreams About Infidelity Dreaming that your spouse or romantic partner is cheating on you with someone else can be incredibly distressing.

Dreams About Flying Dreams about flying are experienced by many. Dreams About Pregnancy Dream interpreters often suggest that dreams about pregnancy represent everything from creativity to fear.