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11 Common Symbols For Dreaming and Their Significance
Denys Chumak

Denys Chumak

16 Oct 2023

11 Common Symbols For Dreaming and Their Significance

As per the study, the average individual spends about two hours dreaming each night, and this is a normal and healthy part of the sleep cycle. While scientists have studied dreaming for decades, there is still much they don't know. No one can say for sure if their dreams have any deeper significance.

Dreams have the ability to create intricate stories that have an intimate sense. A lot of people are keen to discuss the details of their dreams and try to do dream interpretations to reveal their significance.

Examining symbols for dreaming is the first step in dream interpretation. To begin, write down your dreams in a journal every morning. Then, highlight the characters, objects, places, events, and themes that seem important. If a dream sign seems important, explore it further.

But first, let us understand “why do we dream?” before going deep into common symbols for dreaming.

Why Do We Dream?

Dreams are like movies that happen in our minds when we sleep. Scientists have different thoughts on “Why do we dream?” Dreaming helps our brains understand and organise what happens during the day. It's like how our brain sorts memories and emotions.

Dreams prepare you for real life. They let us practise problems and challenges so we're ready in the morning. Some people think dreams boost creativity. They can inspire new thoughts and new perspectives.

Though there isn't a clear explanation, dreams appear to serve a variety of purposes in our lives. They organise our thoughts, prepare us for the day, and let our imaginations go wild. We can do dream interpretation like a hidden realm, which is fascinating.

11 Common Dreams and Possible Meanings

Here are 11 very common dreams and what they mean.

Dreaming About Falling

Dreaming about falling through the air is a common theme that has come up in dream research. People often feel like they are falling before experiencing a hypnic jerk. Hypnic jerks are sudden movements that happen without control. They can affect a specific body part or the entire body.

Dreaming About Being Chased

Being chased in a dream means that someone is feeling scared, worried, or wants to avoid something. The person chasing you, where it's happening, and what you want to do in your dream can tell you what you think is dangerous. If someone is running after you, it could also mean that you really want something, especially if you feel sure that you can overcome a difficult situation.

Dreams About Exams

If you dream about taking an exam, it could indicate that you are reflecting on your readiness, level of skill, or self-evaluation in a certain area of your life. It can signify negative things like the dread of failing, being judged, or being rejected, or positive things like development, acceptance, or validation.

Dreams About Death

Dreams about dying can make you feel uneasy. Death can mean things coming to an end, changing into something else, or starting fresh. It can also bring up worries about losing something, going through changes, or not knowing what will happen. If you have recently lost someone, dreaming about death might be your mind's way of trying to understand and accept what happened.

Dreams About Marriage

Dreaming about getting married can mean that you really want to get married, or it can show that you are combining your feminine and masculine sides in your mind. Those who want to commit to a partner have common symbols for dreaming about marriage and combining their identities and aspirations.

Dreams About Money

Dreams about money may symbolize your self-perception and social interactions. They can also show how you feel about your success, how secure your finances are, and how important material things are to you. Money in dreams can mean that someone is worried, wants more, or is scared of being poor. If you dream about swapping money, it could mean you're expecting some major changes in your life.

Dreams About Teeth Falling

The dream of teeth falling out—or, perhaps more accurately, a nightmare—occurs VERY frequently. Most people have at some point in their lives dreamed of losing their teeth and thought about what that signified. It's not surprising that when you first experience fear or trauma, your brain links it to other things that make you feel scared or uneasy in life.

Also read: Teeth Falling Out Dream: What Does It Mean?

Dreams Of Being Cheated On (by your partner)

If you're in a relationship and someone cheated on you in the past, you'll remember how terrible it felt when you first found out. Your brain is linked to this and it's been labelled as 'bad'. Sometimes, when you don't trust your partner, it doesn't always mean that you don't believe in them.

Dreams Of Being Lost

If you feel lost in a dream, it usually means you are feeling worried or afraid. Actually, it's about when you have scary dreams. You feel as if your mind is playing tricks on you, letting you know, "You know that thing you're really scared of?" This is what it feels like. Dreaming about being lost can mean that you're unsure about your direction in life or that you feel like you haven't achieved anything meaningful.

Fever Dreams

You might be unaware of the fever dream meaning. It means feeling really upset and having strong feelings inside. When you have a fever, your body gets hotter and your thinking can become unclear. They may indicate a desire for change or a struggle to understand difficult conditions.

Also read: Fever Dream Meaning, Symptoms and Dream Interpretation

Snakes Dreams

There is a strong association between snakes and dishonesty in popular culture, making them a common dream animal. In the past, people have associated snakes with lies in the Bible and throughout history. Dreaming about a snake might mean you're worried or suspect someone is being dishonest.

Also read: Dreaming about Snakes: Symbolism & Analysis What a Dream With Black Snake Might Mean

Conclusion

Not all parts of your dreams have secret meanings. Sometimes, it's just sounds that you hear but don't pay much attention to, or it could be a clear representation of what's going on in your actual life.

If you want to know the important symbols for dreaming, just write them down in a dream journal. Write as if you are currently experiencing the dream again, and highlight any strange or meaningful elements that are important to the story or catch your eye.

Look at the symbols in your dream from the list above. If you can't find them there, you can use a DreamApp to find more meanings for your dreams. Visit the website, and we can help you understand what your dream might mean.

FAQs

Why do we dream that lasts about two hours every night?

The average person dreams for two hours a night. But scientists still don't fully understand the exact reason for this. Dreams have different purposes. They help us deal with memories and emotions, practice for real-life situations, and inspire creativity.

Fever dream meaning.

As a result of having a high body temperature, we can experience nightmares known as fever dreams.

How to do dream interpretation?

To do your dream interpretation, begin by writing down your dreams in a journal. Every morning, make sure to write down your dreams. Pay attention to important symbols such as characters, objects, places, and themes, and highlight them.

What if the symbols in my dreams aren't on the list?

If the symbols in your dreams are not listed, you can try using a DreamApp to find more meanings. Go to the website, and experts will assist you in understanding what your unique dream symbols might mean.

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16 Jan 2025

dream-about-militia-capturing-loved-ones
Being chased by murderer
Darkness
Family
Police
Trapped

Dream

A group of bad guys like a militia took a lot of males including my dad and brother. The males they took were on their knees and they started to kill them using machetes, directly into their necks. My mom and I were observing all these crazy act from a high building. I yelled at my mom to please let me go to the police. I knew I could make it to the police station to save my brother and dad. I was so frustrated because she didn’t let me go . She was afraid I might get captured and killed. So I went to the roof of the building to see if I could access the police station but the darkness of the night didn’t allow me to see forward. At the end they all got killed and the people that were on the top of the building didn’t allow me either to go to the police. They put traps or say things for Me not to go. So we all can survive .

16 Jan 2025

dream-about-parallel-worlds-and-falling
Abandoned home
Alien
Husband
Grandmother
Children
Stairs

Dream

My dream started off, it seemed like I was in kind of like a parallel world, one of the houses that I grew up in, like a log cabin, and each room I would go in would be different than it was when I was little, and there were like more beds in there, like maybe more people or more siblings or something, and then I kind of jumped to being in a room with who I thought were my kids, I didn't see their faces, but they were being really rambunctious and like broke this plant, like they were very careless, and then I went to carry the plant down the stairs, and the stairs were the stairs that I got pushed down, yeah basically pushed down when I was a child, anyway, the dirt fell down the stairs, and then my grandmother, well we kind of jumped in the dream, and then my grandmother went sliding down the stairs, fell, and then I called for my husband to come out, and he was kind of being grumpy about it, but finally came and helped, and then like I saw her like slumped over at the bottom of the stairs, and then the dream jumped to me and my husband living in California in some random house on a hill, and then we watched some either like alien ship launch or rocket or something, while we were out there, we, I don't know, went to take the garbage out, there were, he had brought the mattress out to the side of the street, and then while we were talking, and this face would start changing, like into like people that I knew, or I don't know, like scarier faces, I guess, and what was face changed into some face, I don't remember recognizing, and then I just woke up to this feeling of, of, it's almost like grabbing my throat, someone grabbing my throat, or pinning me down, but it was like I felt this really big don't touch me in the throat area of peace, and then I woke up very panicked.

16 Jan 2025

Fear
Angry at mom
Friend
Car
Crying
Family

Dream

First it was animal crossing and I was being chased by scorpions so i when into villager’s house to hide, then sometimes i would lay on their bed and they would lay onto of me making me unable to leave the bed. But when I came out of their house the scorpion was still there. I tried a different strat of catching them carring a flashlight, it didn’t work. Then I started looking for them in the rain and they got smart and would bring another big with their claws, release it when I’m about to swing my net and I capture that instead then the scorpion stings me. Then the dream switches. I’m about to get tattoos one on my arm of a lion and the other one of me and my cat. But the one of my cat requires them to break every bone in my arm. I sketch of where I want the rainbow lion tattoo, only realizing I drew it too low on my arm. I go to the bathroom to clean it off. After I’m done I think of shower then my mom starts knocking on the door saying there’s no time. I go out and quickly grab my bag, my phone charger and my winter jacket. I get in the car only realizing have way that I forgot my glasses. Then on my jacket I see a case of my spare glasses, “Oh I’m fine I found my spare glasses, I forgot I left them in the car haha.” Then when I get to the destination it was my choir group having dinner at a place similar to Apple Bees. I sat in the middle of the booth next to my friends, and I thought to myself “Gosh I feel stinky, did I even put on deodorant? My hair looks greasy doesn’t it…” Then my mom and my sister were also there and my mom started talking for a toast. In the middle of it I just angrily say “Oh shut up!”. I get scolded by my dad of not treating mommy that way then I get upset and lock myself in the bathroom forgot I took a burrito with me instead of leaving it on the table. I take a bite of it then remember I’m not supposed to eat in bathrooms. So I wrapped it in its wrapping the best I could and shoved it in my pocket. Then my mom knocks on the door saying she’s sorry and we need to talk to my sister cuz she’s crying. I wash my face and I’m like “fineee”. Me and mom mom go into her room, she’s on her bed crying with her cat ontop of her. She turns around and says “This was supposed to be Lee’s special day… And you had to go around and ruin it.” I say nothing as my mom taking over the conversation, she tries to explain her actions, there was a little back and forth. Then my sister says “See that’s your problem!” Then the dream switches and I’m a deer specialist Bambi and other people that are always baby animals. We are behind some bushes and a scientist tells us to duck all the way to the floor and cover our ears. Then the ground opens and out comes out a giant dish then it has some square holes on the size of the cylinder under the dish. “Test one!” The scientist says. The dish rotates a little and a giant pink boom wave comes out of it, I could feel it on my chest and the tree would shake from the released pressure. I say “omg that’s so loud that’s scary.”, someone else says “Don’t stand up or you’ll be cut in half.” “o-oh” I say. “Test two and this one goes ove the whole country!”.. the same boom happens. And now we are free to go, they show us up how the dish works, then one of the workers tripped over wires and shut the whole thing down “Oop! My bad” he says then turn is on again. Then a bird crashes into the dish’s and doesn’t the boom again. “You might want to see a real scientist.” I say. Her “Oh I plan too”. Then she goes and meets a professor that looks like Einstein. “Let me introduce you to my daughter” they both say at the same time. Then they realize their daughters already know each other and are a mirror image of each other. The look at the giant coins that are the size of their bodies, they have the same last name, “oh that’s kinda creepy” he says. “Any way I was planning on analyzing this thing tho know what’s wrong” she says. “No no you got it all wrong, analyzing is when you already know that problem” the professor says. Then the dream switches and I’m on my bed, I think I woke up, it was still dark outside so I thought it was probably 5am. I looked at my hand and there was a tiny scorpion on my middle finger I scream, I proceed to slap my hand against the wall. I look at it again and it’s still there I scream again then I accidentally wake up.

16 Jan 2025

dream-about-weird-coworkers-children-and-violence
Being chased by murderer
Violence and death
Abandoned home
Sister
Airport
Baby

Dream

I had 3 interesting dreams last night. In the first one, I was with my old coworkers at my house. It all just felt weird to me, like I was the odd one out. One of them, Janiqua, who was my closest friend at the time, explained to me that she’s sorry because they have inside jokes and lore that I’m not aware of. The house was a mess and nobody helped me clean up. In the second one, I was in an airport. This random man was pushing a stroller with I think two kids, but I only remember one. He asked me for directions to his gate. We got to his gate and he was handling something on his phone so I watched the stroller. The child was really really small with kind of a big head. I assumed maybe she was born prematurely. His gate number wasn’t for an airplane though, it was for a boat. The man boarded first without the stroller and the baby. The platform was swaying badly and the stroller nearly fell out the door but I caught it. I was stressed and scared and kept thinking that this has to be the wrong gate because of the danger. In the third one, I was in a classroom with Jack, the UK guy that broke my heart, and Cam, his friend, along with random other guys. My sister Teri was there, on a table, acting strangely. She was on all fours and acting really sexual. Of course the guys enjoyed it, but I pulled her aside and asked “what’s wrong with you?”. The dream suddenly warped to seeing this character Neal Caffrey from a TV show I’ve been watching starting acting strangely as well. In the show, he’s never killed anyone. But in my dream, it was as if he had a breakdown. He started shooting people dead in front of me. He tried to hurt me but somehow I managed to get into a room and close and lock the door long enough to call 911. It was the first time I used a phone in a dream. It took forever to type in 911 because I kept messing up, but eventually I did it, to Neal”s dismay. I tell the officers “you need to come to my address, there’s a guy, Neal Caffrey, and he’s already killed multiple people, he’s trying to hurt me, get here quickly!” This is how I found out I was back at my own house even though the interior looked nothing like it. Neal runs outside and to the right down the street, in the east direction. I contemplate chasing after him to keep track of him, but I see the lights of the police coming down from north to my house, so I take one last glance at Caffrey and stay to tell approaching officers he’s on foot. I don’t remember anything else after that except being scared out of my mind.

16 Jan 2025

Argument
Apartment
Basketball
Party
Relationship
Guy

Dream

I had a dream where I was watching some people play basketball, I guess, and there was this one guy that I thought was cute, and we started talking, and then we started kind of seeing each other off and on, and I invited him over to like my place and whatnot. She was not happy about it, and she was kind of like trying to stop me a little bit and find out where I lived. She ended up coming to my house as a party or whatever, and tried to find out if he was with me, and like cheating on him, or cheating on her with me, which he wasn't, because they were separated, and there were times that she would just kind of like try and go over to my house, and she wanted me to go over to like their place, because it was really weird and kind of complicated, but they like still kind of got along. She seemed to be a little bit more accepting of the fact that their relationship was over and that he's kind of moving on, and he and I seemed to be really compatible, and everything seems to be working out, and right before the dream ended, I was at their sort of like penthouse mansion in a city. It was weird. I was like on top of their roof while the two of them like argued. I watched both of them argue about everything, and it was just really, really strange.

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