Dream Decoder

    “Dreams don’t happen to us, we happen to them,” says Edinburgh-based dream psychologist Ian Wallace, author of The Top 100 Dreams. In other words, we’re the director, star, and producer of all the movies that play inside our heads after we fall asleep (in fact, we create about five 15- to 40-minute dreams per night). But it’s not just for our own entertainment. “In dreams, new information is combined with old information of the person's life in a creative way so that new solutions might emerge,” says researcher Michael Schredl, Ph.D., from the Central Institute of Mental Health sleep laboratory in Germany. “If you want to make sense of your own dreams, first put paper and pencil on your nightstand, and write down what you dreamed about when you first wake up,” says Schredl. The following is the list of 3 most common dreams, what they mean, and what to do about them.

  Falling  

The Dream: You step off of a curb and fall flat on your face—or you take a nosedive right off a cliff. Either way, you usually jolt awake as soon as you hit the bottom.

What it Means: While the sensations may feel similar, these are actually two types of dreams, according to Wallace. The minor slip dream happens when you first fall asleep and have that last little twitch after your muscles completely relax. The second dream, a more dramatic dream, happens when you’re already in a deep sleep. This dream often reflects a perceived failure in your life or a realization that you don’t have control over a situation.

To Do: Whatever type of fall you take in your subconscious, tension is to blame. And not to make you even more anxious, but 60 to 90% of doctor visits are related to stress or stress-related symptoms, according to the American Psychological Association. So relax. Do something you enjoy, spend time with friends, exercise more, or stretch before bed. People who exercise regularly have 20% less anxiety than those who don’t exercise, according to a 2012 study from the University of Georgia. Also, “it might be time to pinpoint what exactly is stressing you out and work toward solving it,” says Wallace. 

  Being Late

The Dream: You thought you had plenty of time to hit your deadline, make your meeting, or get to your date. But now you’re supposed to be across town in 15 minutes and everything is going wrong. The alarm didn’t go off. Your phone is ringing. Traffic is terrible.

What it Means: “Whatever you’re rushing to in your subconscious represents a real-life goal or milestone,” says Wallace. There is likely an actual deadline looming or maybe an arbitrary one (like having a certain salary by the age of 30 or 40), and it’s stressing you out big time.

To Do: Ask yourself: In the waking world, are you being proactive—or reactive? There may be changes that have distracted from your original goals in life, according to Wallace. Now is the time to commit. Once you start to focus, you’ll control your own time, dictate a schedule, and get to the places you really want to be. Try an accountability partner: A recent study from clinical psychologist Gail Matthews, Ph.D., showed that people who write down their goals, share them with others, and send progress updates to that friend are 33% more successful in hitting their goals than those who don’t.

 Unprepared for an Exam

The Dream: You’re in school and it’s time to get out the pencil. Only problem is you’ve done absolutely no studying. Why? You’re not quite sure. You knew about the test and bought the books—but now you’re screwed.

What it Means: Are you a perfectionist? “If this is a recurring dream (or nightmare), chances are you live in fear of messing up even things you’re well prepared for,” says Wallace. If you dream about flunking an exam you’ve already passed, this could reflect worries about performance, not actual competence, Schredl adds.

To Do: “Give yourself a break or you’ll always feel like a failure,” says Wallace, who notes perfectionists are more likely to suffer from anxiety and depression. What’s more, perfectionists have 50% higher rates of early death, according to researchers from York University in Canada. It might be time for you to differentiate happiness from success, and start making the former your goal, rather than the latter.