Top 10 Common Dreams and Meanings

Do you ever dream that you’re frozen and unable to move a muscle? This often signifies that you’re undergoing some kind of emotional or situational paralysis in your life. You may be feeling unprepared for something, like you’re playing the wrong part or being tested somehow. What’s really scary, though, is that it might not just be a dream—you might be suffering from sleep paralysis, which is an actual phenomenon where you’re temporarily paralyzed. You can either be falling asleep or waking up when it happens, and meanwhile, your body is lying in bed, immobile. It’s an extremely discomfiting sleep disorder, although it is fairly common.

It’s not unusual to dream that you can’t find a toilet, or that the only toilets around are broken, dirty or right out in the open. This tends to mean you’re dealing with something unpleasant and very intimate in your waking life. In the dream, you feel the need to relieve or cleanse yourself physically, and that means that in real life, you probably need emotional or psychological relief or cleansing. Your subconscious mind is telling you that you’re finding it hard to express your needs. Of course, it could also be a sign that you just had too much to drink before you went to bed…

Dreaming of car trouble signifies a sense of powerlessness over your life. You’re afraid that you’re heading for a metaphorical crash. It could be that you’re moving too fast and you need to hit the brakes. On the other hand, if your car crashes because of external circumstances, like thick fog, icy roads or poor directions, then that could be a sign that you need to take a good look at your situation and see where the danger or instability lies.
 

Dreams of death are as common as they are terrifying, and if you die in a dream that often symbolizes emotional pain or fear. If you dream of someone else dying, though, it gets more complicated. The people in your dreams usually represent aspects of your own psyche, so if someone you know dies, it can mean that you feel like a part of yourself is dying or in danger. On the other hand, it could also mean that you’re afraid of losing that person… or that you wish he or she would go away!

This kind of dream means you feel like someone or something is chasing or threatening you. It could just be an emotion—you might feel chased by regret, embarrassment or self-doubt, which is embodied by the person or creature that is hunting you down. Your subconscious mind is letting you know that you’re avoiding or running from an issue that you are going to have to deal with eventually. For example, if you dream of being chased by the bogeyman, the monster represents a repressed or rejected aspect of yourself.

Maybe you don’t know any of the answers, maybe the questions are in a foreign language, or maybe you’re running out of time and can’t possibly finish the test. One way or another, this kind of dream means that you’re feeling tested or examined when you’re awake. You may feel that you’re unprepared for some challenge you’re facing. If you’ve been procrastinating or putting something off, this is a good sign that you need to get your act together! If you regularly dream about failing tests, though, it can mean a deep-seated fear of failure or a lack of self-confidence.

Flying is one of the best dreams we can have. Not only do we get to experience the joy of soaring through the air, but these dreams also often symbolize a sense of liberation. You have freed yourself from something, shaken a weight off your shoulders. However, the meaning of the dream does depend on how well you manage to handle your powers of flight! If you fly well, you’re in control of yourself and your situation! If you fly poorly, well… that doesn’t bode well,and maybe you should look for solid ground to stand on both in your dream and in real life!

You know the drill. Halfway through your dream you look down and realize that you’re in your underwear or worse, your birthday suit! What a nightmare. This can mean you’re feeling exposed and vulnerable, or that you revealed something very personal about yourself when you were awake. If you try to hide your nakedness, it could indicate that you’re hiding an intimate part of yourself from the people close to you. On the other hand, if you’re perfectly happy being au naturel, then it could mean that in real life you’re feeling freed, uninhibited and comfortable with who you are.
 

Whether you find your teeth are falling out, cracked and blackened, or being swallowed, dreams about bad teeth are not a good sign. On the most basic level, these dreams symbolize a fear of being unattractive. On a deeper level, such dreams can represent embarrassment or loss of power. In dreams, our body parts represent emotional or psychological aspects of ourselves. The mouth is the body part you use to communicate, so dreams about teeth often mean you’ve said something you regret, whether it was something rude or cruel or something you should have kept private.
  
Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions:
- Sex
Need for Intimate  / Physical Connections

- Meeting a Celebrity
Personal Need for Recognition

- Seeing Dead Loved Ones
Miss Them, Trying to Cope and/or Saying Goodbye

- Partner Is Cheating
Lack of Trust or Feeling Neglected

- Acting Violent
Feelings of Helplessness, Injustice and/or Spiritual Distress
 

Dreams about falling have a lot to do with security, or rather a lack thereof, and often symbolize a loss of control over your life or over yourself. Maybe you’re lacking support and it feels like you’re about to fall. If you fall because someone pushes you, that’s likely a sign that you need to be more careful of your surroundings – especially the people around you. On the other hand, dreams about falling could mean that you’re holding onto something too tightly, andyou just need to let it go.

Do you agree with our list? What’s your favorite kind of dream? For more fantastic Top 10s published daily, be sure to subscribe to WatchMojo.com.