Dreams About Falling: Why They Happen and What They Mean

The wind is hitting your face sharply, there is a pulling sensation in your stomach, you feel a sense of zero gravity, and you are falling from an abyss, continuing to fall. Suddenly, you see the end of this height before your eyes, and this is the most terrifying moment, but what’s this? We woke up before hitting the bottom. The breaths are still rapid, the heart feels like it’s going to burst out, the hands and feet are still shaking, and there’s sweat all over the body.

Typically, every person sees 2-3 dreams daily after entering deep REM sleep, but mostly we forget them upon waking. The dreams that are remembered, or at least remembered for a while, among them, the falling dream is the most common. Today, we will interpret these and find out how many types there are. What exactly causes them? Do they serve a specific purpose or give us some indication? Is there a way to avoid them? Let’s truly fall into this topic today and find out.

If you have gone hiking and stood on the edge of a cliff, looking down, then it’s understandable that you might have a falling dream that night or in the following days. However, in most cases, this is not what happens. Dreams bring out our underlying emotions in different ways. Falling dreams indicate inner anxiety, fear, or some form of betrayal. According to researchers’ theories, falling dreams also represent feelings of helplessness and rejection. And this makes sense because, just like how we become helpless when falling and can’t do much, our unconscious mind wants to show us the same emotion in a creative way (though in a frighteningly creative way).

So here, if we were to attribute some main emotions as responsible for such dreams, they would be:

• – Feeling insecure
• – Underestimating oneself
• – Anxious
• – Getting overwhelmed
• – Losing control

Falling dreams come in various types, and their specific characteristics hide different meanings. Let’s explore how many types of falling dreams there are.

Dreams about falling in water sometimes simply mean that you are afraid of water, unable to swim, or feel scared when looking at the ocean. However, as we know, the interpretation of dreams depends on the individual. Such dreams could also mean that you are in a complicated situation. Being surrounded by water might symbolize that you have no control over your situation and are confused about what stance to take in your career, social matters, or relationships.

In all dreams about falling, the root cause is typically a lack of control over your situation. This is also the main emotion seen in dreams of falling from the sky, as interpreted by dream researchers. Several other reasons emerge when you have these dreams or suddenly wake up in fear. Some of these reasons include an inability to make a decision, some kind of fear in waking life, or a doubt that is preventing you from moving forward.

You are standing somewhere, doing your regular work or talking, when suddenly you look down at your feet and are shocked to find that the ground beneath them is disappearing, and the next moment you fall into it. This isn’t a scene from an earthquake but rather a type of falling dream. In these dreams, the ground opens up beneath your feet, and you keep falling until you wake up just before hitting the bottom. The reason might be that you feel unsafe, or perhaps you thought a situation was stable, but it suddenly changed, turning out to be completely opposite of what you had thought.

There is another variant of this dream where the rug or carpet is pulled out from under your feet. The reason for such dreams might be a sudden change in your life, like losing your job, ending a relationship, or suffering a significant loss in the stock market.

Seeing someone else falling in your dream indicates shame and regret that you are trying to save them but are unable to. This might also hint at a relationship that is currently undergoing a lot of tension. It could also mean that you want to protect a loved one from a bad relationship so that they can avoid pain and move on. For example, you might want to prevent your ex-partner from entering another problematic relationship or help your teenage child escape a bad relationship or environment.

You might have experienced this too: you’ve barely been asleep for 10 minutes when you dream of falling and wake up with a jolt. This is called a hypnic jerk, or also known as sleep start.

A hypnic jerk is a process involving muscle contractions that generally occur when we are just starting to fall asleep. It happens during the transition from our waking state to our sleep state. At this time, some of our muscles contract, and we feel a jolt that wakes us up. Since our brain doesn’t understand this, it creates a dream that ends with us hitting a surface, and the timing is so precise that just as we are about to hit, the sleep jerk occurs, and we feel the impact. This is completely normal and harmless, though it may feel strange and is generally not liked by most people.

Dreaming about falling is not a pleasant experience; such nightmares can disrupt our sleep, bring disturbing thoughts, and leave us feeling uneasy. Some people even view these dreams from a religious angle, believing that they foretell some misfortune. Some individuals start fearing heights just because they frequently dream about falling.

Everyone on this planet experiences nightmares, but if you’re seeing them very frequently, it might be necessary to seek help. This is especially important if these dreams are filling your life with anxiety, anger, or fear.

Regular nightmares can be a sign of a sleep disorder or an anxiety disorder. Here we will discuss some methods that can help you achieve a good, nightmare-free sleep.

• Good sleep hygiene should be maintained before going to bed. 
• A short coffee nap can be a good option for productivity, but you should avoid coffee if you want to achieve deep sleep at night. 
• The bedroom should be dark, silent, and at a comfortable temperature, neither too cold nor too hot. 
• If you meditate or write in a journal before sleeping, your chances of getting better sleep increase. 
• Keep your bedtime and waking time consistent every day so that your body can get proper rest and wake up well in the morning, likely without nightmares. 
• You should avoid screen time 2-3 hours before bed, and avoid falling asleep while watching movies or scrolling through reels. 
• If you want to sleep well at night, avoid taking short naps during the day.

Using these methods can significantly reduce your nightmares, although these are not proven methods, they are just good sleep hygiene practices. If you do not see any improvement after trying these, you might consider consulting a therapist, who can help you get to the root of your dreams.