54% of You Have This Heart-Pounding Dream All the Time, New Survey Says
It's more common than dreaming about being late or, even worse... bugs.
Dreams are pretty fascinating when you think about them. Your body and brain are in a prolonged state of recharge while your subconscious is essentially at the playground, jumping rope with your imagination. And nightmares? Those are even wilder.
Just like in the world of books, there are some pretty common tropes in dreamland. Naturally, if you keep experiencing the same thing every time you go to sleep, you may be wondering what this recurring reverie means or whether something as crazy as falling off the edge of a cliff is normal to dream about…like, all the time?
Well, you’ll (hopefully) be relieved to know that having the same unnerving dream over and over again is a very common experience shared by thousands of people, according to a new, 2,000-person dream study conducted by Amerisleep. In fact, there are a few specific topics that many Americans are dreaming about on the regular.
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Rounding out the top five most common recurring dreams are being chased (51%), being back in school (38%), being unprepared for a test or important event, like a job interview or speech (34%) and flying (33%).
But, when it comes to the most common heart-pounding dream—erhm, more like nightmare if you ask me—that honor goes to falling. Yes, 54% of you are dreaming about falling. All. The. Time.
Why is falling such a popular nighttime fixation for your subconscious?
According to certified psychiatrist Dr. Nereida Gonzalez-Berrios, M.D. who spoke to Dreams UK about the topic, reveries about falling are often linked to feelings of helplessness or a loss of control in some aspect of your everyday life.
“It also indicates fear, terror, and anxiety that comes out of losing grip over significant things,” he said.
For instance, if you feel like your relationship or a friendship is slipping away, or perhaps you’re losing control over a situation at work—both of those instances can trigger you to dream about falling. Often.
Sound familiar? Then getting a handle on your real-life situations might just be the key to standing firm—and resting easy—when you’re asleep.
