Dreams about falling are about as classic as you can get, but what do they mean? While we sleep, our brains are doing a lot of work thinking through the events of the day. For millennia, people have practiced the art of dream interpretation, looking to dreams for clues about where their life is heading. Want to do this yourself? We’ll show you how with our complete guide of interpretations for all the most common types of dreams about falling.

1

Falling out of a Building

  1. This dream represents abandoning something you’ve put work into. In our dreams, buildings are often representatives of the structures we’ve built up for ourselves: our career and personal projects, our relationships, our skills. If you’re dreaming of falling out of a building, you may be thinking of moving on from some of these projects.[1]
    • If you feel anxiety during this dream, this may indicate that you aren’t ready to leave behind these things you’ve put work into in the past.
    • On the flip-side, if you feel oddly calm about falling out of a building, you may be ready to move on with your life.
  2. Advertisement
2

Falling from the Sky

  1. This dream means that a big change is in the works. This kind of dream is a particularly dramatic and vivid one—it’s hard to think of a more arresting view than one from miles above the ground. With this dream, you know you’re heading somewhere fast, and that exciting changes are afoot.[2]
    • The speed of your descent can indicate how you’re approaching this change in your life. If you’re falling slowly, you’re likely approaching this life shift in a prudent and careful way.
    • If you’re falling really fast, you may be feeling rushed into this big change.
10

Seeing Someone Else Fall

  1. This dream demonstrates a fear of losing someone. If you’ve dreamed about some close to you falling, you may be feeling anxiety about their health, safety, or current life circumstances. This is your subconscious working on an empathetic level, showing concern for the people in your life. So, check-in with the person who you’re dreaming about, if only just to say hi.[9]
    • This dream could also indicate that you have a fear of losing your relationship to this person. Whether you’re concerned about their welfare or about your relationship, open communication is key.

About This Article

Alex Dimitriu, MD
Co-authored by:
Sleep Medicine & Psychiatry Professional
This article was co-authored by Alex Dimitriu, MD and by wikiHow staff writer, Nihal Shetty. Alex Dimitriu, MD is the Owner of Menlo Park Psychiatry and Sleep Medicine, a clinic based in the San Francisco Bay Area with expertise in psychiatry, sleep, and transformational therapy. Alex earned his Doctor of Medicine from Stony Brook University in 2005 and graduated from the Stanford University School of Medicine's Sleep Medicine Residency Program in 2010. Professionally, Alex has dual board certification in psychiatry and sleep medicine. This article has been viewed 17,567 times.
4 votes - 75%
Co-authors: 4
Updated: March 25, 2023
Views: 17,567
Categories: Dreams
Advertisement