Why do so many of us dream about falling, being chased, or being late?

Some dream themes feel familiar across very different lives—but they do not have a universal meaning. Dreams can draw on memories, emotions, concerns, and fragments of everyday experience. Falling, running late, or being pursued are recognizable situations, which makes them easy to notice and talk about. That does not establish why any particular person had a particular dream. Researchers study several accounts of dreaming, and none provides a reliable dictionary that translates a dream image into a diagnosis or prediction. A useful way to explore a remembered dream is to describe what happened and how it felt, while keeping interpretation tentative. You can be curious about a dream without treating it as a hidden message.

General information, not a personal assessment. Explore the related articles and sources below.