Have you ever woken up from a nap and wondered why you’re dreams were so absurd? Forgetting the bizarre details, and focusing on the main themes in your dreams can often reveal real life problems that are causing you stress. By grouping dreams into categories, you can more easily interpret the possible hidden meanings of the perhaps not so deep dream, and then fix, or at least identify, the underlying stresses in your life. Dreams that begin with a normal routine and then end in disaster when you suddenly find yourself naked are very typical. Dreams about nudity could symbolize several different real life problems. You might be feeling ashamed and feel vulnerable to a certain situation in your life. Clothes conceal your body and are a means of covering up ones identity. Dreaming about not having any clothes in a public place may mean you feel defenseless or fearful of being embarrassed. Though these are many possibilities, there are many other things that nudity could symbolize. Contrary to popular belief, if you fall during a dream and don’t wake up before you hit the ground, you will not die. In fact, falling and even hitting the ground is a common type of dream people have. If you’ve ever had a dream you’re walking along a mountain and accidentally fall of a cliff, or that suddenly you slip off the edge of the stairs or building, it could indicate insecurities or anxiety in your life. “I’ve had a reoccurring dream about falling down a spiral staircase in a stone castle,” senior Melissa Baughman said. The ability to not control your fall symbolizes your inability to control a situation. Many falling dreams occur during the first stage of sleep and the fall could cause you to suddenly convulse, called Myoclonic jerks. These jerks cause you to wake up mid-cycle, which is why you remember falling dreams so often. Contrasting with falling dreams are flying dreams. These dreams represent one’s power or control over something. Because flying is impossible without assistance, these dreams often leave people with feelings of success and sense accomplishment. If you have trouble keeping afloat during the dream, something might be pulling you down or keeping you from achieving your goal in real life. If you become scared of flying too high it may be that you are scared of success. Nightmares although extremely unpleasant, may be your body’s way of communicating to you a problem that you subconsciously or even consciously want to fix. Being woken up by nightmares is the reason that they are often very vivid and memorable. “When I was little I had a dream that my family and I went on vacation and we encountered trolls that chased my family through a swamp,” sophomore Melissa Huisman said. By discussing and writing down your nightmares can guide you to find the underlying problem that you have not been able to see clearly. Next time you have an unexplainable dream, think about real life problems that are bothering you. Fixing the real life problem may be a simple solution to stopping a reoccurring dream. Or perhaps you might just become aware with inner conflicts or fears you were not consciously aware of.