We’ve all had those dreams that have made us wake up in a full panic, only to realize they’re, well, just dreams. But what do they actually mean? The subject of dream interpretation has for centuries fascinated people, and we can all relate. Although it's still not fully understood why we even dream at all, analyzing dreams and ascribing meaning to them has become a source of both entertainment and self-reflection. With the average person having between three and five dreams per night, psychologists and neurobiologists have a number of theories to offer about why we dream and what our dreams may mean.
Curious? Check out this gallery for some of the most common dreams and their meaning.