Falling dreams are one of the most common dreams that people have.  Everyone at sometime in their life will have at least one falling dream. Studies reveal that in many cases, dreams of falling happen at the verge of sleep, and that at least some falling dreams  may be physiological in nature - i.e. a blood pressure drop at the moment of slumber stimulating the sense of falling, an inner ear process through the equilibrium out, etc. 

However, falling dreams can have  a symbolic or even literal significance, often indicating a feeling that life is spiraling out of control on some level or reminding us of a real physical danger. Falling dreams are an indication of insecurities, and anxieties. You are feeling overwhelmed and out of control in some situation in your waking life. This may reflect the way you feel in your relationship or in your work environment (you are out of control or losing control of the situation). You have lost your foothold and can not hang on or keep up with the hustle and bustle of daily life. When you fall the the dream there is nothing to grab or hold onto that is sturdy enough to save you. This lost of control may parallel a waking situation in your life.

Falling Dreams can have a symbolic or even literal significance, often indicating a feeling that life is spiraling out of control on some level or reminding us of a real physical danger

Falling Dreams can indicate a sense of failure

Falling dreams also can reflect a sense of failure or inferiority in your life. It may be the fear of failing (being demoted)in your job/school, or even failure in love. You feel as though you are unable to keep up with the status quo or that you don't measure up to the standard of society or your peers.

Out of control; being under grounded or unsupported; in a slump? You've woken with a thud. You know you've just taken a fall in your dream and made a crash landing back into you body.

Why are we so frightened of falling when the sensation in itself is so exciting? What we're really frightened of is being unsupported and crash-landing. If you dropped from a tall building and 20 strong firefighters stood underneath you with a net, you wouldn't be as afraid being because you'd feel supported.

Falling in a dream may suggest that you feel unsupported in life. Why don't you feel unsupported? What can you do to support yourself? Notice what you're falling from in your dream (a cliff, a ladder, or out of thin air) and if you don't wake up first, take note of what you fall on or into. What's the context - work, relationships, or a social situation? This will give you a clue to the areas of your life in which you feel unsupported.

If you dream you fall off a ladder, first check the ladders around your house to make sure they're safe, then ask yourself if someone was supposed to be holding the ladder for you. If you see someone else falling in dreams, ask yourself if they needed support. Or perhaps they're falling from your grace? What do they represent to you? Perhaps an aspect of yourself is falling away?

Look at your life, too. Are you anticipating a downfall at work, in a relationship, or in another area of your life? Fall is another name for autumn, a time when the leaves drop off the trees. Is it time to hibernate and get ready for the regeneration of spring?

Research has found that when astronauts dream in space, they dream that everything floats! Perhaps the fall in your dream is simply a physical sensation.

Falling dreams typically occur during the first stage of sleep. Dreams in this stage are often accompanied by muscle spasms of the arms, legs, and the whole body. These sudden contractions, also known as myclonic jerks. Sometimes when we have these falling dreams, we feel our whole body jerk or twitch and we awaken from this jerk.

It is thought that this jerking action is part of an arousal mechanism that allows the sleeper to awaken and become quickly alert and responsive to possible threats in the environment.

See also: Accident, Adventure, Flying

Falling Dreams and Psychology

Psychologically, falling dreams are not generally thought of as having major significance, but they can be used to get insight into basic things that are happening in our lives. Below are questions to ask yourself to help interpret a dream of falling:

In all cases above, try to determine what caused the dream, what changes have come into your life just prior to the onset of the falling dreams. Write in your journal what you think the problem is and what you can do to resolve it, and then flag that page and check back in a few weeks to determine if you have made progress. If it seems to be just a vague fear, consciously try to confront that fear, listing the worst and best case scenarios in your mind to help you work through the situation. Continue writing in your journal every morning and you may be able to spot the counter-dream signifying that the problem has been resolved!