Expert reveals real meaning behind terrifying dream more than half of us have experienced

An expert has opened up about the meaning behind a dream that more than half of us have experienced at some point.

When it comes to dreams, there are certainly plenty of themes out there.

It might be that something is chasing you, or that you've gone to work or school with no trousers on, or the feeling of being stuck and unable to move while something is coming.

And speaking of which, there are also the more NSFW kinds of dreams which many of us experience, whether it's about a celebrity or someone we know.

Of course, some dreams are not so good, and in some cases, people can even have recurring dreams.

There are all kinds of theories about what dreams can mean, or indeed whether they mean anything at all, but now an expert has shared what a particularly common dream might mean.

So, what is this dream?

Falling is the most common dream in the study (Klaus Vedfelt/Getty)

It is, of course, falling.

Whether it's stumbling off a cliff, tumbling from a plane, or even just the ground giving way beneath you, falling was experienced by some 53% of Brits who were surveyed in a new study.

The study was released by Netflix, and surveyed around 2,000 people in the UK on their most common dream.

Dream expert Delphi Ellis explained that having dreams about falling can mean something quite clear.

She said: “The feeling of falling is a perfect metaphor for the world we’re living in today - like Alice going down the rabbit hole. It happens if we’re not sure where we’re going or where we’ll end up."

Not only that, but it can even crop up at specific times in life as well.

Dreams can get very abstract (OsakaWayne Studios/Getty)

“It’s especially common after redundancy, retirement and other major life changes," Delphi explained. "The adventure awaits, but can be scary as we venture into the unknown."

Delphi added that this is distinct from another kind of dream, saying: “It’s not to be confused with the 'jolt' you might experience just as you’re drifting off though, as this can (ironically) be caused by over-tiredness or point to signs of stress, so a bedtime routine that promotes relaxation is important.”

Falling is far from the only dream to feature in the list, either.

The next most common one we have actually mentioned already - being unable to run while being pursued.

This was experienced by some 42 percent of respondents, and might be symbolic of being 'stuck' in a situation.

After this, things start to get a bit less metaphorical and more direct, with number three on the study list being your partner cheating on you, experienced by around 20 percent of respondents.