Even if it’s not real, anyone who has ever drowned in a dream will tell you it’s a terrifying experience. The effect of drowning in a dream is quite strong. The feeling that, despite being safe under the duvet, it feels very real (or at least the fear is incredibly real), and then you wake up trying to catch your breath, a feeling that lasts all day. But what exactly does it mean? What does it mean to drown in your dreams? And what are you going to do about it? Some explanations are more obvious than others, so we consult experts to get all the details.

What Does Drowning Mean In A Dream?

When you’re drowning in workloads, deadlines, and the general external stressors that make life interesting as well as stressful, the last thing you want to do is spend a sleepless night dreaming that you’re drowning. However, those external stressors are frequently the source of your midnight dips.

“It helps to think in metaphors when discussing dreams.” “When we say we’re ‘drowning’ in everyday life, it usually means we’re overwhelmed,” Delphi Ellis, a qualified counselor, and dream expert tells Bustle. “So drowning in dreams can be a sign that we are feeling overwhelmed at work or at home at the time of the dream.”

Ellis notes that, in light of the coronavirus pandemic, this explanation may have shifted slightly: “Since the COVID-19 outbreak, so much focus has been placed on our breathing, so some people may be having the drowning dream because they’re anxious about their or someone else’s health, or them catching the virus.” However, she adds, the dream does not imply that they have reason to be concerned; rather, the dream may be highlighting their anxiety.

The use of metaphors also contributes to our understanding of drowning in dreams. For example, being “carried away” by something or experiencing “floods of tears” may be symbolized by a tidal wave in a dream and can signify the intensity of emotion experienced at the time; “waves of emotion” may help to explain why water frequently appears in dreams to represent our feelings; similarly, we occasionally say we’re in “deep water” when we think we’re in trouble,

Does Dreaming of Drowning Mean Different Things in Different Situations?

In a nutshell, yes. “Specifics in a dream matter; nothing is ever random,” says Lauri Loewenberg, a certified dream analyst and celebrity dream expert, to Bustle. “Every detail in a dream is a clue, a piece of the puzzle that your subconscious is attempting to relay to you.”

Different bodies of water, both in size and context, can represent different things in a dream, especially when drowning is involved. Depending on what happens in it, the dream may reassure the dreamer that everything is fine (regulated and contained like a swimming pool) or that they are venturing into unknown territory, represented by the ocean.

The context of the dream scenario is also important in understanding its meaning. Personal connections to a specific body of water are important in deciphering the meaning of dreams. “For example, if you drown in a favourite childhood swimming hole,” Loewenberg says, “it could mean that a current relationship or situation that started out as fun and made you feel young and carefree has now become too much for you.”

Loewenberg adds that paying attention to your emotional state in a dream is critical. “If you are calm and discover that you can breathe underwater (a very common occurrence), it suggests that you are confident that you will be able to get through this difficult waking life situation,” Loewenberg says. “If you’re panicking, ask yourself what in real life has you panicking, as if you’re running out of time if you don’t correct something?” To be swept under a wave without warning would imply that a difficult situation has fallen into your lap, so to speak, and you are unsure how to get out of it.”

What Can You Do If You Have Drowning Dreams?

“Keeping a dream diary can help us notice patterns that may help us make sense of the dream when we wake up,” Ellis says. “Some people may have drowning dreams every time they approach a work deadline, for example; a dream diary would help them notice it.” However, if you frequently dream of drowning and wake up gasping for air, “you may want to get checked for sleep apnea,” says Loewenberg.

Dreaming of drowning in open bodies of water frequently indicates that your waking life situation appears endless, and you can’t see how you’ll get out of it, Loewenberg adds. It doesn’t mean that things won’t get better; it just feels that way right now. Nobody wants to feel hopeless, and it’s certainly not a good mental state to be in, so what you should take from that dream, according to Loewenberg, “is that it is time to come up with a strategy, a step by step plan that can turn your situation around.”