Sleeping with your ex, and 4 other common sex dreams, explained.

Waking up from a sex dream can be weird.

Sometimes they’re super blissful and erotic, sometimes they’re unhinged nightmares. Most dreams are deeply personalised and unique (has anyone else had the one where you climb up a tree made entirely from throbbing penises?) but there are recurring themes many of us share. 

We’re going to unpack five of the most common sex dreams, and what they might mean. 

Since the world of dream interpretation can be quite vast, we’ve tried to keep these pretty straightforward, but there will certainly be deeper interpretations for the individual details of dreams. 

1. Dreaming about sex with a partner or crush.

These dreams are most probably a manifestation of your conscious and unconscious desires for this person. It may reflect feelings of excitement and anticipation that you feel when you’re around them. 

2. Dreaming about having sex with a celebrity, or someone you don’t know.

This dream can reflect a sexual desire for the celebrity. 

It may also reflect your own desire for fame and power or a manifestation of your desire for something new and exciting. Or, depending on who the celebrity is, it may relate to their cultural status. 

Watch: How are women having sex? The juiciest results from the Mamamia Sex Survey. Post continues after video.

3. When your sex dream didn’t align with your sexuality.

While this dream could reflect feelings about your own sexual orientation, it is extremely common for people to have sex dreams outside of their usual sexuality. 

It could reflect a desire for greater acceptance or understanding of yourself, your gender, and your sexuality. Sex dreams can be an incredible way for the dreamer to discover new aspects of themselves and come to terms with their own sexual desires. 

4. Dreaming about having sex in public.

Dreams of exhibitionism can indicate a desire for attention and validation from others. But on the flip side, being exposed in public can also indicate a sense of vulnerability and inadequacy, in the sexual sphere or otherwise.

5. Dreaming about having sex with your ex.

When you’re in a new relationship, or trying to move on, it can be unsettling to have sex dreams about your ex. Although it’s tempting to interpret these dreams as a sign that you’re not over your ex (or that you’re going to get back together), this is not always the case. 

Dreaming about an old relationship can signify an unconscious effort to reignite certain aspects of the old relationship in your current life – potentially with a new partner. It’s also super common to dream about your first love, even decades down the track. This doesn’t mean you’re still in love with them, it’s more about what that first love represented. 

Of course, all dreams can be interpreted in a multitude of ways, and no one can provide an absolute account of the meaning behind an individual dream. What is important, and useful to reflect on, are the details of the dream that stick out to you and the feelings they elicit. 

The only person who can give true meaning to a dream is the dreamer themselves.

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Image: Getty + Mamamia. 

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