The following is a visitor-submitted question or story. For more, you can submit your own sleep story here, or browse the collection of experiences and questions other visitors have shared here.

Well I Did It Before... (S&D)

by Anonymous

I've heard that many people have "flying dreams", nighttime visions of soaring through the sky like some kind of superhero or magical human-bird; however, I doubt that the majority of those people have flying dreams akin to mine - ones that are often more frustrating than enjoyable. This type of dream is a recurring one for me. Every few weeks or so, it will pop up in my nighttime mind. I can't decide whether I look forward to it or not, but regardless of my wishes, it's with me for good it seems.


The dream always begins with me speeding across the sky. The landscape below often differs, but the one that appears most often and did so most recently closely resembles that of seaside cliffs. Flying through the air, skimming the water as a weightless, human airplane, there's nothing I would rather be doing. It feels incredible to have the wind rushing in my face and to watch the earth pass by below me.

However, it never lasts. For some idiotic reason that I can never quite grasp, I land, touching down smoothly onto those cliffs above the water. As soon as my feet come to rest on solid ground, I want to become airborne again, to feel those glorious sensations some more. However (and here's the frustrating part), no matter how hard I try or what I do, I simply can't take off again. The rest of the dream is generally spent doing increasingly desperate acts to get back in the air (ie. running at top speed with my arms spread wide like some crazed flightless bird, lying flat on my stomach on the ground, waiting to take off like an airplane, and eventually repeatedly jumping off the cliffs and climbing back up to try again).

Maybe one of these nights, I'll figure out the trick to getting back among the clouds and be able to have flying dreams like a normal person. At least that's the plan.

What do you think about this dream? Share your thoughts using the comments link below.

Read More Dream Stories | Share Your Own Dream Story

Comments for Well I Did It Before... (S&D)

Click here to add your own comments

Mar 22, 2012
 Flying High NEW
by: Umar

Have you considered that you have reached your destination and need to to explore the cliff
to move on? I rarely have your type of flying dream, once I was a rocket (to find where someone lived) and I followed Supergirl another time, however most of my airborn dreams revolve around levitating, hovering and gliding. Over the years i have discovered that this ability is related to a sensation in my stomach (like adrenalin or nausea)and if I focus on recreating this feeling I can relaunch again. I suggest before rushing in to relaunch,evaluate your surroundings, as being on a cliff, you seem to be in the right environment. Cheers Biggles.
Apr 18, 2012
 same NEW
by: Anonymous

i often have the same sort of dreams where flying is so awesome but then cant takeoff again.
but in one dream i remember being able to take off, just by knowung it was a dream and i could do whatever i want in it
Jun 15, 2012
 Takeoff failure possible solution NEW
by: Anonymous

Maybe you can't take off because thier is a problem weighting uou down in real life.
Oct 08, 2013
 I Know How You Feel NEW
by: Anonymous

Ive had the exact same dream. I land somewhere and then repeativley jump as high as I can trying to get lift but it never works and is so incredably frustrating. As you do, I try jump of cliffs and high rocks, I try diving for planes and helicopters it can never manage to fly, and I usually wake up after jumping off something because of the feeling of falling
Oct 08, 2013
 I Know How You Feel NEW
by: Anonymous

Ive had the exact same dream. I land somewhere and then repeativley jump as high as I can trying to get lift but it never works and is so incredably frustrating. As you do, I try jump of cliffs and high rocks, I try diving for planes and helicopters it can never manage to fly, and I usually wake up after jumping off something because of the feeling of falling
Nov 04, 2013
 Levitation NEW
by: Anonymous

i think the whole of humanity has this dream mostly because the soul yearns to fly .I have been like 2000 years into the future and seen that humans can fly and believe one day it will be a reality
Dec 04, 2014
 if u want to fly NEW
by: Anonymous

u can fly again, try to jump, u`ll feel a sensation of bouncing air in your feet, and realize u can float, in your dream u`ll be like superman, just take off like that. just believe it, anyway u could also walk through things since u are in "ghost" state, and telekinesis, those three always happen whenever i`m dreaming, too bad i`m not so often dreaming, its fun haha
Feb 25, 2015
 Struggeling to fly NEW
by: Anonymous

When I was little, I Often dreamt I was flying away from 2 people, who was after me. I was So terrified, and it was always a struggle to hover those small 2 meters above the ground. They never catched me tho.

I was very little, and I would think about it for days, 100percent sure I Had indeed been flying.

Jan 08, 2016
 Wishing to control NEW
by: Anonymous

I have dreams sometimes about me flying and can't really control where I'm going , it actually is awesome dreaming to fly sometimes wish I could control where I'm going in my dream
Mar 29, 2017
 Getting airborn NEW
by: Chris Chase

I imagine thrusters in the palms of my hands and I jump up and focus on the thrusters doing their job. Try closing your eyes while doing this. Upon opening ur eyes expect to be far above the earth.

Click here to add your own comments

Join in and write your own page! It's easy to do. How? Simply click here to return to Dream Stories.



Enjoy this page? Please help us pay it forward to others who would find it valuable by Liking, Sharing, Tweeting, Stumbling, and/or Voting below.

About This Site

Welcome! This site is continuously being created by students of Dr. William C. Dement's Sleep And Dreams course at Stanford University.

We made this site as a call to action for people all over the world to live healthier, happier, safer, and more productive lives by learning about their own sleep. We have faith that reading the information provided on this site will motivate you to be smart about your sleep deprivation and strategic about your alertness in order to live life to your fullest, most energetic potential.

In fact, we challenge you to do so! What do you say, are you up for the challenge?

A Note On Visitor-Submitted Questions:

Publishing sleep stories and questions from our visitors is meant to create a forum for open and proactive dialogue about an extremely important portion of our lives (one that occupies 1/3 of it and affects the other 2/3) that isn't talked about enough. It is not meant to substitute a trip to the doctor or the advice of a specialist. It's good to talk; it is not good to avoid consulting someone who's profession it is to help you with this kind of stuff.

If you are in any way concerned about your sleep health, don't wait for an answer on here, and don't necessarily rely on them. See a sleep specialist in your area as soon as possible.

More Questions:

Ask | Answer

The Stanford Sleep Book

Stanford Sleep Book Picture

Dr. Dement's pioneering textbook has been the core text for Sleep and Dreams since 1980, but it has just recently been made available to the wider public for the first time.

In it you'll find a more detailed account of the most important things you need to know about sleep, alertness, dreams, and sleep disorders. Studies, statistics, plus plenty of Dr. Dement's classic anecdotes painting the history of sleep medicine.

Preface | Intro | Contents | Get A Copy

More Sleep Resources

The Zeo

Track Your Own Sleep With Zeo

A revolution in personal sleep tracking, the Zeo is a wireless headband that transmits your brainwaves in realtime to a dock (pictured here) or your smartphone. The result? You can wake up and see exactly what stages of sleep you were in during the night! Unprecedented personalized sleep knowledge.

Sleep Paralysis: A Dreamer's Guide

Sleep Paralysis Treatment Book

Ever woken up paralyzed? A surprising number of us have, believe it or not. But few know the actual causes of this phenomenon, and fewer still how to exert control over it. Dream researcher and sleep paralysis expert Ryan Hurd shares breakthrough insights into how to do just that.

Important Disclaimer

Please Note:

The information found on this page and throughout this site is intended for general information purposes only. While it may prove useful and empowering, it is NOT intended as a substitute for the expertise and judgments of healthcare practitioners.

For more info, see our
Terms of Use.