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What does it mean to dream about Crying?
Dreaming that you are crying is often read as a feeling that has nowhere to go during the day, though it can also be relief. It does not predict anything.
The meaning in detail
In a dream you can cry out loud or without a single tear, with joy or at someone's funeral. Sometimes you wake with a wet face and a question: is this a good dream or a bad one?
This page is for dreams where you are the one crying. If someone else cries (a child, a stranger, someone close), see 'Someone crying' in the dream dictionary.
Psychological Interpretation of the Dream
By day most people hold themselves together: they calm others down and put sadness off until later. In sleep that restraint seems to loosen, and tears come where nobody is watching. So crying in a dream is often linked with built-up tension or a sadness that has found no way out.
Tears in a dream are not always sad, though. People cry from relief, and from pride. So notice how you feel after the dream: lighter, or heavier.
Scenarios
If you dream that you are crying with joy
Happy tears in a dream are most often linked with relief: something that has squeezed you for a long time finally lets go. The picture differs from person to person: a child coming home, or a long-awaited meeting. The dream does not promise such news in waking life, but it may show what would ease you most.
If you dream that you sob uncontrollably and wake in tears
Sobbing with shaking shoulders is linked with sadness and tiredness that have reached their limit. The wet face in the morning is the one certain thing, and you may not remember the dream itself. If the evening before had a sad film or a hard conversation, the dream may be replaying it. If this goes on for weeks and the sadness stays with you by day, tell someone close or see a psychologist.
If you dream that you are crying but no tears come
Your face crumples, your throat is tight, and your eyes stay dry. This may be a feeling that wants out and cannot find the way: stiffness after a long time of gritting your teeth, or a sadness you do not allow yourself by day. It may also be plain exhaustion, when there is nothing left to cry with.
If you dream that you are crying at a funeral
A funeral in a dream is rarely read as a sign of death. More often it stands for an ending: of a relationship, or of a place you are leaving. If the person buried is alive in waking life, the dream says nothing about their health. It may reflect drifting apart or a quarrel. If you bury someone close who really has died, the dream most often brings the grief back. Grief keeps its own pace and may surface even years later.
If you dream that you are crying in front of other people
Tears in front of others stir two feelings: shame and relief. If in the dream you hide your face or run, that is often linked with fear of it showing that you are not coping. This is more likely if you are the person everyone relies on. If someone hugs you or sits down beside you, the dream may reflect a wish that somebody would finally see you are not well.
The scenarios readers pick for their dreams: I saw it, I encountered it, I fled from it, I held it, it attacked me, I lost it, I found it, it transformed.
Pick the scenario that fits and say whether this interpretation was helpful.
Frequently asked questions
Is it a good or a bad sign to dream that you are crying?
Neither. Some dream dictionaries read crying in a dream as joy to come, others as built-up sadness. A dream, though, does not show what will happen. It shows what is heavy or easing in you, and that is worth listening to.
Why do I cry in my sleep when I cannot in waking life?
It often happens when you hold yourself together all day: the tears wait for the night, when nobody comments. That is not weakness. The feeling is looking for a way out. Give it a little room by day too: a walk, or a talk with someone who just listens.
What does it mean if you often dream that you are crying?
When a dream repeats, something from your day often repeats with it: an unresolved matter, or a parting that still hurts. It is usually not dangerous, but it is worth paying attention to. Write the dream down and notice when it comes: after a certain person or conversation. If it gets heavy, talk to someone close or to a professional.