just dreams?

[Maren]

I just found this site yesterday so I'm pretty new.
I was wondering if these dreams were just dreams

Dream 1: when I was like 9yrs old me and my family went to this really big zoo and I had lots of fun, then for 5 days after we went, I had the same dream every night, in the dream I would go to the zoo and run around and have fun, but the zoo was always empty and dark.
When I woke up in the mornings I could remember the dreams very clearly

Dream 2: this happened a few months ago, I was just drifting off to sleep when I had the sensation of falling fast, which scared me so then I had the feeling of snapping back up into my body and I woke up with a big jolt

[greatoutdoors]

Hi Maren, welcome aboard!  

First off, and only in my opinion, no dream is "just a dream." They can all tell you something about yourself or how you perceive your world. Sometimes they can tell you a lot more -- what I call the "guide dreams."

Now, if you mean were you having an OBE either time, I would say probably not, with a bit of an exception.

Your zoo dream certainly shows the experience had a huge impact on you. The fact that it was dark and empty reflects something you associate with the experience. How long ago was this -- how old are you now?

The "falling" dream is not unusual and there are a boatload of theories about what is actually going on. You could have been experiencing an OBE exit (that's the exception I mentioned). Some folks say that's what it means.

I have also read that your physical body is levitating during sleep, and the experience wakes you, causing the jolt. Others say it is simply that your body is becoming deeply relaxed as you enter sleep and that sensation makes you jerk back awake.

Short answer: it is definitely worth it to track your dreams and see what happens!  

[Maren]

Thanks for the reply  
The zoo was not that long ago actually, it was about 4yrs ago I'm 14 now
(I asked my mom and she said I was 10 or 11 when we went)
from now on I'm going to keep a notepad by my bed and Wright down all my dreams