Expert explains what cheating on your partner in dreams could actually mean

A lot of what we dream about is said to take up a part of our subconscious thoughts - which is the reason why cheating dreams understandably raise quite a few alarm bells.

Are you considering cheating on your partner? Are you fearful of them cheating on you? Do you not trust your other half?

These are some of the questions that these kinds of dreams raise… and probably lead to some quite awkward conversations in the morning.

Recent research from Amerisleep found that nearly 30 percent of men and women think that dreaming of cheating indicates that their partner has feelings for someone else.

A total of 23 percent also admitted to having had dreams in the past year where they had cheated on their significant other, or been cheated on themselves.

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However, fear not, as experts have suggested that dreams about infidelity might have a totally different meaning.

Lauri Loewenberg, a dream analyst and member of the International Association for the Study of Dreams, told Women's Health: “In my research and experience, I have found the main reason you cheat in your dreams is because - deep down - you have guilt or concern about something you’re doing that is taking away from the time you should be putting into the relationship.”

Another reason could be that your dream is telling you that you’re cheating on yourself.

Maybe you’re skipping the gym when you’ve promised to be committed, or you're just not sticking to your core values.

It could also indicate that you are not being fulfilled in your sex life.

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Loewenberg said: “The quality or lack of sex can be part of the dynamic the dream is commenting on.”

30 percent to 60 percent of married couples will cheat at least once in their marriage, which makes it easier to understand why these dreams can be unnerving in relationships.

The expert also found in her research that cheating dreams, in some circumstances, can reveal true anxieties about repeating past behaviours, if you have been unfaithful before, or perhaps your partner.

Breaking down elements of your dreams makes it easier to understand what they are about.

The dream analyst suggests learning what it is that you are seeking or feeling that your life is lacking, and seeing if you can spot traits of this in your dreams.