Dreaming That Your Partner Cheated On You? Here Are 7 Things It Could Mean

Dreaming that your partner cheated on you is undoubtedly jarring—and potentially a recipe for a fight the next day. But are these dreams actually a sign of infidelity or something deeper? Here's what to know (including if you were the one doing the cheating).

With that said, let's dig in:

According to Loewenberg, one of the most common reasons people dream about their partners cheating isn't because they actually cheated but rather, the dreamer feels cheated in the relationship in some way. Perhaps your partner has been taking on extra hours at work and doesn't have as much time for you, for instance. As Loewenberg explains, "Something in the relationship feels like a third wheel, [and] the attention you're used to getting is now almost nonexistent in some cases."

Having nightmares about things that happened to you in the past is not uncommon, and infidelity is no exception. If you've been cheated on before, whether by your current partner or a previous one, Loewenberg tells mindbodygreen those fears can absolutely surface in your dreams. "The distrust and the remnants of that infidelity are still very much there in your psyche, and so it's something that needs to be worked on," she says, adding that if you have no reason other than the dream to suspect cheating, "You haven't healed from that and you need to take measures to protect your current relationship because it's not fair to your partner."

In some cases, you might dream up a partner who doesn't actually exist in real life, only for them to cheat on you in the dream. In this case, Loewenberg says this dream partner represents an area of your life where you're feeling cheated. "The feeling you're getting in the dream is real somewhere in your life, so maybe you got cheated out of a promotion, or your friends are able to go out and you can't because you're bogged down with work, so you feel left out," she explains.

According to Loewenberg, knowing who your partner actually cheated with can be a clue to what the dream is really trying to say, adding that people often dream their best friend is the one their partner cheated with. In this case, she says, the dream can indicate that your relationship is starting to feel more like a friendship than a romance and is lacking a bit of spark.

Similar to No. 1, Loewenberg tells mindbodygreen that some cheating dreams involve actually witnessing the cheating in action. In this case, she says, "That's a telltale sign it's something like their job that's causing you to get this feeling of being left out." You may feel betrayed while at the same time knowing your partner has to make a living, for example. Your partner in the dream may not act like it's a big deal that you caught them cheating because in real life, they have no idea you feel betrayed, she adds.

OK—so what if you were the one who cheated in the dream? If you have a crush on someone and they're popping up in your dreams, of course, that's a more obvious case. But if not, Loewenberg says, you could be feeling guilty that something is taking time away from your relationship, like work or family responsibilities. "A lot of people in relationships start living separate lives under the same roof, so that can result in a cheating dream because subconsciously, there's an issue that needs to be addressed," she explains.

Lastly, as aforementioned, we can't rule out a possibility of real-life infidelity. Take this with a grain of salt (please!) but intuition is certainly real, and Loewenberg says it's "definitely not out of the question" to have a cheating dream when your partner is actually cheating, especially if they have a history of being unfaithful. "But of course, the main thing you need to look at is whether there's anything else besides the dream that would be leading you to those suspicions," she says. If you have nothing to go on besides the dream, she adds that "it's likely something else that feels like an intrusion within the relationship."

In any case, "Honest conversations—and doing something about it. That's the key to ending any kind of dream," according to Loewenberg.

Cheating dreams are often symbolic, like so many other common dream themes. While we can't rule out actual infidelity, oftentimes, a cheating dream is more likely indicative of another issue in your relationship that's left you feeling "cheated." With some attention and care in your relationship, the cheating dreams should stop.