In our dreams, as in our waking lives, sounds carry information and can encourage emotional reactions. If a sound is an important part of your dream, think about the information it is trying to impart, and pay attention to how you react to that sound.
Is the sound trying to tell you something? Is it a warning? How does the sound make you feel – joyful, enthusiastic, angry or fearful?
Sometimes external sounds, such as the sound of your alarm clock or the traffic outside your bedroom, will be incorporated into your dream.
Human Speech
If you are speaking in a dream, you may be expressing your true feelings or standing up for what you believe in. You may be stating thoughts that you repress in waking life.
If you are having a conversation with someone, pay attention to what is being said and how you react to it.
A dream that others are speaking to you in a language that you do not understand can mean that you feel that the people in your life are excluding you. If the other people in your dream cannot understand you, you may feel that others do not pay attention to you or listen to you in waking life.
A disembodied voice in a dream can be a way for your unconscious to draw your attention to something about yourself that you have been denying. That voice may be the voice of your conscience.
Animal Sounds
If you hear an animal in a dream, the meaning of the animal’s sound depends upon the symbolism of the particular animal.
In general, animals in dreams represent the basic instincts and drives that you often repress in your waking life.
Music
Music in a dream can be a way for your unconscious to express the emotions that you are feeling. Hearing music in a dream can also be a message that you are connecting with your creative side.
Alarms, Bells and Sirens
As in waking life, an alarm, bell or siren in a dream is a sign that you need to be aware of important information.
The sound of an alarm clock can be a message that you need to get up and take action on something. The ringing of a kitchen timer can be a sign that it’s time to move forward.
A school bell can be a message that you need to learn from a situation in your waking life.
The meaning of the sound of church bells will depend on your attitude toward religion and activities related to houses of worship.
If you hear a phone ringing, your unconscious may be trying to tell you something important. What do you hear when you pick up the phone?
A doorbell can indicate that something new is coming into your life.
Sirens are warning symbols in our dreams as well as in our waking lives. If you hear a siren in your dream, think about whether any dangerous situations exist in your waking life. Perhaps you are in an unhealthy relationship, or you have been ignoring a physical problem.