If you've ever woken from a vivid sexual dream wondering why you'd envisioned dirty deeds with that quirky guy from accounting and a pink tutu-clad circus midget, you're not alone.

Sexual dreams are quite common and can leave dreamers confused, upset and downright worried. So, how literally should you take your erotic nighttime fantasies? Read on, stardust warrior, and find out.

To Sleep, Perchance to Dream
Dreaming happens a number of times each night as we enter our Rapid Eye Movement (REM) sleep, characterized by twitching peepers beneath eyelids. It is commonly believed that dreams are a way for mortals to deal with issues from our daily life and restore emotional equilibrium. "Dreams are messages from the unconscious mind [that] can reveal our deep feelings and our true motivations," says Craig Hamilton-Parker in Fantasy Dreaming. "In particular they can bring to light many repressed sexual desires, our guilty feelings or our unexpressed fears about sex."

Explicitly Sexual Dreams
Dreams that involve acts of sexual experimentation or erotic emotions usually involve people known to you and may reveal something about your feelings for that person. If they involve your existing flame, the meaning is generally clear. Having sex with someone you know but who you aren't intimately involved with, however, may mean that you are harboring a secret attraction. That's great if you're both available but if you're already involved in a relationship, you may want to steer clear of situations that would lead you to act on these feelings. If the horizontal dance partner in your dream is a total stranger, it could be your subconscious telling you something about the relationship you have with yourself.

I Like to Watch
If you dream about your lover doing the nasty with another person, you could have deep-rooted concerns about your sexual performance or interaction with that person. Ditto for dreams about lovers' sexual organs. Visions of others' genitalia dancing through your head may also suggest you may be worried about their sexuality or other personal issues.