Sex may permeate our popular culture, but conversations about it are still associated with stigma and shame in Indian households. As a result, most individuals dealing with sexual health issues or trying to find information about sex often resort to unverified online sources or follow the unscientific advice of their friends.
To address the widespread misinformation about sex, News18.com is running this weekly sex column, titled ‘Let’s Talk Sex’. We hope to initiate conversations about sex through this column and address sexual health issues with scientific insight and nuance.
The column is written by sexologist Prof (Dr) Saransh Jain. In this article, Dr Jain will explain the facts about wet dreams, its causes and prevention methods.
You may wake up one moment and notice that your lowers are a little damp and sticky. It’s definitely that you didn’t pee yourself while you slept. It’s not sweat either, since sweat isn’t that sticky. You just had a wet dream, which are basically ejaculations during sleep.
Wet dream is when a person orgasms involuntarily while they are sleeping because of a dream, which may or may not be erotic. While wet dreams are typically associated with adolescent boys, they are a common experience for both sexes from puberty through adulthood. They are called wet dreams because when a male has this type of dream, he may awaken with wet clothing or bedding. This is because semen, the fluid containing sperm, is released during ejaculation. However, the same term is also used to refer to when a woman orgasms during sleep.
Wet dreams are not caused by masturbation during sleep, they occur without any manual stimulation. The medical term for a wet dream is “Nocturnal Emission”.
Causes of Wet Dreams
In Men: During sleep, the blood flow to your sexual organs may be increased. When males go through puberty, their body starts producing the hormone testosterone. Once your body makes testosterone, it can release sperm. Semen can build up inside your body. One way that semen gets released is with a wet dream.
In Women: When it happens to women, they are usually characterised by vaginal wetness during sleep. A wet dream is normally a result of a dream with sexual content. When you dream of having sex, your brain sends a signal to your nerves that tell them you are having sex. This causes an increased blood flow in the vaginal walls, which ultimately can lead to an orgasm. However, this sexual arousal may not always result in an orgasm. Instead, it may cause moisture in your underwear or on bedding due to vaginal lubrication.
Other Causes
Wet dreams occur due to several causes that are usually harmless. The problem usually settles down with age, but if it occurs very frequently then it could be a cause for concern. The exact underlying cause is unknown but there are several theories, like:
- Watching too much sexually explicit content, pornography or discussing too much sex can cause wet dreams in young boys and girls.
- It most commonly occurs due to the prolonged absence or lack of sexual activity. Since sperms are continuously being formed after puberty, the excess accumulated sperm within the testes is released via wet dreams
- Excessive stimulation of the genitals by rubbing against bed clothes or sheets during sleep may result in erection and involuntary ejaculation
- Inadequate ejaculation during sexual activity due to weak genital nerves may result in accumulation of semen which may be released as nightfall
- Going to bed with the full urinary bladder at night
- Taking sex hormone (testosterone) supplements
- Weak muscles and nerves in the genital area
What Should You Do After Having a Wet Dream?
Wash yourself off once you wake up. If you feel uncomfortable after experiencing a wet dream due to ejaculation or the dream content, consult your doctor immediately. Share the concern you have with your doctor, partner, or counsellor.
How to Stop Having Wet Dreams?
There is no specific way to control or stop wet dreams. However, it is believed that the frequency can be decreased in a multitude of ways. If wet dreams make a person embarrassed or uncomfortable, or they are negatively affecting their life, the following methods to reduce or eliminate wet dreams might help:
- Meditating or practicing relaxation techniques before bed
- Masturbating or having sex more frequently
- Speaking to a psychologist or sexologist about dreams
- Reducing contact with the genitals might also be helpful.
- Try sleeping on your side or back instead of your stomach to see if it helps.
In the rare cases when wet dreams are troublesome, a doctor might prescribe a medication such as an antidepressant. These medicines might reduce the frequency of wet dreams, but they might also make it hard to ejaculate when you’re awake.
Conclusion
Not everyone will experience a wet dream, but for people who do, it is important to remember they are a normal, healthy part of life. Wet dreams are often associated with teenage males, but they occur in both men and women and may continue after puberty.
It is certain that one must not take wet dreams lightly. They should be diagnosed if developed for a considerably long period of time. If the wet dream is consistent, you should consult with a physician over nightfall treatment, who would prescribe you the required tests and medicines.
Prof (Dr) Saransh Jain is the winner of the Swasth Bharat Rattan Award and is a Certified and Licensed Sexologist by the American Board of Sexology. He is currently a Senior Consultant at Dr SK Jain’s Burlington Clinic in Lucknow. Views expressed are personal.
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