Okay so everyone’s been there, right? While waking up to a wet dream might not exactly be the most comfortable of experiences – as you perhaps bewilderingly wonder if you left an open bottle of maple syrup in your boxers the night before – the phenomenon is actually pretty normal.
But why do wet dreams occur? And if they happen to you regularly, what do they say – if anything – about your sexuality and sexual health? Let’s take a look.
What is a Wet Dream?
To sum it up in a sentence, wet dreams are pretty much just involuntary ejaculations that occur while you sleep. While you might associate them with puberty, wet dreams can actually happen at any age.
What Causes Wet Dreams?
As we mentioned just above, puberty is usually the main reason you end up waking up with soaking boxers. This is because your body undergoes major changes during puberty, the most notable of which is a serious uptick in how much testosterone your body produces. This leads to increased levels of sexual arousal, which in turn means that you might end up dealing with more frequent wet dreams than pre-puberty.
That being said, adult men can also experience wet dreams. So if you’re long past puberty – and largely uninterested in reliving the experience a second time – you don’t need to worry about wet dreams. They typically crop back up during those unfortunate dry spells that we’re all familiar with, so they shouldn’t be a cause for concern unless they’re genuinely stressing you out.
Common Myths and Misconceptions about Wet Dreams
While the concept of a wet dream is fairly simple and self-explanatory, it hasn’t stopped various myths and rumors from spreading around the internet:
Myth 1: Wet Dreams Are a Sign of a Health Issue
Thankfully, waking up to a wet dream doesn’t mean that you need to rush down to the sexual health clinic or book an emergency call with your therapist. If you’re a teenage boy, it’s actually a positive sign that your male hormones are pumping around your body and doing their job correctly!
If you’re an adult and experiencing wet dreams, don’t think too much of them if they’re a rare occurrence. But we would advise that you monitor them if it becomes a nightly thing, especially if they’ve decided to spring up out of nowhere. While they don’t indicate a medical problem, persistent wet dreams in adulthood might reflect something else going on – whether it be pent-up sexual frustration or simply a lack of action.
Myth 2: Wet Dreams Only Happen to Teenagers
So yes, while wet dreams are more common amongst teenage boys, they can still occur at any age. And as we alluded to very diplomatically above, when adult men experience wet dreams, they tend to occur during periods where – put simply – you’re not getting laid.
Myth 3: Wet Dreams Indicate Sexual Problems
While wet dreams can be concerning when they happen to you, they can also affect our partners. But we’re here to reassure you – if your partner is having wet dreams, it doesn’t mean he’s dream-cheating on you! A wet dream is simply the male body’s way of releasing built-up sexual tension and has nothing to do with sexual preferences – so put the voodoo doll down!
Myth 4: Wet Dreams Mean You Dreamt of Sex
Good news for those who can’t remember their dreams! There’s actually no evidence to support the idea that wet dreams are in fact wet dreams. You could have been dreaming about almost anything, and a wet dream can still occur. So if you’ve never remembered a dream in your life, don’t worry – you’re not missing out on any raunchy scenes.
Myth 5: Masturbation Can Prevent Wet Dreams
If you think you’ll be able to avoid a wet dream by simply knocking one out before bed, bad news! While some people might find that wet dreams occur less often when they’re regularly masturbating, wet dreams can still occur – especially if you’re younger.
That being said, you can always up your masturbation game and order our high quality penis pump to use during your me-time. Our penis pumps are designed to improve the quality of your erections, while also allowing you to last longer – either alone or with a partner. And while we can’t guarantee that using one of our pumps will put an end to waking up to sticky pajamas in the morning, they’ll certainly improve the quality of your pre-bedtime masturbation sessions!
Final Thoughts
The bottom line is simple: wet dreams are a natural and normal part of male sexual health. And while it’s true that it can be disconcerting to wake up as an adult to a wet dream (after all, who would want to take a second round at puberty) it’s generally nothing to worry about.
