Spirits dampened without wet dreams

Dear Dr G,

When I was in my teens, I used to get wet dreams very often, often on a weekly basis.

I used to worry that these nocturnal discharges were due to stress with exams and could even make in infertile or impotent – but after talking to my friends, I learnt it happened to almost all of them and these dreams are just part of growing up.

I would have a smile on my face the next day and although the pleasurable feeling was not the same as masturbating, the surrealness of the experience made me look forward to these dreams.

I am now 25, started dating and am having sexual intercourse – however, my wet dreams have stopped.

I am missing these nocturnal discharges and would like to put Dr G on the spot for some answers.

What exactly are wet dreams and why do they happen?

How often do men get wet dreams and can this happen to women too?

Can too many wet dreams when young cause sexual dysfunction and infertility in adulthood?

And will my wet dreams return?

Best regards

Dry Charlie

Nocturnal emissions – colloquially known as wet dreams, nightfall or sleep orgasm – is a biological response, characterised by a spontaneous climax followed by ejaculation during sleep.

It occurs during REM sleep, where the sympathetic nervous system is activated leading to ejaculation.

It is a misconception that wet dreams are only confined to boys. In both genders, many may be oblivious of the climax and sleep through the experience without waking up.

Nocturnal emissions are most common during adolescence and early adulthood but can happen any time after puberty. In the 1950s, the Kinsey Institute revealed 83% of American men reported having wet dreams before and 13% of men experienced their first ejaculation as a result of a nocturnal emission. The same study also observed 8% of dreams in both genders are sexual in nature, and only 4% of dreams result in emissions.

The frequency of wet dreams is highly variable and may be associated with long abstinence. Alfred Kinsey also famously worked out the correlations between wet dreams with sexual activity. For males who have experienced nocturnal emissions, the mean frequency ranges from 0.36 times per week (about once every three weeks) for single 15-year-old males to 0.18 times per week (about once every five-and-a-half week) for 40-year-old single males. For married males, the mean ranges from 0.23 times per week (about once per month) for 19-year-old married males to 0.15 times per week (about once every two months) for 50-year-old married males

Not surprisingly, the frequency of nocturnal emissions is also associated with testosterone levels. Recent studies revealed men receiving testosterone-based medications are more likely to have wet dreams than control groups, however, such reaction is less likely to occur in older men even with significant doses of replacement. In a 1998 study by Finkelstein et al, the number of boys reporting nocturnal emissions drastically increased as their testosterone doses were increased, from 17% of subjects with no treatment to 90% of subjects at a high dose.

From a medical viewpoint, wet dreams have absolutely no impact on future sexual or reproductive functions in adulthood.

If there is one thing for sure, wet dreams are a natural bodily function that is beyond anyone's control. With advancing age, these eventually become a mirage confined to memory.