Wet dreams

AKA:

Night loss, nightfall

Oooo sticky:

Wet dreams are more likely at the weekend.

Quite. A wet dream is when a boy ejaculates semen in his sleep. Over 80% of men have one at some time. It's normal, unavoidable and totally natural.

The average teenager has four erections every night. And a wet dream, on average, every three weeks.

The first time

Most boys get their first ejaculation by masturbation. Only 13% get their first through a wet dream. Some men find they are less likely to have a wet dream if they masturbate the night before.

Wakey wakey

We may wake up from a wet dream or sleep through till we find a wet patch in the morning. If we wake up we may remember our dream. Don't freak: It doesn't mean we actually want to play naked leapfrog with our headmistress. Dreams are not reality.

Something for the weekend

Wet dreams are more likely at the weekend. This is because we sleep in. So we get more Rapid Eye Movement (REM) sleep. It is during REM sleep that we dream. More REM = more erections = more wet dreams.

Have a foolproof plan in place for dealing with telltale stains (now's the time to offer to help with the laundry).

Written by Dr Melissa Sayer

Last updated 17th June 2007

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