Wet dreams

Even though I am sound asleep at night, my brain has its own adventure. Sometimes, they prefer criminal stories, sometimes strange family stories, and the third time, they get stuck with erotic ones. When I woke up from the latter, it always seemed to me that I screamed at the top of my lungs and had an orgasm. But, did I really, or was it all a product of my imagination?

It is crystal clear to me that this happens during puberty. Especially boys at that time are under pressure since they can see for themselves the consequences of their wet dreams. The girls have no proof, but according to our experience, these dreams are also there for us, confusing our heads. But what happens with wet dreams when we grow up? Are the dreams still wet?

Most of the articles read on this topic talk about adult erotic dreams. Although rare, they are more likely to occur during the period when we are sexually active. Wet dreams occur during the REM sleep phase, in which the heart and respiratory rates increase. The brain is still on at that time, so this phase most often leads to orgasm. But wet dreams don't always end that way. We can wake up somewhere in the middle of a crazy good erotic story and unsuccessfully search for a way back. We can sleep through it; the next day, we had no idea we were playing dirty at night. But we can dream and remember dreams vividly. We have wet underwear or a wet stain on the bed linen as proof that it was insanely good. In men, there is no doubt when ejaculation occurs. For women, this is more difficult, which is why we often wonder whether we have had an orgasm or not.  

In 1986, a study published in the JJournal of Sex Research confirmed that around 40% of women orgasm at least once during sleep. Three years earlier, scientists had measured physiological changes in women who experienced night-time orgasms. As already mentioned, their heart rate increased, breathing became faster, and the genitals were better circulated. Brain activity was also evidence of arousal. Namely, all major brain centers light up as lights on the Christmas tree. But arousal doesn't always bring orgasm. To prove nocturnal orgasms in women, they selected ten individuals who can experience orgasms without touching, just by directing their thoughts. They measured brain activity in both cases - an orgasm experienced through physical touch and a mental one. The same brain centers were activated with the same intensity in both. 

However, scientists have also come up with some neurological differences. During a mental orgasm, they observed increased activity in the prefrontal cortex, the part of the brain responsible for thinking, and at the same time, increased activity in the sensory cortex, which is more characteristic of actual touch. Although the women only thought about touching the clitoris, the brain detected the touch signal even though the hands were far away from the erogenous zone. The same thing is supposed to happen during sleep.  

I also came across the information that wet dreams happen more often when we sleep on our bellies. I can't sleep any other way, and I have rarely experienced wet dreams despite sexual activity and a rather dirty mind. The theory could not be scientifically proven, so it is considered more myth than truth today. Also, wet dreams do not reduce immunity or sperm count, cause frustration, or shrink the penis.  

The articles on the subject have proved to me what I already knew somehow- that women can also have orgasms during dreams. Nevertheless, this fact does not satisfy the myriad questions that come to my mind when I open my eyes in confusion after the super lovely and erotic dream. When I glance at my underwear, it all feels real, but at the same time, I am surrounded by doubt that it is only the arousal playing with my brain and not the actual orgasm. Who knows what it really is.