What are wet dreams?

A wet dream is the discharge of semen when a person with a penis is sleeping. The technical name is “nocturnal emission.” Wet dreams can occur anytime, not just when people first start producing sperm during puberty. Some people get wet dreams, some don’t. Wet dreams aren’t necessarily associated with what you’re dreaming about when they happen. They may have to do with a sexual dream that you remember or you may not remember what you were dreaming about at all. It’s just the body’s way of cleaning out semen that has built up.

A person who ejaculates on a regular basis—either during sex or masturbating—is less likely to have wet dreams. Wet dreams tend to slow down as people with penises get older, though even full-grown adults can have wet dreams.