By Julius Nsikak
A dear friend who had just read my article, “When Pregnancy Doesn’t Happen: Menstruation in Women and the Hidden Recycling of Sperm in Men,” called me with a question.
“What causes men to have wet dreams?” he asked.
I immediately replied, “I don’t know; I am not a doctor, I am only a journalist.”
That response was meant to end the conversation.
It did not.
Instead, he insisted.
“Then tell the story,” he said.
I laughed.
I stepped out of his office.
As I walked away, the question followed me.
Before long, I found myself thinking deeply about it.
Then I did what journalists often do when a question refuses to go away.
I started writing.
I entered Junior Secondary School at the age of thirteen.
Around that time, I first heard about something called a WET DREAM.
To my young mind, it sounded mysterious.
Older boys spoke about it in hushed tones.
Some spoke as if it was a badge of honour.
Others described it as proof that a boy had crossed an invisible bridge into manhood.
They explained that it happened when a boy entered PUBERTY and his body began producing sperm.
Naturally, I became curious.
Very curious.
In fact, many of my classmates became conscious of it too.
We listened.
We imagined.
We wondered.
We speculated.
And secretly, we waited.
For many of us, it seemed like an important RITE OF PASSAGE.
It was one of those topics that attracted equal measures of curiosity, fear, excitement, and confusion.
Maybe, that’s why we loved BASIC SCIENCE and BIOLOGY.
Nobody wanted to ask too many questions.
Nobody wanted to appear ignorant.
Yet almost everyone wanted answers.
Sometime later, I experienced something that I believed might have been a wet dream.
Even today, I cannot say with complete certainty whether it was exactly that or simply a vivid dream that left a strong impression.
What I remember clearly was the confusion that followed.
I had questions.
Many questions.
Years later, SCIENCE provided clearer answers.
According to the medically reviewed resource Nemours KidsHealth, a wet dream, also known as a NOCTURNAL EMISSION, occurs when a male ejaculates while sleeping.
Semen is released from the penis, often during or after a sexual dream.
Interestingly, it can also happen without any remembered dream at all.
Medical experts consider wet dreams a normal part of HUMAN DEVELOPMENT.
They are neither a disease nor a sign of any medical problem.
They commonly begin during PUBERTY when the body starts producing higher levels of testosterone and the testes begin making sperm.
Most boys enter puberty between the ages of nine and fourteen.
This is why wet dreams often first occur during this period.
However, they can also happen in adulthood.
Simply put, a wet dream is one of the body’s natural responses to the changes taking place within the MALE REPRODUCTIVE SYSTEM.
Yet despite how common the experience is, many boys grow into adulthood without fully understanding what a wet dream actually is.
Some may never experience one.
Others may have experienced it without knowing what it was called.
Some may have been too embarrassed to ask questions.
Others may have received explanations that generated more fear than understanding.
This INFORMATION GAP has allowed superstition and misconceptions to flourish.
In many communities, every sexual dream is quickly interpreted through a spiritual lens.
A dream involving intimacy is often attributed to mysterious forces.
Some immediately conclude that a SPIRITUAL WIFE or SPIRITUAL HUSBAND is responsible.
Others believe unseen battles are taking place.
But not every sexual dream should be spiritualised.
Sometimes, the explanation is far less mysterious.
The HUMAN MIND is powerful.
Human beings think.
They imagine.
They desire.
They remember.
They fantasise.
They process experiences.
They revisit memories.
They replay emotions.
They carry unanswered thoughts into sleep.
During sleep, some of these thoughts may surface in dreams.
In some cases, they may trigger a wet dream.
This does not mean every experience has a supernatural explanation.
The human body is remarkably complex.
The human mind is equally remarkable.
Many of the processes taking place within them are entirely natural.
Perhaps what is most important is that we create room for HONEST CONVERSATIONS.
Young people deserve accurate information about the changes taking place in their bodies.
Silence rarely educates.
Fear rarely informs.
Knowledge remains one of the most powerful tools of empowerment.
After all, ignorance often breeds fear.
Knowledge, on the other hand, encourages confidence.
And confidence helps people make sense of experiences that once seemed confusing.
So, what was your first experience or understanding of wet dreams?
Did someone explain it to you correctly?
Or did you discover the truth much later?
Let us share.
Let us learn.
Let us educate one another.
Sometimes, the conversations we avoid are the very conversations that help us understand ourselves better.
Julius Nsikak is a Development Journalist.
