Nightfall - Wet Dreams – Dispelling the myths

I was browsing through the internet the other day and was fascinated to see a number of websites offer magical cures for Nightfall/Wet Dreams. This is a common problem that men present with at my clinic.

The typical history is that a person who masturbates regularly stops masturbation and thereafter they start having Nightfall. When there is involuntary leakage of semen which occurs at night during sleep accompanied by an erotic dream it is referred to as nightfall or as a wet dream. Nightfall is not unique to men. Women can also have erotic dreams accompanied by vaginal lubrication. However, the psychological impact bothers the men more. Why is this ? Like I wrote in a previous blog, everything stems from the fear of bodily harm due to loss of semen ( Dhat Syndrome). The Tetris produces about a 1000 sperm in a heartbeat which keeps getting replenished on a day to day basis. No loss of semen can be deemed excessive and harmful to the body.

That aside, people who do masturbate regularly find the incidence of nightfall to be less. Alfred Kinsey, the master sexologist says the corollary that frequent nightfall may cause men to masturbate less frequently may also be true.

Nightfall is normal. In the US, a study found the incidence of nightfall to be as high as 83 percent. Most men would have experienced nightfall at least once during their lifetime. In India though there no such studies it is fair to assume that the numbers might be close. In adolescence nightfall is more common than in older age groups. This may be due to increased levels of testosterone. After marriage with a healthy relationship, the incidence would come down.

If men are unduly bothered about nightfall, some small lifestyle modifications like good food, exercise, avoiding testosterone capsules and spicy food, warm baths may help.

There are no magical cures for nightfall and there is no need to look for one as it might be considered normal.