4 things your sex dreams are trying to tell you

In a study conducted by Antonio Zadra, PhD, University of Montreal, sex dreams make up about nine percent of the 3,500 reported dreams.

And that figure is surprising, it turns out that four percent of the the men and women who had sex dreams reported having an orgasm!

What kind of sexual dynamics show up in sex dreams?

According to the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM), sexual intercourse is the most frequent content for both men and women. Followed by sexual propositions, kissing and, lastly, masturbation.

But orgasms or not, sex dreams are not to be taken literally. Inside the nitty-gritty details of each content of a sex dream lie themes that are worth keeping in mind.

Sex with an ex is one of the common ones. Notwithstanding how you feel about that particular ex, each partner you have shared your life with is stored in a single mental file. This file also includes other crucial relationships.

According to expert dream analyst Layne Dalfen, sex dreams involving past lovers reveals experiences you are currently having that you associated with that ex. When you are feeling rejected, neglected, your dreams take on a past lover who made you feel that way.

Question to ask yourself: “What things come up when I think of that person?" There's likely a connection, good or bad, with your present reality.

In this case, think of sleeping with certain characters in your dreams as a way of trying to get characteristics you desire for yourself.

If you are experiencing anxiety and stress in situations where you are required to speak up or take action, your sex dream might present you people you associate with authority, assertiveness, like your boss.

In that scenario, your brain is acting out something you feel is missing in your life.

Good news is, if you are cozying up with a particular characteristic in your dream life, chances are you are close to embodying it in real life.

Cheating in your dreams

If you are in a relationship, these dreams can come in the form of cheating. This happens for two reasons: there's a quality in that person that catches your attention. Or you are getting intimate with a part of yourself through someone else. Most likely a part of you that is suppressed or repressed in your waking life.

Despite that, dreams that involve cheating can be literal due to feelings of dissatisfaction and being unfulfilled. Your mind conjures up dreams for an escape.

What about sex dreams that involve sleeping with someone you would never consider or want to sleep with in real life? 

Consider this, is there something you recently did and enjoyed so much, but prior to that moment you had never considered doing?

The subconscious mirrors real life experiences in dreams, as strange as it's abstract scenarios might be.

Your body might be trying to remind you what feeling good is like and kicking you to get some action.

Sex dreams, like other dreams, are specific to the dreamer's waking life and the take on images, metaphors and content from personal associations and life experiences.

There's no one-size-fits-all sex dream interpretation for everyone.