If you’ve ever woken up from a sexual dream feeling hot and bothered or utterly mystified by what just happened (with your ex, your boss, or some celebrity) while you were sleeping, you’re not alone. Sexual dreams are common: In a 2019 study of nearly 3,000 adults, people estimated that 18% of their dreams were erotic. More recently, a 2025 study of more than 300 college students found that more than half of them—particularly the men—reported having sexual dreams.

Sexual dreams can involve sexual propositions, kissing, intercourse, masturbation, or other sexual activities.

But they may not mean what you think they do.

“They may not be about sex at all, so it’s important to avoid thinking there’s a one-to-one correspondence" between what happened in the dream and what it means, says

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