Men waking up with an erection is more common than you think. Morning erections are often referred to as “morning wood” while scientifically it is called nocturnal penile turgescences. It’s a normal and healthy physiological reaction and response that most men experience.
Morning erections are really the ending of a series of erections that happen to men during the night. Healthy men can, on average, have anywhere between three to five erections in a full night of sleep, each of which lasts from 25-35 minutes.
What causes morning erection?
Normally there is some kind of arousing stimulus, but younger men can experience erections without any stimuli present. However, there are a number of things than can happen while you sleep to cause an erection to happen when waking up:
Full Bladder
As urine fills the urethra, the penis becomes engorged and will often become erect. There is a theory that states the penis becomes erect in the morning in order to prompt the male to wake up and use the bathroom. When nature calls in the middle of the night some men are not always roused instantly. Waking to erect penis prevents accidental nocturnal enuresis (bed wetting).
REM Sleep (Rapid Eye Movement)
“As you enter REM sleep, norepinephrine decreases and testosterone-related actions are now able to take place. This leads to vasodilation, or increased blood flow to the blood vessels, ultimately causing an erection,” says ASAP Science. It is thought that the cells associated with the inhibitory tone of the penis; therefore, when their activity is reduced during REM sleep, testosterone-dependent excitatory tones can be expressed which result in an erection.
Erectile Dysfunction Medications
These kinds of medications can cause morning erections if they were taken the previous day or night prior to sexual activity. It has been found that morning erections are more common in men taking these drugs.
Morning erections are not an indicator of penile function or dysfunction. If you have concerns about noticeable changes in your morning erections and their frequency, consult your doctor or primary care physician to see if there is a more serious underlying issue.
Watch the following video for a look at the science behind morning erections:
