Why Do Men Wake Up with a Morning Erection? Causes and Health Benefits of Morning Wood

Breakfast burrito, sausage sunrise, dark knight rises or morning glory, call it by any name, everyone is aware of the phenomenon that occur in men. You’ve either experienced it or woken up next to one. Morning wood or erection or as your doctor would preferably call it nocturnal penile tumescence (NPT) usually happens the first thing in the morning before you’ve even fully woken up. The ‘good morning’ salute is a good and a normal sign. It is also a sign of vigorous blood levels of testosterone which reflects your overall good health. It also more commonly occurs in young guys but men at every age experience it. But the question arises, why do men wake up with a morning erection? What causes it to happen? Are there any health benefits associated with morning wood? Read on to learn about this phenomenon.

Causes of morning erection

While the main cause and function of NPT is not known, doctors have included some possible reasons why it does occur. However, nothing is scientifically proven. Below are some causes that may encourage the dark knight to rise.

REM sleep stage: During day, a man’s brain releases a hormone called noradrenaline or norepinephrine that basically tells his brain to not have a spontaneous erection. During REM sleep stage, the brain releases less of this hormone, thus increasing the chances of an erection. Also, the blood flow increases towards the penis. Erections occur throughout the night but don’t always wake the person up.

Testosterone levels: Another cause of morning wood is an increase in testosterone. The testosterone level is at its highest in the morning after you wake up from REM sleep stage. The increase in this hormone alone may be enough to cause an erection, even in the absence of any physical stimulation. As men get older, natural testosterone levels begin to fall and episodes of NPT may decrease as well.

Accidental physical stimulation: A man rubbing up against something in his sleep can subconsciously turn him on. The brain is still receptive to physical stimulation when its asleep, so sleeping close to a partner can absolutely fire the rocket.

Does it have health benefits?

NPT is a sign that a man or more specifically his penis is healthy. It means that there’s healthy blood flow to the penis. Morning wood can prevent erectile dysfunction and helps keeping the penis in shape. It is basically an exercise of penises. If a man is unable to achieve an erection, it could be a sign of cardiovascular problems, blocked blood vessels, high cholesterol or high blood pressure and should be addressed with his doctor. Studies show that a healthy man should expect to get hard three to five times per night. Frequent erections in night also keep your penile tissue soft and stretchy. They prompt the smooth muscle in your penis to relax which allows the blood to rush in and get you hard. Without a regular relaxing-contracting workout, the length of your penis may even shorten.

Many of us are under the assumption that a man waking up with an erection means that he’s horny but like we mentioned it above there is more to it. In general, NPT is involuntary. If you didn’t know it already, women also experience erections during their sleep as well but due to anatomical differences, they aren’t typically noticeable. So men, let your dark knight arise and happily wake up with a morningasm, if you notice a sheet-tent.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Mar 10, 2018 11:56 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).