Morning Erection or The Hard (PENIS) Awakening…

Morning Erection or The Hard (PENIS) Awakening…

Men, especially when young and healthy, experience frequent erections at night and also frequently wake up with  morning erection.
Have you ever thought about why you get morning erection or nocturnal (night-time) erections even though you are asleep and do not necessarily think or engage in sexual activity?
Morning erection or generally speaking nocturnal erections are in fact part of the body’s healthy physiology and very important for penis tissue health. While asleep, and this is especially known to guys who work out, the body engages in a regenerative process that involves all parts of the body, including the genitalia.

Polysomnographic record of REM Sleep. EEG highlighted by red box. Eye movement highlighted by red line.

Appearing at the end of the so-called REM(Rapid Eye Movement) sleep which occurs every 90 minutes, the unconscious nervous system causes a relaxation in the muscle tissue and a relaxation of the blood vessels. The relaxation of blood vessels on the other hand results in the widening of the same and increased blood flow. The increased blood flow into the penis causes (a) the nocturnal erections or early morning erection which are very important for expanding the penile tissue and maintaining its flexibility and (b) increase the oxygen and nutrient supply to the cells maintaining their health and energy levels for a proper functioning. In fact, many studies have shown that a decrease in morning erection or nocturnal erections may result in difficulty maintaining a regular erection and may indicate “erectile dysfunction“. Especially men with a disrupted sleep hygiene (night shift working) or those who are frequently using sleep medication do experience a disruption of the REM sleep phases and hence a decrease in amount of erections.

Nocturnal Erections or Morning Erection Frequency

In sum, nocturnal erection which appear 4-5 times during the night are not only healthy but required for the proper functioning of the penile erectile tissue. Frequent nocturnal erections, as well as early morning erections, indicate a healthy penis functioning.
On the other hand, if you have noticed not experiencing any nocturnal or early morning erections, you might want to speak to your physician for an early work up for a possible onset of erectile dysfunction.