When this occurs in the morning, the stiffened penis may be referred to in slang terms as "morning wood" or "morning glory. Therefore, morning erections are secondary to the timing of REM sleep and the natural physiological processes that are associated with this sleep state in men.
It seems that the body is testing systems during sleep, and this is a normal and healthy phenomenon in men. It may even be noted in young children. It is also possible for the clitoris of a woman to become engorged with blood and erect during REM sleep. These erections typically go away within a few minutes after awakening. A persistent erection, where the blood fails to drain from an erect penis, may occur in a condition called priapism.
REM sleep periods occur starting 80 to minutes into sleep and may occur at this interval periodically three to four times throughout the sleep period. Therefore, more REM sleep and more erections occur towards morning. The precise timing of these erections may be difficult to predict as there is quite a bit of variability.
The length of time from the onset of the erection, with a 2 mm change in the circumference of the penis, to a full erection is usually 10 minutes. The erection may last up to 25 minutes. Though not routinely performed, the erectile function of the penis can be tested as part of a diagnostic sleep study called a polysomnogram. If you do not wake with an erection, it is not necessarily abnormal. It may be that you did not wake from REM sleep.
It is also possible that the erection began to fade prior to waking completely. For those who frequently wake with a morning erection, rest assured that this is a normal part of sleep.
In general, sleep-related erections decrease with age. This may correlate with impotence that occurs during the daytime. In contrast, the presence of erections in sleep when daytime impotence occurs may suggest non-physiological causes of the difficulty maintaining an erection such as stress or performance anxiety. Interestingly, untreated obstructive sleep apnea may also decrease erections. No matter the cause, if you have problems maintaining an erection, speak with your healthcare provider about treatment options.
Sign up for our Health Tip of the Day newsletter, and receive daily tips that will help you live your healthiest life. Molecular pathophysiology of priapism: emerging targets. Curr Drug Targets. Researchers at University College London measured the penises of men, including teenagers and pensioners.
The average penis length in this group was 13cm 5. In the study published in the Journal of Sex Research, researchers also found that the difference in length between a short penis and a longer one was a lot less obvious when erect than when flaccid. For example, the flaccid penises varied in length by 3. Contrary to popular belief, the so-called love muscle does not contain any muscles.
That's why you cannot move it very much when it's erect. As an erection disappears, the arteries in the 2 chambers narrow again, allowing blood to drain away from the penis. Page last reviewed: 26 April Next review due: 26 April Contraception guide. Talking about sex Where can I get sexual health advice, now? Sex after hysterectomy Help after rape and sexual assault. Am I gay, lesbian or bisexual? Could I be pregnant?
Sexual health for lesbian and bisexual women Sexual health for gay and bisexual men. Despite that relationship, your body also produces more testosterone as you sleep, which is a big factor in being able to achieve and maintain an erection. Finally, there may also be a physical component to morning wood.
During sleep, physical contact with your partner or even just pressure from your sheets, pillow or clothing may stimulate your penis and cause you to develop an erection. All three of these factors may combine to make morning wood happen, meaning that a deficiency in one aspect for example, low testosterone levels can prevent you from getting morning wood even if the other factors are perfectly normal.
Morning wood is a good indicator of both erectile and general health. Most men get an erection anywhere from one to five times during sleep. You take a length of connected postage stamps and secure them to your flaccid penis prior to going to sleep. Some causes of infrequent or no morning wood are hormonal issues, such as low testosterone , as well as health conditions such as obesity, high blood pressure, diabetes and high cholesterol.
There are also psychological causes of physical ED. For example, anxiety and depression can often lead to physical erection problems and may make it harder to wake up with a morning erection. Older men — particularly men in their 60s and 70s — are less likely to experience frequent morning wood than younger men.
Finally, medication can often affect morning wood. Occasionally waking up without an erection is completely normal. However, when this happens often, it could potentially be the sign of an underlying physiological or psychological issue. As always, the best approach is to talk to a doctor about the situation.
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