The truth about morning erections

Morning wood: that’s the erection guys wake up with first thing in the morning. If the guy’s in bed with a partner, it can make for a sensual start to the day. And if he’s alone, he can take a DIY approach.

Some women worry about their man’s morning glory. ‘What has he been dreaming about?’ they wonder. ‘Was it me – or someone else?’ But night-time hard-ons are a normal part of a healthy guy’s life, and they’re totally beyond his control. Two to three erections during sleep are normal, each lasting about half an hour.

Sexual fantasies

Mind you, scientists are still confused about why men get them. Since they only happen during REM sleep, when we dream, night-time erections could be linked to sexual fantasies, some research suggests. Though if a guy says he’s no idea what on earth he was dreaming about, don’t hit him with the pillow, he’s probably telling the truth.

A more complicated theory about the cause of slumber hard-ons has to do with the brain cells called neurons. When particular type of neuron is active, erections are a no go. But during REM sleep they shut down their activity. And that could make it possible for guys to get hard over and over again throughout the night.

Erection insomnia

Night-time erections so painful they woke him from his slumber caused one man grief for half a year before he headed for a check-up. When he did visit his doctor, the good news is that medical treatment cleared up his problem in no time. It must have been a major relief – the 35-year-old Brazilian man could get no sleep since his painful erections woke him up three to four times a night, every night.

The curious thing is that this man’s night-time woes had nothing to do with his daytime erections, which were perfectly normal. He reported pain-free hard-ons during the waking hours and told doctors he was satisfied with his sex life.

So what might have caused this man to have painful night-time erections and no problems during the day? Well, his doctors aren’t all that sure. What they do know is that the medicine they gave him helped relax his pelvic muscles and improved the way he slept. And painful night-time erections have nothing to do with the healthy variety guys get throughout the night.

Source: A 35-Year-Old Man Presenting Sleep-Related Painful Erections (Erpes): A Case Report and Review of Literature, Daniel de Freitas G. Soares, Ernani Luis Rhoden

This article was first published on December 2, 2014. 

Do you feel turned on when you wake up with an erection? Have you ever had painful erections in the night? Leave a comment below or on Facebook.