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If you’re a man or if you’ve spent any time close to one, you would have probably noticed the occurrence of morning erections or, in slang, morning “glory”. The phenomenon is known medically as Nocturnal Penile Tumescence simply refers to the erection you get when you’re waking up.
While many people might attribute this occurrence to mean that a man is aroused and ready for some action, there’s actually much more to it.
Morning glory is not just a morning thing, rather, it’s something that happens all throughout the night. The phenomenon is, in fact, the last in a series of night-time erections.
So, Why Do Men Wake Up With Erections?
The actual cause of morning erections is not fully known. However, experts believe that they occur from a combination of different key factors.
1. Role Of Sleep Cycle
During deep Rapid Eye Movement (REM) sleep, certain areas of the brain are activated, including areas in the brain responsible for stimulating the parasympathetic nerves, and producing serotonin (the mood hormone), which in addition to encouraging erections also causes your muscles to relax and your heart rate to slow.
2. Hormone Production
The hormone, testosterone, which is at its highest level in the morning, has also been shown to enhance the frequency of nocturnal erections. And since the average level of testosterone in your bloodstream is highest just after sleep, it may cause a morning erection.
As you get older, the circulating levels of testosterone decrease, resulting in a lower intimacy drive and fewer morning erections.
3. Effects Of Full Bladder
It is also suggested that morning glory may be a mechanism for alerting men of their full overnight bladder. This may explain why the erection goes away after emptying one’s bladder.
4. Physical Stimulation
Finally, there may also be a physical component to morning glory. Just because your brain is relaxing while you sleep doesn’t mean that it is not aware of everything that is going on around you.
Physical contact with your partner, or even just pressure from your sheets, pillow or clothing during sleep, may stimulate the natural process of an erection, without you being conscious of it.
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Is Morning Erection Healthy?
Morning glory is a good indicator of both erectile and general health. If you usually wake up with an erection, it’s a good sign that your body is physiologically capable of achieving a good erectile function.
Some people may however, find that having morning erections make it more difficult to urinate in the morning. This may be inconvenient, but it is not a sign of an underlying medical problem.
Article Reference: Theconversation.com
