Morning Glory, Morning Wood, or the ‘Good Morning Boner!’ (Made that last one up) – Whatever you might want to call it, this one is a familiar phenomenon that you might have come across at least once.
Rise, and shine, and… oops surprise!
If you’ve ever woken up with a penis or a maybe with a penis next to you, you might have noticed a funny sheet-tent and maybe an eager member is ready for some action before the breakfast tray arrives on the bed.
But what really causes morning wood?
A man’s brain releases a hormone called noradrenaline (or norepinephrine) that basically tells his brain to not have a spontaneous erection. During R.E.M sleep, the brain releases less of this hormone, so the likelihood of an erection increases.
During the sleep cycle, blood flow also increases towards the penis. Erections occur throughout the night, but they don’t always wake the person up. However, upon getting up in the morning, the penis might be wide awake already. (Oh hello friend!)
In simple words to begin with it’s a man’s brain relaxing and not giving in much thought to ‘I don’t want to get hard right now.”
While another reason behind morning wood could be, an increase in testosterone which occurs after waking up from R.E.M sleep. A full bladder can cause nocturnal penile tumescence, and so can physical stimulation; a man rubbing up against something in his sleep can subconsciously turn him on. (any sort of rubbing could a good job for him)
Is morning wood healthy?
Nocturnal penile tumescence affects men of all ages, and it is actually a sign that a man or more specifically his penis is healthy. It also means that there’s healthy blood flow to the penis, which is also necessary for a man to have when he is actually intentionally getting hard.
Morning wood can also prevent erectile dysfunction and helps keep the penis in shape, because like with any other body part, a good workout is healthy. Yep, “penis exercises” are a real thing.
So, while many assume that a man waking up with an erection just means he’s aroused and ready for some action, there’s actually much more to it than that (but it is often also . . . that). In general, nocturnal penile tumescence is involuntary.
In fact, women experience erections during their sleep as well, but due to anatomical differences, they typically aren’t quite as noticeable.
It’s time for some pre-breakfast workout!
