Should men always wake up hard?

Men are supposed to wake up with an erection every morning. Seriously, if you're in “good health,” your body is hard-wired for “morning wood.” If you don't regularly wake up with that familiar morning erection, it could indicate that your testosterone levels, blood flow, or something more serious is off.

ro.co - What Morning Wood Says about Your Health | Ro Man

Where do you change diaper on plane?

If the restroom doesn't have a changing table, you could try changing your baby on the toilet seat, taking care to keep a hand on your baby at all...

Last updated Jan 12, 2022

Can stress bring on prostate cancer?

Extreme stress can have an accumulative effect on the body's physiology, allowing prostate cancer to take root and grow. Staying positive and...

Last updated Aug 31, 2018

Promotion

See more Disclaimer If you have any medical questions or concerns, please talk to your healthcare provider. The articles on Health Guide are underpinned by peer-reviewed research and information drawn from medical societies and governmental agencies. However, they are not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Men are supposed to wake up with an erection every morning. Seriously, if you’re in “good health,” your body is hard-wired for “morning wood.” If you don’t regularly wake up with that familiar morning erection, it could indicate that your testosterone levels, blood flow, or something more serious is off. Get $15 off your first month of ED treatment If prescribed, get ED treatment delivered discreetly directly to your door. Learn more

What is morning wood?

Nocturnal erections (erections that happen while you’re sleeping) are part of having a penis—and they start young. Healthcare providers have noted erections in fetuses during ultrasounds, and even young boys experience erections throughout childhood, long before the onset of puberty. In fact, nocturnal erections—also known as “sleep-related erections” (SREs) or “nocturnal penile tumescence” (NPT)—and morning erections are so ordinary that their presence (or absence) can be an essential indicator of a man’s overall health.

Who gets morning wood?

Healthy men typically experience morning wood throughout their lives. If you aren’t getting normal morning erections, talk to your healthcare provider, as this could be a sign of a more serious problem.

What causes morning wood?

While there’s no shortage of evidence for the existence of morning and nocturnal erections, nobody knows the exact reasons for morning erections. Here’s what we do know about erections and sleep. Men typically have five nocturnal erections during an eight-hour sleep cycle, with each erection lasting about 25 minutes. That’s about one erection every 90 minutes. It didn’t take long for researchers to note that this pattern was strikingly similar to another 90-minute cycle that occurs during sleep—REM (rapid eye movement) phase sleep (Youn, 2017).

Erections and REM sleep

Researchers have known about the relationship between REM sleep, or the dreaming phase of sleep, and nocturnal erections for years, fueling several decades of speculation about what really happens during REM sleep to cause erections. Essentially, men slip into REM sleep about an hour and a half after dozing off. Each episode of REM sleep corresponds with an erection lasting 20 to 25 minutes (Youn, 2017). Despite this relationship between REM sleep and erections, scientists still don’t know why morning wood happens—but they have some ideas.

Theories behind nocturnal erections

Nocturnal erections may be caused by norepinephrine production slowing down during REM sleep (Becchetti, 2016). Norepinephrine is the chemical primarily responsible for keeping the penis relaxed (Panchatsharam, 2021). In other words, the part of the brain that maintains norepinephrine levels gets turned down during REM sleep. This lets the testosterone-related excitatory mechanisms take over, leading to an erection. Another theory is that you get morning wood because your body produces more nitric oxide during REM sleep. Nitric oxide is responsible for making the blood vessels of the penis relax, allowing all the extra blood needed to cause an erection to enter the penis (Brown, 2012).

What can I drink at night for anxiety?

6 Drinks to Help You Soothe Nighttime Anxiety and Fall Asleep... A glass of red wine. A sip of scotch or whiskey. Chamomile tea. Peppermint tea....

Last updated Dec 8, 2021

Can exercise reduce DHT?

DHT Reduction One way that people can balance the amount of DHT in their body is to exercise. Moderate exercise three to five times per week helps...

Last updated Feb 15, 2020

Promotion

The bottom line is that no one really knows what role REM sleep plays in nocturnal penile tumescence. Why do men get nighttime erections (many times) a night? Are morning wood and REM sleep linked, or is it just an interesting coincidence? There are a lot of theories.

Why is morning wood important?

So many things have to go right for you to achieve a strong erection. You have to release hormones on-demand and dilate arteries to carry blood to the penis. Your nervous system has to transmit signals perfectly, and your mind has to be in harmony with your body. There’s a lot that can go wrong. If you’re having difficulty getting erections, it could be due to several serious health risks. The blood vessels of the penis are also small compared to other areas of the body. That means other underlying conditions can show up first as erectile dysfunction (ED). ED could indicate high cholesterol levels, stress, type 2 diabetes (or prediabetes), hypertension (high blood pressure), depression, sleep disorders, heart disease, hormone issues, side effects of medication, consequences of lifestyle choices, emotional issues, or more (Sooriyamoorthy, 2021).

What if you stop getting morning wood?

Erectile dysfunction isn’t just a problem for older men. An increasing number of young men are diagnosed with ED every year. Studies estimate that as much as 30% of young men (under 40 years old) experience erectile dysfunction (Nguyen, 2017). ED may be due to multiple issues like stress or decreased sex drive, combined with medical issues like high blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease, among others. The good news? There is help available if you experience ED. Learn more about treatments here.

When to see your healthcare provider

Pay attention to your morning wood. The loss of that familiar morning erection could be more than just a problem with sexual health—it may be the first sign of a significant medical problem (Capogrosso, 2017). If you aren’t getting morning wood, see your healthcare provider.

ro.co - What Morning Wood Says about Your Health | Ro Man

What should I eat if I crave sweets at night?

Here are 19 foods that can help you fight your sugar cravings. Fruit. When most people feel sugar cravings, they reach for high-fat, high-sugar...

Last updated Mar 15, 2020

What happens if you take zinc and you don't need it?

Yes, too much zinc can be harmful. Signs of too much zinc include nausea, dizziness, headaches, upset stomach, vomiting, and loss of appetite. If...

Last updated May 11, 2018

Promotion

Is it OK to change diaper without wiping?

Not every diaper change may require a wipe. If your baby has only urinated, then you can probably skip wiping to avoid unnecessary irritation....

Last updated Feb 13, 2021

Imagine Your Moment Of Freedom!

Fluxactive Complete is conveniently packed with over 14 essential prostate powerhouse herbs, vitamins and grade A nutrients which work synergistically to help you support a healthy prostate faster

Learn More »

Promotion

What cancers are detected by blood tests?

Blood testing is a tool healthcare providers use to help diagnose and manage cancer. Examples include complete blood count and tumor markers. ......

Last updated Apr 23, 2018