Morning erection

What is an erection and what are its forms?

An erection is also referred to as an erection. In this condition, the male sex organ enlarges and becomes harder, referred to as an erectile condition, usually as a result of sexual arousal allowing some form of intercourse or natural insemination.

It is the result of a complex and multidisciplinary interaction involving various hormonal, nervous, psychological and vascular functions. As a result of certain stimuli, the penis, which consists of erectile tissue, fills with blood and becomes stiff. Erection requires a relaxed state and in most cases (except during sleep) sexual stimulation. It is interesting that up to 50 times more blood can enter these cavernous bodies than in their relaxed state.

In general, two forms of erections are distinguished. The first is the condition that arises from sexual stimulation. The other is the spontaneous erection at night and the morning erection, which in truth are no different. One could say that the morning erection is the last nocturnal erection that occurs spontaneously and without sexual stimulation. 

A healthy man will have three to five erections per night while sleeping, each lasting up to 25-30 minutes. It is a very healthy phenomenon for the penis as it keeps the penile tissues elastic and soft and helps the muscles of the penis to relax allowing for better blood flow. All this has a positive effect on the size of the erection, which gives both partners more pleasure in sexual intercourse.

What Causes Morning Erections? Proven and disproved medical explanations.

Morning erection/spontaneous erection has been the subject of much debate in medicine in recent years, as a link has been established between its absence and impotence. The medical explanations for these physical reactions in men are presented in the following sections. Since the articles on the web on the subject are not always up to date, the first points present the accepted explanations, followed by the views that are not necessarily medically proven, so that no one is left in doubt.

1. biological, chemical explanation - the role of hormones

During the day, the male brain produces a hormone called norepinephrine, which doesn't eliminate the possibility of spontaneous erections, but mostly prevents and helps control erections during the day. At night, the production of this hormone slows down, resulting in irregular periods of 3-5 erections during sleep. Sex hormone levels are highest in the morning, so it's no wonder men wake up with an erection. It's no coincidence that sex therapists recommend having sex in the morning because it causes men to have longer-lasting erections and greater desire for sex.

2. Morning erections and dreams

As we have seen, the morning erection has nothing to do with sexual stimulation, but is mainly due to the hormones. During the night's sleep, we are put into a relaxed state where our endocrine system allows men to get an erection without sexual stimulation. Research has shown that these two areas, the hormone regulatory system and REM (rapid eye movement) sleep, i.e. dream sleep, are closely linked. It is no coincidence that men with erectile dysfunction are specifically tested for spontaneous morning erections. If the sexual stimulus does not produce an erection after intercourse, but the morning erection during sleep is undisturbed, this means that there are no physical causes of the problem. If an erection is observed in the morning, but problems arise during the act, this may be due to psychological causes, with stress playing an important role.

But how is a morning erection possible when there is erectile dysfunction? The chemical explanation is that during REM sleep, a compound called nitric oxide is released from the cells in the blood vessels, which then leaks out into the smooth muscle, allowing the blood vessels to relax and allowing more blood to flow into them, facilitating erection. We are not under stress during sleep, allowing this compound to work its magic.

3. The effects of accidental physical stimulation during the morning erection

Aside from the chemical and biological explanations, there's a fairly simple reason for morning erections. It can be triggered by a random stimulus to the male body during sleep, e.g. B. by touching the partner or stroking the bed covers while turning back and forth. The same applies to sexual sleep, which, as already mentioned, however, like random stimuli, is not a prerequisite for a morning erection.

4. The effect of the body's defense mechanisms on the morning erection

It is an unproven but existing theory that our body is more defenseless at night, so the mechanism designed to protect the body is involuntarily activated to protect it. This may have played an important role in prehistoric times when humans were more vulnerable. In order to react faster, the brain sends more blood to the organs, including the penis, which allows it to become erect. This means that this physical reaction can be traced back to evolutionary causes.