What Causes Guys to Get Morning Wood After they Wake Up?

If you are one of the many millions of guys who suffer from nocturnal penile tumescence (or "Morning Wood"), read on.

Getting hard in the morning is never ideal, and can sometimes ruin sleep patterns. It's also stressful for guys' partners, who may feel that they've done something wrong. This article explains what Morning Wood is all about.

Our Sexual Organs Aren't Always Under our Brain's Control

You might automatically think that Morning Wood is just a product of sexual fantasies being played out in dreams.

But here's the weird thing: scientists have found that the penis isn't under the brain's direct control when we enter REM sleep. Other influences take over, possibly returning to a primal state where guys are primed for sex. All too often, the result is an erection.

Hormonal Studies Explain why Night Time is the Right Time

This theory is backed up by studies of sexual hormones. During the day, men wouldn't get far if they were constantly experiencing erections. So the body has evolved a response: to release a hormone called noradrenaline which suppresses erections.

But here's the catch: noradrenaline production dips at night, sometimes leading to uncontrolled tumescence.

Morning Wood isn't a Medical Warning Sign

When you experience early morning erections, don't worry. Medical experts stress that Morning Wood is something that healthy men just well, do. Moreover, many physicians actually see it as a sign that guys are fit, both physically and sexually. So, if you aren't experiencing unquenchable horniness at 6 am, there's more (but still not much) cause for concern.

It Could be a Good Indicator of Psychological Sex Problems

OK. So Morning Wood could be a danger sign, but more in psychological than physical terms. If you struggle to raise an erection in the evening when you and your partner are getting intimate, but can't help waking up hard as a rock, there could be underlying psychological problems inhibiting your regular sexual performance.

Morning Wood Could be the Penis' Way of Working Out

If you're the kind of guy who loves regular NSA sex, Morning Wood could be the secret to your sexual stamina, and here's why: It looks like our bodies use sleep as a way to restore its tissues and processes. The penis is no exception. It needs to be used regularly to keep it in good working order, and the body instinctively does so. It's just that sometimes, you wake up in the middle of a workout.

It Could Also be a Way of Maintaining Penis Length

So, Morning Wood helps to keep us horny and capable, but here's the weirdest thing: it could also be a way of extending your penis length. That's because regular erections raise blood flow to the soft muscles of the penis, keeping them stretched - which in turn has the effect of "lengthening" your penis.

RELATED: 14 Natural Ways to Prolong Your Erections

Sometimes Morning Wood is Pure Accident

When we sleep, we are still highly sensitive to whatever is around us. Our nerves don't switch off just because our bodies are resting. And we toss and turn as well. This can bring your penis into contact with all kinds of things, and not just your partner. In our dreamy states of mind, this contact can lead to arousal by accident - so there's not necessarily any link to sexual fantasies being acted out.

We Get More Erections at Night than we Think

While we notice Morning Wood because it happens when we wake up, sleep studies have found something really interesting: during their sleep periods, men experience from three to five erections every night (on average), which backs up the idea about nocturnal erections being a subconscious form of penis exercise. You might not like the idea, but at night, your little guy has a varied and exciting routine. You're asleep, even if he isn't.

Do Women Experience Morning Wood as Well?

Most people tend to think that Morning Wood is confined to guys, but here's the thing: women also used night-time as a chance to work out their sexual muscles. In the case of women, the clitoris spontaneously stimulates itself regularly, having the same kind of restorative effect on her crucial sexual muscle.

There may be a Link Between Urinary Issues and Morning Wood

It's long been thought that there is a connection between needing to pee and experiencing Morning Wood, and the truth is that there's probably a link. The pressure from a full bladder can influence the urethra, leading to penile stimulation. It may not be the sole cause of Morning Wood, but it's often a factor.

Top tips for Guys who Experience Morning Wood

1. Test your penis to find out whether it becomes erect at night. If you are curious about whether or not you become erect during the night, testing the theory is fairly easy. Just push your flaccid penis through the opening in your briefs. Now, attach a roll of 4-5 postage stamps around the shaft, using the glue to overlap and attach them. When you become erect during the night, the stamps should break apart.
2. Don't blame yourself or your lover. One of the worst responses to Morning Wood is to a) think that it's a result of bad sex the night before or b) blame it on kinky sexual fantasies that don't involve your partner. You may or may not be having these fantasies, and the sex might not be stellar, but neither factor would stop you having erections all night long. It's just what healthy penises do, so don't beat yourself up about it.

So that's that. Who knew that Morning Wood was so medically complex? Sex is complicated and still mysterious, but we can still bust some horny myths. There's no need to worry about Morning Wood, but plenty to learn about it.

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