Expert Explains Reason Why Guys Regularly Get Morning Wood

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Whatever you want to call it—morning wood, breakfast boner, dawn horn, or nocturnal penile tumescence, to use its more official name—many men begin the day with an erection.

The good news is that it's completely natural and even an indication that everything down there is in good operating order.

We'll have to do a little bit of science to determine why it occurs.

You might be surprised to learn that it has nothing to do with being aroused.

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Actually, according to Sergio Diez Alvarez, director of medicine at The Maitland, Kurri Kurri Hospital, and the University of Newcastle, it has to do with how the body transitions between various sleep phases.

In a 2016 article for The Conversation, he wrote: "Sleep is made up of several cycles of REM - rapid eye movement - and non-REM (deep) sleep.”

"During REM sleep, there is a shift in the dominant system that’s activated.”

Our private parts are affected as we switch from sympathetic (fight or flight) to parasympathetic (rest and digest) activation during REM sleep.

Men can have up to five erections per night, and this can happen as we sleep. We frequently awaken out of REM sleep in the morning, which is why we receive one then.

But there are other explanations as well, including a number of other variables.

Increased testosterone levels are one important aspect, as Alvarez explains: “Testosterone, which is at its highest level in the morning, has also been shown to enhance the frequency of nocturnal erections.”

"Interestingly, testosterone has not been found to greatly impact visual erotic stimuli or fantasy-induced erections.”

"These are predominantly driven by the 'reward system' of the brain which secretes dopamine."

Last but not least, and perhaps in a more practical way, morning wood might be the body's method of alerting us to the need to urinate.

Alvarez said: “The unconscious sensation of the full bladder stimulates nerves that go to the spine and these respond directly by generating an erection (a spinal reflex).”

Morning Glory is "actually a sign of healthy circulation and nervous system activity," says Kate Moyles, a sex and relationship specialist for LELO, and if it suddenly disappears, it could be an indication of underlying problems.

She said: “If these morning erections suddenly stop then it can be an indicator of an underlying health condition. And it's worth discussing with your doctor."

The short explanation is that morning wood is an unsettling but ultimately harmless side effect of the physiological processes the body undergoes while we sleep.