Do you know that a morning erection has a correct medical name? It is a term called nocturnal penile tumescence. You can call it morning wood, a hard-on or anything else you choose. It all means the same thing. It begins when a male reaches a sexually active age. And it ends – when it ends.
Your morning erection actually does not have much to do about sex, unless your partner has helped it along. It is really a reaction to your dream state. And these are not erotic dreams. Here is a fact that you probably do not know. During a full, uninterrupted eight hours of sleep a man can have as many as five erections that last up to 35 minutes. Your penis is getting a workout and you have no knowledge of the events.
Doctors say that these erections are a result of the REM dream state. They can be a reaction to a dream you have but it does not necessarily have to be a dream about sex. The experts also claim a man in his 60’s can have a morning erection even without the REM dreams. Basically, the erections are a finalization of neuro-reflexes that are roused during deep sleep. It can be nothing more than an automatic reflex.
Another surprise is that men who take drugs for erectile dysfunction may trip the wires and have morning erections when they had not had one for years. In this instance it is all about blood flow to the lower regions and not about sex per se.
There are always studies about issues that affect the male mind. Some men feel inadequate or old when they stop having morning erections. This is far from the truth. It is a fact that as men age the morning wood will lose some of its rigidity and duration. However, men can have them all their lives – or stop having them altogether. The phenomena is nothing like women going through the change of life. Even without nocturnal penile tumescence a healthy man can still have sex and can still father children.
The time to ‘worry’ is when you stop having erections at all. Then it is time to visit your doctor to determine the physical or physiological cause of your ED. You do not need to see a physician if you stop having morning erections. As long as you can still engage in sexual activity, there is nothing to cause you worry or distress.
Does a loss of a morning erection mean loss of virility?
Doctor of Sexual Health at the NHS Royal London Hospital & Relationship Expert. Columnist at britishcondoms.uk. An advocate of safe sex. Avid Arsenal fan.
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