Everything about the morning erection
Every man has experienced it, waking up with a morning erection. In this blog we will delve deeper into the topic of a morning erection. For example, how does a morning erection occur and what role does age play in this? How can it be that a morning erection suddenly no longer occurs and many other questions and answers regarding the morning erection are discussed in this blog.
What is a morning erection?
A morning erection is, as the name suggests, the phenomenon that men often experience, namely waking up in the morning with a hard penis. In Dutch it is sometimes abbreviated to ODOL or ''Very Big Morning Lul''. The English have a more refined name with 'Morning Glory'. However, it is not the case that this only occurs in the morning, but that an erection occurs several times during a man's sleep and especially during REM. REM sleep stands for “Rapid Eye Movement”, we will elaborate on this later in the blog. So a morning erection is actually not necessarily related to the morning but to the sleep cycles, so when you wake up in the morning with an erection it is often because you have just woken up from REM sleep.
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What causes a morning erection
Several explanations are given for a morning erection, such as that it occurs more often when you have a full bladder. The erection closes the urethra and you do not have to wake up to urinate. Other researchers think that a morning erection occurs because there is a peak in testosterone levels. All plausible explanations for a morning erection. The explanation from REM sleep that we talked about earlier also provides insight into the morning erection. One of the characteristics of REM sleep is the inhibition of noradreline and stimulation of acetylcholine, and this hormonal response causes the morning erection in men. Another explanation for a morning erection is that because nitrogen accumulates in the erectile tissues in the penis, it must be removed. So by letting blood flow through this, it is cleaned and an erection is created. So there are several explanations for a morning erection and perhaps they also work together on the erection.
The role of age on a morning erection
A morning erection can occur at any age, it has even been observed in a fetus in the womb. So it is completely normal for children to experience a morning erection. It is also healthy at any age and a sign of a well-functioning blood and nervous system around the penis. A morning erection occurs at any age, but may diminish when men reach the age of 60-70. This is also the age at which erectile dysfunction becomes more common.
Reasons for the disappearance of a morning erection
As mentioned earlier, a morning erection is an indication of good blood circulation around the penis and that the nerves are functioning properly. If you experience a morning erection, it also means that you are able to get an erection. So if you normally cannot get an erection but do experience a morning erection, it most likely has a psychological cause. The disappearance of a morning erection can therefore be a sign that something is wrong. Some causes could be:
- · Overweight
- · High bloodpressure
- · High cholesterol levels
- · Diabetes
- · Depression
- · Medication
- · Antidepressants
A morning erection may become less common as one gets older, but if you are young and do not experience a morning erection or if they suddenly stop, it may be a sign to see a doctor.
How to make a morning erection go away
If you want to make a morning erection disappear, there are a few ways to achieve this. The fastest way is to urinate when you are able to urinate. A cold shower is another good way to relax the blood vessels
constrict, causing it to quickly become limp. Meditation or some breathing exercises in bed can also help to reduce the morning erection.
Influence of testosterone on morning erections
Men most commonly experience morning erections from their late teens to late 30s. From this it can be concluded that testosterone certainly influences morning erections. The reason that older men experience a morning erection less often has to do with the production of testosterone. All in all, we can conclude that a morning erection is nothing strange and is actually a sign of good health and vitality. It is a sign that your body is functioning properly. By the way, if you no longer experience a morning erection, you do not have poor health.
What if you experience a painful morning erection?
If you experience a painful morning erection, it could be priapism where you experience a morning erection that lasts for several hours. If this is the case, it is recommended to visit a doctor as soon as possible.