Erect Penis in the AM: What Morning Wood Tells a Man

Ah, morning wood - frequently the first friend a man sees when he wakes up in the morning. That erect penis that greets so many men at the start of the day is so familiar that most of us take it for granted. A guy barely gives it a thought (although he may occasionally give it a few tugs when he has the time), but that morning wood can tell a man a lot about his penis health - and even something about his overall health as well.

Why an erect penis in the morning?

So waking up with an erect penis is common - but why should it be? What is it about sleeping that causes morning wood? To understand that, it’s necessary to first understand the whole erection process.

The process

Clearly, a man’s penis becomes erect in order to facilitate sexual activity. Without a suitable erection, intercourse, oral sex, masturbation or any other form of sex is not possible.

Most of the time, erection occurs as a result of arousal. That means a man receives some form of sensory input - a pheromone scent, a visual that creates sex appeal, a manual stimulation of the organ, etc. - that the brain interprets as pleasurable. It responds by telling the body to release chemicals that cause the penis to become engorged with blood. The strength of the sensory input (and the health functioning of the penis) will determine how firm the penis becomes and how long it stays firm.

During the waking hours, men get erections when they see someone wearing revealing clothing or hear someone speaking in a sultry voice. But they may also get erections for no apparent reason. Often this is due to the spinal cord releasing the chemicals that bring about a reaction at random intervals.

Morning

So why is a man waking up erect? Because during sleep, a person goes through several cycles of what is called REM (rapid eye movement) and non-REM sleep. During the phases of REM sleep, the brain is likely to release the chemicals responsible for arousal. And most of the time when a man wakes up, he is coming out of an REM phase - and hence is more likely to sport a bit of morning wood.

In some instances, a man may wake up with an erection because he has a need to urinate and the sleeping body responds to that by forming an erection, which makes it less likely that the man will urinate while sleeping.

Health indicator

It’s generally a good sign to wake up with an erect penis. It’s clearly a sign that things are functioning well, that the penis is capable of achieving erections and that there is no reason to assume serious tissue damage or other penis health issues. And by increasing oxygen flow to the penis (through the increased flow of blood), the nocturnal and morning erections help to maintain that health.

What about men who don’t regularly wake up with an erection? It may be a sign of erectile dysfunction and/or low testosterone levels. It may also indicate some other health issues. For example, lack of regular, firm erections may indicate some cardiac or blood pressure issues. Diabetes can also affect erectile activity, as can depression (even when asleep). So men who do not find themselves with morning wood on a fairly regular basis may want to check with a doctor for other possible concerns.

An erect penis, whether in the form of morning wood or not, benefits from regular application of a first rate penis health crème (health professionals recommend Man1 Man Oil, which is clinically proven mild and safe for skin). Overaggressive use may result in diminished penis sensitivity, which can be aided by a crème with neuroprotective acetyl L carnitine. And a crème with vitamin C can aid in proper penile blood flow as well as needed collagen production. Keeping the penis healthy is worth the minimal investment of time and attention.

Masturbation Tips: Chopping the Morning Wood

Even when a man goes to bed alone, he very often wakes up with a partner, namely that insistent erect penis colloquially referred to as "the morning wood." Waking up hard is not at all unusual, especially during one's pubertal years, and often it's pleasant to be greeted by one's old buddy. In addition, morning wood is an indication that one's penis health is acceptable and that the tool is functioning appropriately. Sometimes, however, the wood isn't satisfied with greeting a guy; on some days, it can be rather insistent about being "handled" properly. Below, men will find masturbation tips for mornings with little time to spare.

Why does it happen?
What is commonly called morning wood is medically referred to as nocturnal penile tumescence or NPT, a spontaneous erection that occurs either while asleep or while awakening (or both).
NPTs occur in all men with proper erectile function. Typically, a man achieves an erect penis between three and five times during a night's sleep period; most often, these erections occur during the phase of sleep known as REM (rapid eye movement), which accounts for about 20-25% of a regular night's sleep period.

There are generally two reasons why NPT occurs. During sleep, the relaxation of certain neurons allows for greater movement of testosterone, resulting in erections. In addition, NPT is thought to be one of the body's means of keeping urine from releasing during sleep; when the tool is erect, urine’s ability to flow through it is greatly impaired.

Insistent fellow
When the morning wood is especially aroused, it can present a man with a dilemma: Masturbate or get out of bed? On days when a man has a relaxed schedule, there's no problem; he simply throws back the sheet, gets a grip and begins pumping.

But on days when he has limited time to get showered, dressed, breakfasted and on his way to work, the presence of an especially firm penis can be a challenge. The guy knows that he only has a certain amount of time, but the steel rod sticking out from his crotch doesn't care about the clock. In these cases, a guy has to weigh his options:

- Call in sick. This is usually the option that is most attractive - and the least practical. A day spent getting reacquainted with one's best friend can be a day well-spent. But it doesn't bring home the bacon (unless, of course, one is an adult film star).

- Pull off a quick one in bed. A man with morning wood tends to have a penis that is in a rather advanced state of arousal. The benefit of this is that, if a man decides to indulge, the time from start to finish can be reduced significantly. If it only takes a minute, most men can fit a quick penis squeeze into their schedule.

- Skip breakfast for a different kind of sustenance. Of course, sometimes it takes considerably longer than a minute. Even if the tool may be ready, a guy may prefer to take a much more leisurely approach and spend some quality time with his boner. Breakfast may be the most important meal of the day, but sometimes a guy's body requires a different kind of nourishment - and skipping the toast for a hand-held weenie roast may be preferable.

- Shower up. Another option is to practice the ever-popular multi-tasking. Most guys only use one hand while showering anyway. While that hand is massaging shampoo and conditioner into the top head, why not let the other hand massage the head on that erect penis?

Satisfying one’s morning wood sometimes makes for a sore tool. Soothe that manhood by regularly using a top-shelf penis health cream (health professionals recommend Man1 Man Oil). If the cream contains a high-end emollient such as Shea butter, it can supply valuable moisturizing relief. At times, a man may chop that morning wood a bit too aggressively; the tool ends up not only sore, but somewhat "deadened" to sensation. In these cases, a cream with acetyl L-carnitine helps restore sensation lost due to rough handling.