Why do men get erections in the morning?

Morning erections (also called morning tent, morning glory, early riser, breakfast boner or nocturnal penile tumescence) happens when a male is sleeping or waking up.  This is natural and normal. Don’t stress – it happens to all boys and men.

An erection happens when blood flows to the penis. Many things happen when you are sleeping that could give you an erection, like:

• A full bladder: Holding urine in at night can make your bladder full. When this happens, it can push on the nerves running through the penis, and that can cause an erection.
• Rubbing against something while sleeping: A penis can get aroused/ get hard easily by any physical contact. If it touches against someone or something by mistake, it can react by getting erect.
• Dreaming about sex: Arousing (sexually exciting) dreams can give you an erection, and you may also ejaculate (come) – this is called a “wet dream”.
• Changes in your hormone levels: Your testosterone levels are highest in the morning, and this may cause an erection by itself.

Waking up with an erection is a normal part of life. In fact, it’s a sign that your penis is healthy and working well. It’s only a problem if your erection is painful or doesn’t go away after a few hours – make sure you see a health provider if this happens.

Want to find out more about the male reproductive system? Click here

Learn more about erections here

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