Morning wood is a slang term for nocturnal penile tumescence, which means waking up with an erection. It can happen in the middle of the night or the early morning hours while you’re sleeping. If you have morning wood, you may wake up with an erection often. It’s completely normal.
Another name for morning wood is “morning glory,” a term mainly used in the U.K.
Why Does Morning Wood Happen?
Morning wood happens in part because of your parasympathetic nervous system (PSNS). Your PSNS controls many of the things that happen in your body without you having to think about it. That includes digestion, breathing, heartbeat, and sexual arousal.
This system that helps manage arousal is active while you sleep, especially during rapid eye movement (REM) sleep. Most people wake up after or during REM sleep, meaning you’re more likely to wake up while you have an erection. Other things that can cause morning wood include:
- Hormonal changes during sleep that signal your body to send blood to your penis
- Having a full bladder, which can press against your sacral nerve (the nerve that tells your brain to create an erection)
- Accidental stimulation, such as turning over in your sleep
Morning wood isn’t usually caused by sexual dreams.
Who Can Get Morning Wood?
Anyone with a penis, of any age, can get an erection while sleeping. Unborn babies can get erections while they’re still in the uterus.
Morning wood vs. morning bean
If you have a clitoris, you may get “morning bean,” in which your clitoris is stimulated while you sleep. When this happens, your clitoris may get bigger, and your vagina may get wet. Morning bean is also called nocturnal clitoral tumescence.
Is It Normal to Get Morning Wood?
Getting erections during sleep is very normal. You may have up to five erections each night while you sleep.
But you may be less likely to get morning wood as you get older. Your morning erections might be softer, too.
When Should You Talk to Your Doctor About Morning Wood?
In most cases, morning wood is a sign that everything in your body is working properly. Most morning erections last about 10 minutes, but in some cases, they may last as long as 30 minutes.
But if your morning erection lasts longer than an hour, you may want to talk to your doctor. If your erection lasts longer than four hours, call your doctor. This is a condition called priapism.
How Are Morning Wood and Wet Dreams Different?
Morning wood is the act of getting an erection while you’re asleep. A wet dream, also called a nocturnal emission, is when you have an orgasm during sleep. Some experts believe that wet dreams happen if you’re already hard and have a sexual dream.
Like morning wood, wet dreams are completely normal, especially during puberty.
Can You Prevent Morning Wood or Wet Dreams?
Some people feel embarrassed about having morning wood and wet dreams, but they’re completely normal. Some people may try to prevent them, but there’s no way to do this. It’s totally natural.
If you have a wet dream, you may need to clean yourself up or change your sheets. If you get morning wood, it’ll go away shortly after you wake up.
Takeaways
Morning wood or nocturnal penile tumescence happens when you wake up with an erection. Anyone with a healthy penis can get an erection while sleeping. But you may get morning wood less often as you get older. It’s completely natural and normal.
Morning Wood FAQs
Here are some commonly asked questions about morning wood.
Can you have morning wood without being sexually aroused?
Yes, you can have morning wood even if you’re not awake and turned on. It usually happens during REM sleep. Other common causes of morning wood include having a full bladder and testosterone levels peaking after sleep.
Is morning wood a sign of good health?
Yes, morning wood can be a sign of good sexual health, especially when it comes to your penis. It can be a sign of healthy testosterone levels. But you can have other health conditions and also have morning wood.
What does it mean if morning wood stops happening?
You may get morning wood less often as you get older, which is normal. But if you notice you don’t get morning wood anymore, talk to your doctor. They can tell you if there might be something else going on.
