The Real Biological Cause of Morning Wood

Although you don’t have a penis, you have probably noticed that your man often – or always – wakes up with an erection. Most people know about this phenomenon, which we tend to call “morning wood.” The medical term? Nocturnal penile tumescence.

Morning wood can be an exciting way to kick off the day with a little morning sex. Or you might find it a bit annoying to wake up with your man’s boner poking you in the side. Regardless, there are real reasons your man has morning wood!

Morning Wood = Good?

Someone who frequently has morning wood is probably pretty sexually healthy. As it turns out, there isn’t a lot of difference between being sexually healthy and having good overall health. Being able to achieve erection, even when it’s not intended, is a sign that his testosterone levels are balanced. In fact, lack of testosterone is one cause of erectile dysfunction.

That same testosterone is responsible for having healthy sex drives in both women and men. And morning wood is just a visible – and touchable! – sign that testosterone is high in the morning, which is normal for most men. So a lack of testosterone could mean your guy doesn’t get quite as many erections in the morning. This isn’t necessarily something that is bad, but if your man is having trouble getting erections at all, he might want to talk to his doctor.

His morning wood could just as easily be caused by a full bladder, which doesn’t really put you in the mood. Though, the need to urinate isn’t the only reason. After all, older men often wake up needing a trip to the bathroom, but they’re less likely to experience morning wood. As testosterone and other hormone levels dip when your man ages, he might experience less frequent or less powerful erections, so you may be seeing a drop off in the frequency of your man’s morning wood in his middle ages. His doctor might prescribe treatment such as a testosterone supplement.

Blood flow, which is necessary for the type of erection that will have you going wild, is key to getting morning wood, too. The neurotransmitters that control blood flow are decreased in the human body during REM sleep, which makes this the stage when your man is most likely to get morning wood. Most people wake up just out of REM sleep, too.

Someone who has poor blood flow or low testosterone, will less commonly experience morning wood. This doesn’t mean your man should start living at the gym if he doesn’t get morning wood! If your man works out too much, he could make it 90% harder to get an erection due to the calorie restriction and stress on the body. The better idea is to exercise and eat right, so his body will be healthy overall. Morning wood will follow suit. And many men and women enjoy when it does – because morning wood is a perfect excuse for morning sex!

Make His Erection Work for You

Of course, you love when you man’s hard, so you probably like that he gets morning wood. Perhaps you’ve even worn some sexy lingerie to bed so you’ll look amazing in the morning.

Now, not everyone is into the idea of morning sex. We get it. Your eyes are groggy and hair’s a mess. Few people are beautiful after their eight hours of beauty sleep! We haven’t even mentioned morning breath, which can be quite offensive! But despite all these things, morning sex – or a little fooling around – can be a fun thing! And why not get a little mileage out of that morning erection?

You can avoid the issue of bad breath or having to pee by running to the bathroom first. If you wake up before your man does and notice his morning wood, you might be able to do without him even noticing! Brush your hair and teeth before slipping back into bed, and slip your hand around his penis or kiss his neck to gauge his interest. Alternatively, a glass of water or breath mint on the night stand goes a long way to kill bad breath germs and put you in the mood.

You can avoid kissing entirely for morning sex if it’s not your thing. Instead, focus on going down on your man. Read our tips for giving great head. You can also focus on giving hand jobs and let your man finger you or go down on you. No one says morning sex has to include penetration, and if you’re too sleepy to put in the effort or don’t have time, you can engage in a little nookie, even if it’s just lazy bumping and grinding!

Consider making time for morning sex. After all, it’s a workout, so you can skip your trip to the gym just this once. Since you probably plan to shower, change clothes and do your makeup before your run out the door, it doesn’t matter how messy sex is. Although, the two of you can hop in the shower together to save time and water, if that’s something you’re into! Check out our advice for amazing sex in the shower.

Plus, sex has great benefits! You’ll start the day off feeling more relaxed, and those effects can last for days. The intimacy found in morning sex is often different from other sex, too. Perhaps it’s because you’re so bleary eyed and not quite with it.

Morning sex isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, and it might not be something you do all the time. After all, there are plenty of reasons why your man has morning wood. Just because his penis is awake and erect, doesn’t mean he’s ready or even interested in sex, and that’s okay, too, because his body is still healthy.