Pity the poor erect penis. He’s usually up and about when a guy first wakes up, ready to greet the dawn. And though he may go away for a while, he pops back up several times during the course of an ordinary day. But even when night falls and a man climbs wearily into bed, the erect penis isn’t done yet. Assuming the dude has a typical level of penis health, his manhood is going to be hardening three to five times during the night, while the rest of his body is getting the sleep it needs to function.
What is it with that erect penis and his nighttime activities? Is he just an over-achiever, ever eager to show off what he’s capable of? Does he pop up throughout the night because he’s like a little kid, afraid he might miss out on something? Is he simply too horny? Is he an insomniac?
No, he’s just healthy – and a guy should be glad he has an erect penis that enjoys being awake while others sleep. It’s a sign of good health.
It’s not from sexy dreams
In general, guys get erections while they sleep because they’re dreaming – but it’s not because men are constantly dreaming of engaging in a sexual romp with a beautifully-toned partner who meets their definition of sexy. While men do occasionally have sex dreams, it’s not sexual content that causes the penis to pop up at night. And it’s also not because he is touching himself or otherwise unconsciously masturbating.
At night, while a guy sleeps, his parasympathetic nervous system is at work. This system is responsible for things like digestion, urination, salivation – and sexual arousal. It slows down the heart rate, helps the muscles relax and promotes deep sleep. And while it’s doing these things, it tells the penis to get up and exercise.
There can be other factors contributing to an erect penis at night. For example, sometimes the penis becomes erect to discourage the bladder from sending urine out of the body. A guy needs to get sleep, and the erection keeps him from having to get up and go urinate instead.
Some doctors also theorize that, all things being equal, blood becomes more oxygenated when a person is sleeping. He’s not exerting himself unduly, so the oxygen that enters the body doesn’t get expended on other tasks. And oxygen-rich blood is thought to be more conducive to an erect state.
Frequency
Most guys are unaware of how many erections they have during the night, for the simple reason that they are asleep at the time. But regularly having fewer than three erections during the night may be an indication of a bigger problem, such as high blood pressure, nerve issues, diabetes, depression or anxiety. It may also manifest in weaker daytime erections. If a man notices a lack of night erections or has weak daytime erections, he may want to bring this up with his doctor and see if tests should be run.
A busy, erect penis at night is one sign of good penis health, but a guy shouldn’t stop there. He needs to daily make use of a top flight penis health crème (health professionals recommend Man1 Man Oil, which is clinically proven mild and safe for skin) to keep the penis in good form. It’s good to check the ingredient list of any potential crèmes and to look for both L-arginine and L carnitine. The former is an amino acid that plays a key role in the production of nitric oxide, which in turn helps penile blood vessels expand and helps them accommodate more blood during the erectile process. The latter is excellent for men who may have lost some penis sensation due to rough handling. It’s neuroprotective and can help restore penis sensitivity.