This is a perfectly normal occurrence.
Most morning erections tend to last for a few minutes after awakening but can persist for longer.
Despite what some think, sexual arousal is not the only cause of a morning erection.
Verywell / Brianna Gilmartin
Everybody has different sleep patterns.
Each erection can last 25 to 35 minutes, though this doesn’t necessarily happen every night.
People stay in REM stage sleep for longer as morning approaches.
It seems that the body is doing what healthcare providers refer to as “testing systems” during sleep.
This is a normal and healthy phenomenon in people with penises.
Even when half-asleep or half-awake, these sensory nerves can be alert to even subtle changes in the environment.
Your nervous system helps keep your body running while you sleep.
Morning erections can be a reassuring sign that your nerves, blood supply, and circulation are healthy.
What If Morning Erections Stop or I Never Have Them?
If you do not wake with an erection, it is not necessarily abnormal.
It could be that you did not wake from REM sleep.
It is also possible that the erection began to fade prior to waking completely.
In general, sleep-related erections decrease with age.
Adolescents, teens, and young adults tend to have morning erections more often than older adults.
If you never have morning erections, see your healthcare provider.
A diagnostic sleep study called apolysomnogrammay be recommended.
What If a Morning Erection Doesn’t Go Away?
Persistent erections may occur in a condition calledpriapism.
Priapism can result in erections that last hours.
Give the erection some time to resolve.
If it goes away, but long-lasting and/or painful erections keep happening, see your healthcare provider.
If your erection lasts for more than four hours, go to the emergency room.
They can also be triggered by hormone fluctuations, a full bladder, and subtle touch.
These erections typically resolve within minutes of you waking up.
Morning erections are common and normal.
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