‘What’s Up With These Morning Woodies?’ – Ask Dr. Harry Fisch

Is it normal to wake up with an erection?

Yes.

The average male will have four to five erections throughout the night. This appears to be nature’s way of keeping the penis healthy, since erections bring fresh blood, oxygen and nutrients to the tissues of the penis. The erections are not necessarily related to sexy dreams.

Another contributor to “morning wood” is testosterone. Testosterone levels naturally peak in the morning hours, which may promote both erections and sexual desire. Not having a morning erection may indicate low testosterone levels, or excess alcohol use the night before.

Dr. Harry Fisch is a board certified urologist at New York Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Medical College of Cornell University. Each week, he’ll answer reader questions in an effort to get guys to ‘man up about health.’