Salute to morning glory as a sign of good health

Dear Dr. G,

I am a 22-year-old and would like to put Dr. G on the spot over an embarrassing issue of morning wood.

I fully understand morning wood is part and parcel of a sexually mature young man. However, I think my problem is a bit unusual.

Since I was a teenager, I started getting morning salutes that occasionally wake me up before the sunrise. Obviously, this can get uncomfortable and sometimes (in fact, most of the time) I “finish off” the glorious wood with masturbation.

Obviously, it is not ideal that I start of many days feeling drained, having ejaculated in the morning before even getting out of bed.

What worries me is the morning glory overdrive has made masturbation a kind of habit before sunrise.

Worse still, I think I am getting spontaneous erections, throughout the mornings and sometimes well into the afternoon.

I even get erections with tight jeans and underpants, and can be quite embarrassing when strangers in college notice it.

My friends tell me it is unusual to have such a persistent erection.

I would like to put Dr. G on the spot about morning erections.

What exactly is the purpose of morning wood and what does it indicate about the state of health of the individual?

Is this glorious overdrive a sign of something wrong and can it lead to future compromises?

Thank you so much for your answers.

Yours truly,
Overdrive Oliver

Spontaneous morning salutes down under are a physiological manifestation in all healthy men. The spontaneous hardening of the penis during sleep or when waking up has the boring scientific name of Nocturnal Penile Tumescence (NPT), but the colloquial terms of “morning wood” or “morning glory” are more relatable to most men.

In reality, morning glory does not just grace young sexually mature chaps, as baby boys and male fetuses are also noted to have the same experiences. In fact, it is a hard fact such phenomenon is common amongst male mammals in the animal kingdom.

The spontaneous erections occur predominantly during sleeps, as a healthy man gets between three to five erections during the night, each lasting 25 to 35 minutes. As the last of the series of the hard-on occurs just before the waking moment, the salute is commonly greeted as “morning glory”.

The exact physiological role of morning erection is unknown. One theory is NPT is linked to our sleep cycle, as erections tend to begin as our body shifts to REM (Rapid Eye Movement) sleep cycle, and deflates as the transition to deep sleep begins.

The association of testosterone and morning erections is also being examined in detailed. The hormone plays a role in driving sexual desires and libido, and the surges of testosterone to its daily peaks in the early hours of the mornings also contribute to the morning greetings in young men.

As the levels of testosterone declines in ageing men, the reduction of frequency and intensity of morning wood is also duly noted. In most cases, every man should breathe a sigh of relief and self congratulate when greeted with morning glory. The spontaneous morning erection is indeed a barometer of the manhood working up to par. The ability to achieve strong optimal erections requires healthy obstruction-free blood vessels, unimpaired nerve supply to the penis and copious amounts of testosterone. In short, the rock hard morning greetings generally reflects a rocking tip top state of health.

Although it can be embarrassing and uncomfortable, there is generally never a situation when a man can get too frequent erections. However, in an exceeding rare situation when the erection and libido is in overdrive, there is a small possibility of hormonal conditions associated with pathologically high testosterone levels. A simple blood investigation can usually identify the issues.

The ancient Chinese Philosopher, Lao Tzu once said: “Life is a series of natural and spontaneous changes. Don’t resist them as that only creates sorrows. Let the reality be reality. Let things flow naturally forward in whatever way they like!”

In truth, the evolutionary purpose of NPT will forever remain an unanswered mystery of the morning wood. It is ironic on one hand, young men find the morning salute a nuisance, and on the other hand, older men may just wish for more frequent glorious morning greetings.

When embarrassed, red-faced young men put Dr G on the spot with morning glory overdrive, his response is “Morning glory is a series of natural and spontaneous awaking. Don’t resist them as that only creates anxiety. Let the blood flow naturally down under in whatever way they like. It is matter of time the blood will stop flowing!”

On that note, have a glorious morning and weekend for all!