Did you know that men can have up to five erections in a single night?
What is an erection?
An erection is the most obvious sign of male sexual arousal. It’s a physical response to chemical reactions in the body. During sexual arousal, tiny blood vessels in the penis dilate. Three tubes of spongy tissue filled with blood, and an erection occurs. After ejaculation or a loss of arousal, that blood drains away, and the penis reverts to its flaccid size and appearance.
On average, a healthy man has three to five erections during a full night’s sleep, with each erection lasting 25 to 35 minutes. It’s common for men to wake up with an erection, informally called a “morning glory”. This is in fact the last in the series of night-time erection.
The cause of night-time erections isn’t fully understood. But studies suggest they’re closely associated with the phase of sleep known as rapid eye movement (REM) sleep. This is when dreaming is most common. However, most doctors agree that night-time erections are a sign that everything is in working order. Not all erections are subject or attributed to sexual urge.
Shorter penises increase more in length than longer ones when they become erect. Research based on the penis measurements of 2,770 men found that shorter penises increased by 86% when erect, nearly twice that of longer penises (47%).
In the 1988 study published in the Journal of Sex Research, researchers also found that the difference in length between a short penis and a longer one was a lot less obvious when erect than when flaccid.
