Reason For Morning Erection - Romance

Reason For Morning Erection - Romance - Nairaland

Nairaland Forum › Nairaland General › Romance › Reason For Morning Erection (1050 Views)

Reason For Morning Erection by witnezHD(op): 9:20am On Feb 24, 2016

It’s an amusing, albeit often highly inconvenient, phenomenon that half of the world’s population has to deal with on a regular basis. So what's the science story behind that morning glory? Let’s find out.
Morning glories, ornocturnal penile tum ... nocturnal penile tumescence(NPT) as they are correctly called, are spontaneous erections that occur during sleep or while waking up. All blokes without erectile dysfunction are graced with them and they normally occur around three to five timesduring sleep.
NPT actually starts in utero,or in the womb (seriously), and continues throughout life. If it’s any consolation, men aren’t completely alone—women also get clitoral erectionsand vaginal engorgement during sleep, and various nonhuman mammals also get NPT.
While a few different theories have been proposed over the years to explain NPT, what causes it still remains uncertain. NPT, just like clitoral erections, is associated with REM(rapid eye movement) sleep. One idea is that during REM sleep, noradrenergic cells(neurons that release the neurotransmitter noradrenaline [norepinephrine]) located in an area of the pons (part of the brainstem) called the locus coeruleus are switched off. It is thought that these cells are associated with the inhibitory tone of the penis; therefore, when their activity is reduced during REM sleep, testosterone-dependent excitatory tones can be expressed which result in an erection.
It’s also been suggested that NPT is triggered by the release of nitric oxide(NO). NO is released by cells that line the inside of blood vessels which then diffuses into smooth muscle, causing it to relax. This also causes blood vessels to dilate, hence increasing blood flow to the penis and voila, an erection. It’s thought that increased activity of part of the pons during REM sleep triggers a cascade of eventsthat ultimately lead to NO release by nerve fibers. This is also regulated by androgenssuch as testosterone.
So we have discussed how, but what about why? One idea is that these sleep exercises actually contribute to the health of your junk. Erections cause the erectile tissue (corpora cavernosa) to swell, which in turn oxygenatesthe tissue. This oxygenation maintains its viability and helps to prevent cavernous fibrosis, a condition that can ultimately lead to erectile dysfunction.