If you are not enjoying one liewaking up with one erection it might be a little inconvenient.
But it turns out, you might want to start giving that breakfast early giddy a warmer welcome, as it can show how healthy you are testosterone levels are.
While it is expected that a man’s morning glory may not be as common as he ages, a dramatic decrease in frequency may actually be a sign of other health concerns.
It’s a topic that was discussed on Man Alive podcastwhen he was a rugby player Joe Marler35 years old, previously discussed how waking up with a difficult it’s not as common as he gets older.
“I get the occasional one, but there aren’t as many as there used to be,” he said.
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At the time, host Dr. Jeff Foster shared how Males their age testosterone levels naturally falls, and as a result, this can affect how often you start the day with an erection.
We asked Dr. Jeff, also medical director of men’s health at Voyfor reducing how often you have to lift it.
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How many times a week should you have an erection in the morning?
Dr Jeff said subway that teenage boys AND men in their 20s should get a morning glory most daysOR every single day.
In yours the 30ththis number changes to more than 50%while for The 40s AND 50thit should be between two and three times a week.
Finally, they in their 60th they can expect to wake up with wood once or twice a week.
In fact, Dr Jeff shared a good rule of thumb on the podcast. “The time we would say you should go see a doctor is if you can’t remember the last time you had an erection in the morning.
“That’s a really good indicator that either your hormones have gone down or your cardiovascular risk has gone up because something is stopping that naturally occurring erection.”
Dr.
In addition to morning wood, other signs that your testosterone may be low include struggling to make progress during exercise.
Weight gain and muscle loss can also be a sign, as lower testosterone levels cause the metabolism to slow down.
‘The other is mental health”, says Dr Jeff subway.
“Men with low testosterone have low, adult moods nightmarishand an increased risk of DEPRESSION.’
Why do men have erections in the morning? And what do they say about overall health?
As Lovehoney’s sexual health expert, Sarah Mulindwaexplains, morning wood is a phenomenon that can happen to anyone with a penis.
She tells subway: ‘There are several different reasons why they happen, according to researchers, and sexual arousal it’s actually not one of the most common explanations.
“Research mainly suggests morning wood happens because during REM (rapid eye movement) sleep, your body essentially goes into a recovery state where your ‘parasympathetic nervous system’ takes over.”
Essentially, this response dictates and controls every automatic function of the body, including breathing, heart rate and, most importantly, sexual function. It is also known as the ‘rest and digest’ nervous system.
Sarah explains: ‘The reason this relates to morning wood is that the parasympathetic nervous system doesn’t actively stop your body from having an erection and you’re more likely to wake up during REM sleep.’
Elsewhere, testosterone levels tend to rise when you first wake up, which in turn can cause an erection. And, as explored in the aforementioned podcast episode, this male hormone is something that declines with age, which explains why older men may experience less of it.
In Sarah’s words, encountering a surprise in the morning means that your body is healthy. There’s usually nothing to worry about here, but she notes that some exceptions include erections that cause pain or last a particularly long time (usually more than an hour, FYI).
If you don’t have any morning erections at all, then Sarah thinks it might be time to see a GP.
It may not necessarily indicate a problem, but since erectile dysfunction can be related to blood circulation problems as well as medications, lower testosterone, or erectile dysfunction, it’s better to be safe than sorry.
This article was first published on April 22, 2026.
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