# Insomnia and hard ons..what's the deal?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/insomnia-and-hard-ons-whats-the-deal/107687
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [May 7, 2002, 9:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/insomnia-and-hard-ons-whats-the-deal/107687 "2002-05-07T09:52:49Z")
**Posts on this page:** 8
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@El\_Elvis\_Rojo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Elvis_Rojo)
#### Post date: [May 7, 2002, 9:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/insomnia-and-hard-ons-whats-the-deal/107687/1 "2002-05-07T09:52:49Z")
I’m just curious if there’s some sort of medical explination for “morning wood.” I’m not terribly prone to random hard ons, but at my morning job (which gets me up at 4:00 a.m. five days out of the week), I spend a good hour and a half total trying to cover up this little annoyance. Hey, I’m glad to see everything’s functioning fine, but why is it always happening when I’m tired? I don’t suffer the same inconvenience later in the afternoon or evening, so why is it mornings are always so much more “happier”? The term “Morning wood” is enough of a common phrase nowadays, I assume I’m not the only one to experience this, so I was wondering if there was any medical explination. Or is it just that the “Morning Wood Fairy” needs to get all her hours in before 9:00?
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### Author:  [@johncole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johncole)
#### Post date: [May 8, 2002, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/insomnia-and-hard-ons-whats-the-deal/107687/2 "2002-05-08T00:07:38Z")
IANAD but I recall that the typical “morning glory” is caused by the pressure of urine in the bladder. It is just another way to avoid wetting the bed, as a full erection will inhibit urination.
Of course, you may just have had a really good dream.
There are many results in Google for “morning erection”.
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### Author:  [@OfBlinkingThings](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OfBlinkingThings)
#### Post date: [May 8, 2002, 12:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/insomnia-and-hard-ons-whats-the-deal/107687/3 "2002-05-08T00:11:14Z")
I always thought that was part of the blood flow, and that erections correlated with a certain cycle of sleep, that cycle being the one where you are most prone to wake up. Thats most likely false information though considering the fact that most of my blood isnt in my brain right now.
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### Author:  [@sward](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sward)
#### Post date: [May 8, 2002, 1:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/insomnia-and-hard-ons-whats-the-deal/107687/4 "2002-05-08T01:01:19Z")
It causes you to wake because the skin down there is stretched so tight that you can’t close your eyes.
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### Author:  [@Wikkit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wikkit)
#### Post date: [May 8, 2002, 7:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/insomnia-and-hard-ons-whats-the-deal/107687/5 "2002-05-08T07:38:18Z")
“Well, I guess that explains the goatee…”
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### Author:  [@Pergau](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pergau)
#### Post date: [May 8, 2002, 12:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/insomnia-and-hard-ons-whats-the-deal/107687/6 "2002-05-08T12:28:45Z")
I used to work in a warehouse and we received a lot of stock from a Chinese company with the words “Morning Glory” stamped on the front. It always made us grin.
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### Author:  [@capybara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/capybara)
#### Post date: [May 8, 2002, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/insomnia-and-hard-ons-whats-the-deal/107687/7 "2002-05-08T14:06:26Z")
I think I’d have to go with the system blood pressure on a cycle theory rather than the gotta-pee theory. About half us us have NO penises to become erect and we don’t piss the bed all the time.
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### Author:  [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)
#### Post date: [May 8, 2002, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/insomnia-and-hard-ons-whats-the-deal/107687/8 "2002-05-08T15:09:51Z")
I figured it was so we’d have a place to hang the towel while we’re brushing our teeth. It’s also pretty good for keeping you from bumping your head wile you’re stubbling around in the dark… kinda like an organic curb feeler.