Feeling a little less "up" in the mornings lately? What if that missing morning wood isn't just a sign of a bad night's sleep, but a blaring alarm bell about your overall health?
In this podcast episode, I expose the shocking truth behind your morning wood and its intimate connection to REM sleep, erectile dysfunction, and your hidden health markers. I'll reveal why your sleep patterns might be the secret weapon to stronger erections and peak vitality. Get ready for science-backed strategies to optimize your REM sleep and reclaim your youthful vigor.
Stop ignoring the most important health report your body gives you every night. Tune in now!
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This podcast is for you, the Modern Man. I'm Dr Anne Truong,
Speaker:your host. I'm an intimate health medical doctor and best
Speaker:selling author of the book, Erectile Dysfunction Fix. I'll
Speaker:do a deep dive into sexual health and performance and how
Speaker:it affects men of all ages and backgrounds. So let's get
Speaker:started, and be sure to visit my website at
Speaker:sexualhealthformenpodcast.com for more information and
Speaker:resources from the show. See you on the inside.
Speaker:Hello there, Modern Man. I'm Dr Anne Truong, I'm a sexual health
Speaker:specialist. I treated over 7000 men. In this episode, we're
Speaker:going to talk about what is the relationship between sleep and
Speaker:your morning erection. Because, as you all know, morning
Speaker:erection is kind of like your best thing. Kind of like you
Speaker:wake up and you're like, are you there? Are you awake? Are you
Speaker:alive? And it's also your barometer on how you're doing.
Speaker:And I know it's important for men, because you start having it
Speaker:in puberty, and you have it throughout your life, and when
Speaker:you don't have it, you kind of miss it, right? Let me know what
Speaker:you think.
Speaker:Well, morning erection, or the formal medical term is called
Speaker:nocturnal penile tumescent (NPT). So they are normal
Speaker:physiological phenomena that occur during sleep, and
Speaker:particularly REM sleep or rapid eye movement. It is considered a
Speaker:sign of healthy vascular and neurological function in the
Speaker:penis. So what I'm trying to say is, when you have morning wood,
Speaker:it is considered that everything is working down there. You have
Speaker:healthy vascular system. You have healthy neurological
Speaker:system. However, the absence of morning erection can have
Speaker:multiple causes, both benign and pathological. We're just gonna
Speaker:focus on sleep today. There are many other factors that will
Speaker:affect your morning erection, but let's focus on sleep as
Speaker:something that is so simple, but yet so pivotal in your life, and
Speaker:particularly for your sex life, for every day. Because if you
Speaker:don't sleep well, you're not going to function that day or
Speaker:the day after. Sleep is like blinking your eye. It is a must.
Speaker:Now consider this so the normal sleep cycle is common to wake up
Speaker:without an erection, but if awakening does not coincide with
Speaker:REM sleep, then your morning erection may not appear. So
Speaker:we're going to talk about common causes for no morning erection.
Speaker:So sleep, it's important. We'll dive into that later. Number two
Speaker:is aging. So the frequency and rigidity of morning erection
Speaker:tend to decrease with age due to natural decline in testosterone
Speaker:and changes in your erection tissue such as age related
Speaker:atrophy, collagen or scar tissue development that leads to venous
Speaker:leakage. I have talked about it in my previous episode about
Speaker:what venous leakage is. So check it out here. So sleep quality
Speaker:and disturbances, what it does is that it disrupts your
Speaker:circadian rhythm and can really, really disrupt the mechanic of
Speaker:your morning erection. Now other physical condition can affect
Speaker:your morning erection, such as diabetes, heart condition, high
Speaker:blood pressure, kidney disease, nerve disorder and Peyronie's
Speaker:disease. Of course, low testosterone could contribute,
Speaker:but it's not the only reason. Something to consider,
Speaker:medications, such as high blood pressure medication,
Speaker:antidepressant, tranquilizer like anxiety medication,
Speaker:appetite suppressant. I know appetite suppressants are kind
Speaker:of the big deal now where people are taking it to lose weight,
Speaker:but that will also affect your morning erection. And medication
Speaker:for enlarged prostate will affect your morning wood, as
Speaker:well as any type of painkillers. Depression, anxiety will play a
Speaker:role into this. And I gotta mention lifestyle factors such
Speaker:as smoking, excessive alcohol consumption, overweight and
Speaker:sedentary lifestyle can really impact the vascular health of
Speaker:blood flow, which then will reduce morning erection.
Speaker:Now the absence of morning erection is not always a cause
Speaker:for concern, especially it occurs with aging. But if it is
Speaker:persistent loss of morning erection and accompanied by
Speaker:erectile dysfunction during sexual activity may indicate
Speaker:underlying vascular nerve or hormone that really need an
Speaker:evaluation with your doctor. Now when to seek advice? Well, you
Speaker:seek advice is when you have persistent loss of morning
Speaker:erection with ED. And the first thing you should do is to get
Speaker:blood work and to really look at your diet, your exercise, your
Speaker:weight. Are you smoking? How much alcohol you're drinking,
Speaker:like I talk about my other episode here as well.
Speaker:So let's dive a little bit into sleep. How does REM sleep affect
Speaker:morning erection? Rapid eye movement or REM sleep play a
Speaker:central role because it often happens during sleep, of course,
Speaker:but that is when dreaming is most common. Dreaming only
Speaker:occurs in REM sleep. The body experiences a shift from
Speaker:sympathetic, which is fight or flight, to parasympathetic,
Speaker:which is rest and digest. Parasympathetic is where you get
Speaker:your erection. That's where you are relaxed, you want to be in
Speaker:parasympathetic for morning wood an erection. Sympathetic takes
Speaker:away your erection. So the parasympathetic nervous system,
Speaker:especially the nerve that around the pelvic area, stimulate blood
Speaker:flow to the penis. So REM sleep, stimulate the parasympathetic.
Speaker:Number two is that men typically experience multiple REM cycle
Speaker:through the night, and with each REM phase, an erection can occur
Speaker:4 to 6 times each night, lasting 5 to about 30 minutes. So mother
Speaker:nature is already helping you exercise your penis at nighttime
Speaker:as many as 4 to 6 times a night. And what happen is that REM
Speaker:sleep get longer towards the morning, and the likelihood of
Speaker:waking up during or just after an REM phase increases. That's
Speaker:how morning wood is more noticeable in the morning. You
Speaker:may not notice Morning Wood at nighttime. So during REM sleep,
Speaker:inhibitory signals from the brain in the area called the
Speaker:locus coeruleus are reduced. So it's reduced, allowing more
Speaker:excitatory testosterone mediated pathway to induce an erection.
Speaker:So the activation of the parasympathetic nervous system
Speaker:during REM sleep leads to smooth muscle relaxation and also
Speaker:opening of the penis artery and therefore increasing blood flow
Speaker:and erection. Now interestingly, testosterone levels are the
Speaker:highest also in early morning, and also contribute to the
Speaker:frequency and rigidity of the morning wood. Although it's not
Speaker:the primary driver at this point, it's really the driver is
Speaker:REM sleep. So the clinical significance is that the
Speaker:presence of morning wood is a sign of healthy nerve, healthy
Speaker:vascular system, and that the absence may indicate issues with
Speaker:your sleep, your hormones and your vascular and your nerve
Speaker:health.
Speaker:Okay, Modern Man, you are not alone and you don't have to
Speaker:suffer anymore. ED can feel isolating, frustrating, and even
Speaker:defeating. The endless guessing, the quiet shame, the weight of
Speaker:not feeling like yourself is exhausting. But here's the
Speaker:truth, you are not broken. You are not alone. You don't have to
Speaker:figure this out alone anymore. The Get Wood Now Boost Program
Speaker:is your step by step, path to sexual confidence and
Speaker:restoration. No more suffering in silence, no more trial and
Speaker:error, just real solution, real result and the confidence you
Speaker:deserve. It's time to take back your power on your term. Let's
Speaker:get this journey started together. Check out the course
Speaker:at getwoodnow.com. I'll see you there.
Speaker:Now, I'm gonna give you some tips in today's episode to how
Speaker:to improve your REM sleep. Because more REM sleep, more
Speaker:morning wood, more testosterone, more erection, and better
Speaker:erection. So number one, maintain a consistent sleep
Speaker:schedule. Go to bed and wake up at the same time every day,
Speaker:including the weekends. This regularity helps regulate your
Speaker:circadian rhythm and ensure you cycle through all your sleep
Speaker:stages, including REM sleep.
Speaker:Number two, prioritize sleep duration. REM sleep increases in
Speaker:the second half of the night, so getting enough sleep, usually
Speaker:around seven to nine hours for adult is crucial. Short sleep
Speaker:duration can significantly reduce REM sleep.
Speaker:Number three, optimize your sleep environment. Keep the
Speaker:bedroom dark, quiet and cool, ideally cool to 60 to 67 degrees
Speaker:Fahrenheit. I know that's kind of cool, and your partner may
Speaker:complain, because I'm always kind of cold nature. Right now
Speaker:it's 70 degrees, I'm sitting here with a jacket on. So you
Speaker:got to talk with your partner how much you want to lower that
Speaker:temperature down to, because I'm always fighting with my husband
Speaker:when it's around like 67, 65 degrees. But coolness will
Speaker:actually help you sleep better. And then you can add blackout
Speaker:curtain, and you can also add white noise machine. Yes, white
Speaker:noise machines. I'm gonna leave you a link for blackout curtain
Speaker:and white noise machine in the episode description, because I
Speaker:use a white noise machine to actually sleep, and also use
Speaker:that in my office. Also use comfortable bedding on your bed
Speaker:to minimize this disturbance that can fragment your REM
Speaker:sleep.
Speaker:And, number four, avoid substances that disrupt REM
Speaker:sleep. Yes alcohol. Limit or avoid alcohol before going to
Speaker:bed, because it could suppress REM sleep by 25%. As well as
Speaker:caffeine and nicotine, which are stimulant that would delay REM
Speaker:onset and reduce its duration. So do not take caffeine or
Speaker:nicotine, at least 6 to 8 hours before bedtime. Yes, 6 to 8
Speaker:hours. Believe me, I am a caffeine drink or two. I know
Speaker:that I have to probably stop at around 3pm if I want to have my
Speaker:good REM sleep.
Speaker:Number five, establish a relaxing bedtime routine,
Speaker:meaning engaging in calming activity before bed, such as
Speaker:reading, not on your iPad or on your phone, no screen. Just
Speaker:reading simple old fashioned take out a book or newspaper or
Speaker:magazine to read. Or even listening to soft music or
Speaker:taking a warm bath or practicing gentle stretching exercises. But
Speaker:avoid screen time. Avoid anything that stimulates your
Speaker:brain, especially blue light. That's what comes from the
Speaker:screen. That will also interrupt your sleep. So avoid the blue
Speaker:light and screen time, guys.
Speaker:Number six, exercise regularly, because moderate exercise, which
Speaker:is about 30 minutes 4 to 5 times a week, or total 150 minutes per
Speaker:week, is associated with improved sleep quality and more
Speaker:REM sleep. But avoid intense workout close to bedtime, I
Speaker:would say, probably not like at least 4 hours before you go to
Speaker:bed, because it can be very stimulating.
Speaker:Number seven, manage stress and mental health. So what that
Speaker:means is that stress and anxiety can really disrupt your REM
Speaker:sleep. Haven't you noticed sometime when you're kind of
Speaker:stressed? You know, sleep throughout the night, you keep
Speaker:waking up. Next day, you wake up more tired, because that's what
Speaker:happened. You didn't get your REM sleep. So what you can do is
Speaker:meditation, and then you can also do yoga practices, will
Speaker:really minimize the stress. And also, if you have sleep apnea,
Speaker:you need to use your equipment or get diagnosed and control the
Speaker:sleep apnea.
Speaker:Number nine, dietary consideration such as consuming
Speaker:foods rich in magnesium, which is spinach and almond and
Speaker:tryptophan, which is Turkey, bananas and eggs, may really
Speaker:support sleep quality, and indirectly benefit sleep. Now I
Speaker:take a magnesium supplement at nighttime because I don't really
Speaker:have a lot of time during the daytime to eat a lot of these
Speaker:vegetables or even eat turkey. So I'll put my favorite
Speaker:magnesium supplement that I take myself at nighttime. So my
Speaker:husband and I, we take magnesium and a melatonin chewable for our
Speaker:sleep routine.
Speaker:And then number ten, my favorite, replace your old
Speaker:bedding. Uncomfortable pillows or mattresses can cause
Speaker:disruption in your sleep. So updating the bedding or fine
Speaker:sheets, like satin sheet, satin sheet helps with skin, help with
Speaker:your hair, even satin pillows, I'll put that recommendation
Speaker:here in my Amazon store. See all these links. And just even
Speaker:putting a little bit essential oil on the bedding may also
Speaker:help.
Speaker:So these are the 10 tips to improve your REM sleep that will
Speaker:give you better morning erection. Doing better
Speaker:improvement in your testosterone and better erection overall. So
Speaker:I hope you find this helpful, and I really, really want to
Speaker:make sure that I give you all the tools that you need to get
Speaker:out of ED. So it will mean the world to me if you subscribe to
Speaker:the channel, get notification, share it with somebody that you
Speaker:feel may benefit from this. And know that you do not have to
Speaker:suffer with ED in silence. They're all alternatives to ED.
Speaker:That's why I created the Modern Man Club to give you the pathway
Speaker:to get out of ED and the support that you need for things that
Speaker:really work, to avoid all the confusion that's out there in
Speaker:the internet. The Modern Man Club is here for you. Check it
Speaker:out at noedman.com and also know that there are options.
Speaker:Having said that, I will see you in the next episode, modern man.
Speaker:And just know that we together can create a sexual revolution
Speaker:to help men and women have the best sexual health. See you in
Speaker:the next episode.
Speaker:Okay, Modern Man, you are not alone and you don't have to
Speaker:suffer anymore. ED can feel isolating, frustrating, and even
Speaker:defeating. The endless guessing, the quiet shame, the weight of
Speaker:not feeling like yourself is exhausting. But here's the
Speaker:truth, you are not broken. You are not alone. You don't have to
Speaker:figure this out alone anymore. The Get Wood Now Boost Program
Speaker:is your step by step, path to sexual confidence and
Speaker:restoration. No more suffering in silence, no more trial and
Speaker:error, just real solution, real result and the confidence you
Speaker:deserve. It's time to take back your power on your term. Let's
Speaker:get this journey started together. Check out the course
Speaker:at getwoodnow.com. I'll see you there.
Speaker:Thanks for listening to the Sexual Health for Men Podcast.
Speaker:If you love this episode, then please take a screenshot on your
Speaker:phone and post it on Facebook, Instagram, or wherever you post,
Speaker:and be sure to tag me and let me know why you like this episode
Speaker:and what you like to hear in the future. That will help me know
Speaker:what's great for you and I would love to give you the most
Speaker:incredible free gift designed to help you improve performance
Speaker:quickly. Go to my website at sexualhealthformenpodcast.com to
Speaker:get the book, The Five Common Costly Mistakes Men Make When
Speaker:Facing ED. I would appreciate if you subscribe, leave a review on
Speaker:Apple podcasts or wherever you listen. And just know that you
Speaker:can have sexual vitality for life. I appreciate you until
Speaker:next time.