Morning Wood Is a Uniquely Accurate Testosterone Test

Waking up to a tent pitched in your pajama bottoms is a common part of many men’s morning routines, like a shower or a cup of coffee. And no, you don’t have to have a NSFW dream while you’re sleeping to start your day with an erection.

One theory is that a hefty morning hard-on is a sign your testosterone levels are in tip-top shape. Experts agree that regular A.M. erections are an indicator of good penile health. But is morning wood a sign of good testosterone? 

About the Experts

Scott Miller, M.D., M.B.A., medical director of urology and director of robotic surgical services at Wellstar Health System in Atlanta

Andrew Sun, M.D., a urologist at Urology Partners of North Texas who focuses on erectile and sexual dysfunction 

Is Morning Wood a Sign of Good Testosterone?

Yes, morning wood can indicate good—or at least adequate—T levels. But testosterone isn’t the only thing that plays into your erections, and just because you don’t notice an erection as you’re waking up doesn’t mean you have low testosterone or another issue.

“If someone has fairly regular morning erections, they have adequate testosterone levels,” says Scott Miller, M.D., M.B.A., medical director of urology and director of robotic surgical services at Wellstar Health System in Atlanta. “The opposite is not necessarily true, because some people are not aware of their morning erections.” 

Low T can be one explanation if you don’t wake up hard as often as you used to or if you experience other changes in your erections. But other health conditions, like diabetes and cardiovascular issues, are common causes, says Andrew Sun, M.D., a urologist at Urology Partners of North Texas.

“A lot of people think that testosterone controls erectile function, and therefore, ‘I have ED, so I’m going to go to the low-T center and get more testosterone for my ED,’” he says. “That may help if they have low T, but if they have normal T or if their T is even just a little bit low, that’s probably not the primary thing that’s causing their erectile dysfunction, nor is it the primary treatment.”

Instead, Sun advises, pay more attention to your libido than to your morning boners. “Sexual desire, horniness—that’s probably a pretty good indicator of testosterone for most people,” he says.

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What is morning wood, and why does it happen?

Morning wood—or, nocturnal penile tumescence—is the colloquial name for the three to five erections men typically experience during sleep (hence the “nocturnal” part), with the most noticeable one occurring upon waking (1).

Testosterone is only one piece of the penis puzzle. Testosterone levels are highest in the morning, which definitely contributes to waking up hard. Testosterone levels follow a diurnal cycle, peaking in the morning and declining by afternoon—then rebooting during sleep and doing it all over again the next day (2).

During sleep, the body also releases the neurotransmitter dopamine, which plays a role in erections, as well as libido and arousal (3, 4).

Lastly, the parasympathetic nervous system (PNS), which controls arousal, is activated during REM sleep. The sacral nerve is part of the PNS and controls erections. A full bladder can also press on the sacral nerve (5).

“Morning erections are a great general indicator of overall penile health,” Sun says. “And penile health is determined by vascular health, neurologic health, and hormonal health.”

Does no morning wood mean low testosterone?

No. Having regular morning erections is a good indication that everything is A-OK down there, but not having them doesn’t necessarily mean something is wrong. 

First, every man is different. Not all of them wake up at full staff each morning. Plus, it’s common for these to slow down as men get older. They may stop altogether for some men by the time they hit middle age and beyond. 

“If you’re 100 years old and you have no morning erections, well, that’s probably normal,” Sun says. “But for an otherwise healthy younger guy to stop noticing morning erections, I think that is where the check engine light comes on.”

If this is the case, Sun recommends getting your T levels checked—as well as your A1C and cholesterol levels to suss out any possible cardiovascular issues, diabetes, or pre-diabetes. These conditions can wreak havoc on your erections, as can stress and certain medications, including antidepressants. 

Any changes in the quality or frequency of your erections warrant a phone call to your doctor.

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At What Age Does Morning Wood Stop?

It differs for every man, but some research has found a significant drop-off in morning erections at age 50. Men under 50 had an average of 2.37 normal erections per night, compared to 1.49 for men over 50 (6).

Testosterone levels decline by 1 percent per year, which may contribute to a drop in nightly hard-ons. By age 70, men’s T levels will be roughly 30 percent lower than at their highest. Still, 75 percent of older men have T levels well within the normal range and have no trouble getting it up (7).

The older men get, the more likely they are to have a health condition that affects their erections, such as cardiovascular problems or diabetes—and to be on medication to treat them, which can complicate things further.

“The penis is the window to the soul,” Sun says. “The penis is reflective of what else is going on in the body. Most things that will kill a guy—heart attack, diabetes, drugs, whatever—they’re going to affect the penis before they affect the bigger blood vessels in your heart and elsewhere.”

How much testosterone do you need for morning wood?

One small study suggested men need testosterone levels of around 200 ng/dL to have morning wood. This figure is lower than the usual lab standard of 300 ng/dL for healthy men. However, the study has limitations: It included only 10 participants, and their ages ranged from 20 to 50. What’s going on with a 20-year-old’s penis may not be what’s going on with a 50-year-old’s (8).

Even though normal T levels are sufficient for morning erections, research has found having higher than normal T levels will not give you more of them (9).

Does TRT affect morning wood?

TRT may improve your erections if your doctor has established that low T is the underlying cause of the problem. Otherwise, TRT is unlikely to have an effect on morning wood frequency, Miller says. 

But erection issues sometimes arise from a combination of factors, not just a single cause. Vascularity, or the quality of the blood vessels and blood flow, also matters, Miller explains. Vascular erectile tissue is affected by insulin resistance and blood glucose levels in people with diabetes, for example.

Simply put, if things are different down there, talk to your doctor sooner rather than later. “It’s really true for any change in any type of normal bodily function,” Miller says. “That should be a red flag to see a physician, because those conditions, when treated early, are often reversible. The longer someone goes with poor erections, the worse those erections will get.”