Why Do You Get Morning Wood? Believe It Or Not, There's an Important Scientific Reason

为什么会出现晨勃？其中蕴含着重要的科学道理

Why overnight erections are important for your health, and what to do if you're not getting them.

为什么夜间勃起是身体健康的重要信号，如果没有出现夜间勃起应该怎么办？

Though it's liable to turn your morning trip to the toilet into a contortionist act, morning wood – also known as nocturnal penile tumescence, or the boner you roll out of bed with – is very much a good thing. In fact, if you aren’t occasionally waking up with an erection, it could mean you need to head to a doctor’s office to get your plumbing checked out. Waking up with morning wood, believe it or not, is one of the clearest signs of a healthy penis.

每天早上起来上厕所，身体像练柔术那样软塌塌的，但是晨勃，也叫夜间阴茎胀大，或者被子下面像骨头一样硬邦邦的阴茎，绝对是好事。如果每天早上起床的时候经常不会出现晨勃，那就要去医院看看是不是某些管道出了问题。不管信不信，每天的晨勃是男性生殖器健康的最明显标志。

So vital is morning wood that urologists once diagnosed erectile problems by asking men to put a roll of stamps over their flaccid penises before they went to bed. If the roll was broken in the morning, it meant the man in question was getting erections overnight, and thus had a healthy penis. Urologists no longer use the stamp test, but the presence of nighttime erections remains an important indicator of how your body is functioning, particularly downstairs.

晨勃不是小事，之前泌尿科医生为诊断患者勃起问题的时候，曾要求患者睡觉前把标记卷纸缠在松弛的生殖器上。如果早上发现这卷纸破了，那就证明患者出现了夜间勃起，同时也意味着患者没有出现问题。现在泌尿科医生已经不使用这种方法了，不过夜间勃起仍是观察身体状况，尤其是下楼时的身体状况的重要指标。

What causes morning wood?

晨勃是什么引起的？

Erections are cause by the stimulation of the parasympathetic nervous system. When you see, feel, hear – and maybe even smell or taste – something that is sexually attractive, it triggers the release of neurotransmitters. This leads to the dilation of arteries in the penis, which means more blood flows into the penis, which means the penis becomes erect. The parasympathetic system is more active when you’re sleeping, which in addition to producing erections also causes your muscles to relax and your heart rate to slow.

勃起是由副交感神经系统刺激引起的。当你看到、感觉到、听到，甚至闻到或着尝到具有性吸引力的东西，就会触发神经传导物质释放。这将导致阴茎动脉扩张，更多的血液会流入阴茎，造成阴茎勃起。人处于睡眠状态时，副交感神经系统更加活跃，除了产生勃起外，还会产生肌肉放松和心率下降。

Another reason you may wake up with morning wood is testosterone, which is likely to be at its highest level in the morning.

另一个晨勃因素是睾丸素，清晨人体内的睾丸素可能会达到最高水平。

Is morning wood healthy?

出现晨勃意味着身体健康吗？

According to Adam Ramin, M.D., urologist and medical director of Urology Cancer Specialists in Los Angeles, California, a healthy man should expect to get hard three to five times per night. If this isn’t happening, it could be a sign of nerve malfunction, arterial disease, hypertension, diabetes, low testosterone, or depression and anxiety.

加利福尼亚洛杉矶泌尿癌症专科医院的泌尿系专家、医疗顾问、医学博士亚当•拉明称，健康的男人每晚会出现三至五次勃起现象。如果没有出现的话，可能会是神经功能失调、动脉疾病、高血压、糖尿病、低睾丸素或者抑郁和焦虑的信号。

Morning wood is also a sign that the pesky erectile dysfunction you may be experiencing is psychological, not physiological. If you can’t get it up in the bedroom but find yourself waking up with morning wood, you may want to see a therapist. If you’re not getting erections in either instance, it could be a sign of some of the aforementioned health conditions.

晨勃也是信号，这个信号表明你经历的恼人的性功能障碍可能是心理上的，而不是生理上的。如果我们在做床上运动的时候，生殖器硬不起来；但是早上起床的时候却硬起来了，那就应该去看心理医生。如果两种情况都硬不起来，那就要考虑前文提到的疾病了。

So yes, morning wood is healthy.

所以说出现晨勃就意味着健康。

What purpose does morning wood serve?

晨勃有什么用呢？

“There is no true purpose to the development of nocturnal erections,” says Ramin. “They are merely a byproduct of a natural stimulation of the parasympathetic nervous system at night.”

“夜间勃起并没有什么真正的目的，”拉明医生介绍说，“这只是夜间副交感神经系统自然刺激的副产品。”

Though morning wood serves no specific function, it might be the best indication that your penis is functioning properly. The erection reps you’re getting at night also act as a kind of unconscious exercise regimen for your penis, helping keep its tissue soft, stretchy and ready to go whenever your social agenda requires a little increased blood flow.

虽然晨勃没有什么特别作用，不过这可能是阴茎正常工作的最佳表现。夜间勃起也意味着阴茎在做无意识的锻炼养生，这种锻炼会保持阴茎组织的柔软和弹性，任何情况下，只要阴茎需要少量血液流动，你都能随时做好准备。

According to Tobias Köhler, M.D., M.P.H., the absence of morning wood could even cause the muscles in your penis to become too contracted, which over time could cause the length of your penis to shorten.

医学博士托比勒斯•科勒称，如果没有晨勃现象，很可能会导致阴茎的肌肉收缩，时间长了就会导致阴茎缩短。

What should I do if I’m not getting morning wood?

如果没有出现晨勃，该怎么办？

According to Ramin, if you’re not waking up with morning wood at least occasionally, you may need to go see a doctor. It’s possible you're still getting erections during the night, but if a month or two goes by without anything happening in the AM, it could be time to get checked out. Treating the underlying issues – with, say, statins to clear out cholesterol-clogged veins, or testosterone replacement therapy if your levels are low – can improve your erections and your overall health, says Köhler.

根据拉明医生的说法，如果如果没有出现晨勃，或者晨勃只是偶尔出现，可能就需要看医生了。也许夜间仍然会出现勃起，但是如果有一两个月没有出现晨勃，可能就要去检查一下了。科勒医生的建议是解决潜在的问题，比如，他汀类药物可以清除胆固醇堵塞的静脉；如果睾丸素水平低，可以采用睾丸素补偿疗法，这有助于改善勃起状况和整体健康。

How can I make sure I’m getting enough morning wood?

什么样的晨勃算正常

If you’re worried about your morning wood, it doesn’t hurt to keep tabs on how often you’re waking up with an erection. As is the case with just about everything these days, there’s an app for that. Morning Glory was designed by men’s health and wellness startup Roman to help guys track their erections. Just open up the app, record when you do and do not wake up with morning wood, and the app will tell you when you may need to go see a physician.

如果你担心晨勃的问题，密切注意晨勃的频率没有什么坏处。就像现在其他的东西一样，这种情况也有一款APP可以做到。这款名叫“晨勃”的应用是由男性保健与健康创业公司罗曼设计的，目的是帮助男性记录勃起。打开应用，只要记录下晨勃的时间，或者没有像往常一样出现晨勃的时间，这款应用会告诉你什么时候需要去看医生。

“We hope that this app will help guys form the habit of paying more attention to their bodies and talking to a doctor at the earliest sign that something could be wrong,” a company representative told Men’s Health.

“我们希望这款应用能帮助男性养成关注身体的习惯，并在身体可能出现问题的信号出现后，尽早地咨询医生”公司代表告诉《男性健康》。

Yes, the app is pretty gimmicky, but it underscores the importance of morning wood. “It’s very important for a man to understand the basis for their erection, Roman’s medical advisor, NYU’s Dr. Steven Lamm, says in a video promoting the app. “When a man is having erections they’re generally in very good healthy. When they’re not having erections, it’s time to visit your doctor.”

这款应用确实非常巧妙，强调了晨勃的重要性。“对于一个男人来说，了解勃起的基础非常重要，”纽约大学的医学顾问史蒂文•拉姆博士在推广这款应用时说，“男人可以勃起，说明他们的健康状况不错，如果出现勃起障碍，就要去看医生了。”

【龙腾网】为什么会出现晨勃？其中蕴含着重要的科学道理呢？