London (UK) - Most men will be familiar with it: You wake up early completely unaware and then quickly realize that someone downstairs has been awake for a while. The so-called morning wood is often a little embarrassing because people suspect that it may be the result of nocturnal sex dreams. But an expert is now dispelling the prejudices about morning erections - and has some good news.

An erection is not necessarily the first thing you want to deal with in the morning. However, some men actually wake up almost every day with a so-called morning wood.

In society, the "little comforter tent" is usually seen as something kinky, which says a lot about the man in question.

Anyone who wakes up with a hard-on therefore certainly has salacious fantasies or is lost in sexual dreams .

However, according to The Sun, an erect penis in the morning does not always mean that the person concerned is aroused. Expert Kate Moyle, who works for sex toy manufacturer LELO in the UK , wants to dispel this myth.

In fact, a morning wood is something completely normal and even speaks for a man's health. "It's actually a sign of healthy blood circulation and nervous system activity," says Moyle.

Men can experience between three and five nocturnal penile tumescences (NPT) in one night, but only notice them when they wake up.

You should definitely keep an eye on your morning wood - but only if it suddenly fails to appear. Then a visit to the doctor is necessary.

"If these morning erections suddenly stop, it may be an indication of an underlying condition," explains the (s)expert.

Urologist Adam Ramin is more specific, telling Men's Health that all men who have woken up without an erection in the past two months should get checked out.

The absence of morning wood could indicate diabetes , low testosterone levels, high blood pressure and arterial disease.

The fact is, however, that nocturnal penile swelling becomes less frequent with age.