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| According to science, "morning splendor" exists for three reasons. |
We'll let Sergio Diez Alvarez, director of medicine at
The Maitland and Kurri Kurri Hospital and the
University of Newcastle, explain..
"Nocturnal penile erections occur during Rapid Eye
Movement (REM) sleep (the phase during which we
dream)," he wrote in a post on The Conversation.
"They occur when certain areas of the brain are
activated."
Alvarez went on to say: "Sleep is made up of several
cycles of REM and non-REM (deep) sleep.
"During REM sleep, there is a shift in the dominant
system that's activated.
"We move from sympathetic (fight and flight)
stimulation to parasympathetic (rest and digest)
stimulation.
The medical expert said that this shift in balance
drives a response from the parasympathetic nerve
system - and this causes that tent to get pitched.
The explanation makes sense, as people often wake
up while coming out of REM sleep.