Main Contents

Erectile Dysfunction and Sleeping Erections.

Sleep studies are based upon the principle that all men from birth to death, have erections of a certain intensity and rigidity, lasting fifteen to thirty minutes, roughly every ninety minutes during the night.

In men with ED, testing to see whether sleep erections are occurring can help to determine the cause of ED.

The presence of normal sleep erections usually implies that the ED is due to a psychological cause (called psychogenic ED). Patients with a psychological cause for their ED will generally have normal sleep erection cycles.

Men who have a physical cause (organic) for their ED will usually have some abnormality of the frequency, intensity or duration of their sleep erections.

If sleep erections do not occur, or are poor in number and quality, then it is appropriate to look for another cause of the erection problems, such as a problem with the nerves or blood vessels supplying the penis.

Erections on awakening and nocturnal erections are signals establishing that anatomical and physiological regulating mechanisms are generally intact.

Dr. Frank Sommer (Cologne, Germany) says that it seems that taking Viagra every night improves erections. In addition to inhibiting the enzyme phosphodiesterase-5-responsible for the loss of erection (Viagra, by inhibiting the enzyme inhibitory, helps achieve and maintain the rigidity of erections) Viagra also has beneficial effects on arterial endothelial cells (cells lining the inside of the arteries).

We know that erections are due to the opening of small arteries and to the relaxation of the cavernous smooth muscle thanks to the nitric oxide, vasodilator gas, which is produced in certain neurons and in arterial endothelial cells.

These studies suggest that, an intake of 50 to 100mg of Viagra (sildenafil), at bedtime (nightly), could be an effective treatment to "cure or prevent impotence" or, simply, improve erectile physiological response for those patients suffering from ED caused by psychological causes.

Past and recent studies related to men without erectile dysfunction, also suggests that men could improve their erections by taking Viagra every night.

Nevertheless more studies are needed to confirm these results that have been presented by Dr. F. Sommer at American Urological Association’s 99th Annual Meeting, San Francisco, May 8-13, 2004.