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As an autonomic nervous system response, an erection may result from a variety of stimuli, including sexual stimulation and sexual arousal, and is therefore not entirely under conscious control. Erections during sleep or upon waking up are known as nocturnal penile tumescence (NPT), also known as "morning wood".
Erectile tissue is also found in the urethral sponge and perineal sponge. [2] The erection of nipples is not due to erectile tissue, but rather due to the contraction of smooth muscle under the control of the autonomic nervous system.
The autonomic nervous system is a control system that acts largely unconsciously and regulates bodily functions, such as the heart rate, its force of contraction, digestion, respiratory rate, pupillary response, urination, and sexual arousal. [2]
After maximum erection is obtained, the subject’s penis subsequently becomes flaccid again (3:55). Also visible in this demonstration are the tightening of the subject’s scrotum and the elevating of his testicles during arousal. This conscious process can be compared with the same subject's unconscious nocturnal erection process.
The autonomic nervous system engages the parasympathetic and sympathetic systems, which are responsible for blood flow to genital and erectile tissues, and to muscles that participate in sexual responses. [62] This results in responses like increased breathing rate, heart rate, and pupil dilation.
3. Urinate. Fun fact: A full bladder pushes against the sacral nerve, which causes an erection. This is why men wake up with boners (aka morning wood).