Poor sleeping quality due to frequent erections at night

99 percent of doctors do have no clue about this.

Actually good ones ask about sleep apnea because this condition is linked to sleep apnea in some research. I have sleep apnea. I use my CPAP machine diligently though.

To the person just above who wrote they use their "CPAP machine diligently":

Does this help solve or mitigate your erection problem?

Do you also take medicines for the erection problem?

Did the erection problem motivate you to go for a sleep test?

Thank you!

I read through this entire thread with interest because I've been having the same problem for the last several months, persistent nighttime erections that prevent me from sleeping and only subside when I stand, though I wouldn't call them terribly painful. Like most others I have tried a variety of things and nothing worked. After reading all your experiences I began wondering what changed for me recently that wasn't discussed here. The only relevant thing that changed is I got a sit/stand desk and have been standing at work a lot more. A thought popped into my head 'what if compression of the lumbar spine is pinching the nerves that lead to the penis?. Maybe that could cause these symptoms.' Lying down changes the pressures on the spine, so the fact that standing provides relief makes sense.

To test the idea I performed a couple simple yoga stretches, specifically child's pose and cobra (I had to look up the names). Then I set up my pull-up bar, grabbed it like i was doing a pull up but instead just hung loosely, stretching my lower back. You know how it feels when you pop your knuckles? That happened in my lower back. I felt a tingling warmth in my lower back until I fell asleep. That was a few days ago. Since then I have slept normally. I still get the occasional nighttime erection, but they subside in a short time without having to get up.

This is my story. It's not a diagnosis of anyone else's condition. Though I would like to hear about it if anyone else wants to try to replicate my experience. I have pretty much always been able to release the tension in my lower back with that kind of stretching. I imagine if you have tighter joints an osteopathic doctor or even a chiropractor could help.

'Then I set up my pull-up bar, grabbed it like i was doing a pull up but instead just hung loosely, stretching my lower back. You know how it feels when you pop your knuckles?'

I honestly thing your post is possibly relevant.

But I can't for the life of me work out how to 'grab' a pull-bar yet 'hang loosely' while I 'stretching my back' and make a sound like 'popping my knuckles'. These actions seem at odds with each other.
E.g. if I'm stretching my back and popping my bones how can I be hanging loosely?

I beg thee, can you please explain this exercise again.

PS. I'm genuinely interested.

Maybe the explanation isn't very clear. And maybe it's the kind of thing that won't work for everyone. I hung from the pull-up bar and tried to let all the muscles in my body relax, except for my hands. Normally when you do pull-ups your abs are tense, your back is tense, etc. In that case you aren't going to be stretching anything. But if you let all your muscles relax, your spinal column is no longer under compression and can stretch out. I suppose I would have gotten a similar effect if I had some inversion boots and just hung from my feet. But I don't, so I improvised. This was all after doing the yoga type stretches I mentioned.

And I'll say again, I have pretty much always been able to decompress/stretch my back this way. You know the bars you can use for dips in the gym? If I've been walking or standing a lot and I hop onto those and let my back hang loose I'll usually get some release popping in my lower back. I don't know if others get the same effect. If not you may need some assistance to release any stuck joints in the lower back. I recently visited an osteopathic doctor and was quite impressed with his skill. I have seen chiropractors before, but none of them were as good at their job as this D.O. I suspect if you wanted to try to replicate my experience (and your lower back doesn't pop as easily as mine) you could find a good D.O. in your area and ask him for help.

Thanks for that. I wonder if a visit to a chiropractor might be worth a try. The last time I went 4 years ago, he did something very similar. I'll at least give it a try.

I'm just entering my 3rd year of this and haven't posted for a while. Regarding Eugene's idea of compiling some kind of medical journal, I would definitely be fine with contributing some information about my case.

As for the latest posts about back compression, I have always thought there might be some connection between occasional lower back pain that I suffer from and the night erections. I am still getting them almost every night, and have a nagging lower back pain almost constantly. It comes and goes in severity and is mostly easily enough to forget about. I've never been to a chiropractor or been able to "click" my back (I'm not even sure what that means, the only bones that I can click are my knuckles). I used to do some back stretches before bed when I first developed symptoms, and it seemed to occasionally help. I'll try some yoga stretches today. I'm still not quite at the point where I'm comfortable taking baclofen for the rest of my life, so I'm willing to try pretty much any alternative.

Rezz

I have struggled with night time erection for 8 months. I have went to the urologist for sickle cell, ultra sounds, and blood work and they have all came back normal. My urologist thinks it's normal and I'm making it a bigger deal then what it is, so you can see why I never went back. Sleeping on my stomach use to help but now not so much and sleeping on my stomach is a sure way to not get any sleep and a quick erection so I stopped doing that. I have been trying sleeping with my feet propped up on the wall which helps me sleep, but that only lasts so long before your feet tingle ( 3 hours).
However nothing has helped more than after I started praying and God brought me to a sports store to get a jock strap. The strap honestly helps create a lift for my scrotum and compression for my penis so when I sleep I very rarely get an erection and can finally cuddle with my wife. I got the strap one size smaller than I needed so it can be tight but not uncomfortable.
I haven't used any medicine other than the natural valerian root extract pills that I use to help me relax and sleep.it is all natural and won't cause psychological issues. You can buy them online but I want you to understand that I am not implying you need to buy them from me but I wanted you to have something that has been helping me.this isn't about supporting my website or anything like that it's about finding something that allows us to get a nights sleep without sacrificing something else in our body. (Again this is not a post to make you want to buy the valerian hops but it helps my body relax and its natural).

At night: take the pill and use the jock strap and sleep with it. First try sleeping on your side with it. and obviously pray.

Morning: no need to use the jock strap because most people don't have the issue when they are standing. No need for the pill in the morning either.

I hope this helps. I want you to know I read these posts and I don't know anyone had the same problem and that we are all looking for answers. I just hope that these suggestions help you as much as it as helped me. If anything else changes I will update. God bless.

Phil

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Interesting Phil. A tight jock-strap sounds a bit dicey, but just might suppress the process causing this. Worth a try.

Tried Valerian numerous times with absolutely no effect.

As far as praying is concerned, whoever is responsible for this condition gets a back-hander!

Don't get me wrong but it doesn't have to be super tight just tight enough to cause more of a lift. I got a strap called mcdavid. today i slept a whole 7 hours and woke up in bed only twice. A far cry from my 10 on average. I bought a Fitbit to track my sleep as well to compare it to the days I wear my strap and when I don't and when I take my pills. Almost night and day. God bless.

Does anyone work out at the gym? I have been going 2-3 times a week for the last 3 years or so, and it seems to be worse on days where I lift more and drink protein. Another possibility to throw out there, but maybe something to do with testosterone levels too?

Rezz

My testosterone levels are completely normal and it matters not whether I exercise. Sorry.
Also, the clonazepam and baclofen seem to have completely stopped working after 6 months of reasonably uninterrupted sleep. This is a major bummer!

Hi. To the commenter above. I am very sorry the baclofen/clonazepam is no longer working for you. I too am finding that 40mg a night is no longer as effective after several months. I may increase the dosage but this may only hold me for a while.

May I ask what dosage you are taking which you are finding no longer to be effective?

Eugene

A question for all:

As you know, 2 cases of SRPE have been published that seem to have responded to treatment for sleep apnea - CPAP machine at night for sleeping. See article below.

How many of you have gone for sleep apnea study? how many of you have tried a CPAP machine, and what was your experience?

Eugene

"Arch Sex Behav. 2012 Aug;41(4):1059-63. doi: 10.1007/s10508-011-9894-2. Epub 2012 Feb 14.
Sleep-related painful erections associated with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome.
Ferré A1, Vila J, Jurado MJ, Arcalis N, Camps J, Cambrodi R, Romero O.
Abstract
Sleep-related painful erection is a rare syndrome recognized by reports of painful nocturnal erection, an association between REM sleep and pain, and the absence of pain during wakeful sexual activity. Approximately 30 cases have been reported in the literature. We add two more cases, each of which seemed to be associated with severe sleep apnea. Treatment of the apnea with Continuous Positive Airway Pressure device lessened the symptom in both men. Implications of this association are discussed."

I just had an excellent nights sleep, however I had to take double doses of clonazepam (1000 mcg and baclofen (20 mg).
I slept solidly for 10 hours.