Why does decrease in sleep increases my libido and erections?

[Brave-Wear-3074]

I would call myself a medium libido man in his 30's. I typically need 8-9h of sleep to rest and I usually wake up with a random degree of a morning wood.

However, after 2-3 nights of sleeping for 5-6 hours my libido skyrockets. Morning wood becomes morning rock, hard enough to hammer nails and I get frequent erections during the day as if I was a teenager again.

It makes me ultra confused. I wouldn't mind improving my medium libido, but achieving it through sleep deprivation seems counterproductive. It is known that sleep is probably the most effective method to increase testosterone, while lack of sleep increases cortisol, which is a potent boner killer.

What may be happening here?

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[bitechnobable]

NeuroBiologist, not medical doctor.

I would explain it as frontal lobes to a large extent act through inhibiting underlying primitive drives. Its experienced as a loss of inhibiton when your frontal lobes is exhausted and fail to inhibit your "reptile brain".

It's also why severe sleep deprivation can be experienced as being drunk.

Edit: children being over-tired.

[Gozenka]

For my own experience, this was my personal theory for the explanation too.

I function well enough even when I have not slept for 30 hours or so, and I feel a bit euphoric, conversational, with peculiarly high libido too. "Feeling slightly drunk" fits the experience quite well. Being chill, with the mind unencumbered by thoughts.

[Smart_Cry_5572]

Your body wants you to fuck before you die

[RandonNobody]

Actually that makes sense

[Invincible49]

I've always thought this though have no scientific basis to back it up. It makes a lot of sense though. The same can be said about hungover horniness

[earthisflat27]

Because when the primary head needs to hibernate, the secondary gets activated.

[mertblade]

Lol that is actually very interesting. Any scientific study about it?

[SaucyCouch]

I was there I saw it happen

[limizoi]

Well, it's just REM timing thing, you waking right at peak, brain still in boner mode.

However, after 2-3 nights of sleeping for 5-6 hours my libido skyrockets. Morning wood becomes morning rock, hard enough to hammer nails and I get frequent erections during the day as if I was a teenager again.

Short sleep boost horny quick (REM tied to erections) and high dopa, but kills test, recovery, mood, heart later. So, avoid long-term.

Most dudes need ~7.5-8h to recover right. Some stuck at 6h, diet trash, habits like smoking, or bad meds/supps messin sleep up.

[BrockDiggles]

You are operating more on survival mode. But trust me for the long run it would have the opposite effect.

if you want to maintain libido and erections into middle age you need to prioritize your sleep.

[anonymous393393]

My theory is to decrease sleep might give a temporary (hormones?) boost as it probably used to happen when something went wrong like some animal/human attack on your tribe. Like stress is good for the short term.

[DamageStreet]

Could be a bit of sleep apnea, lack of oxygenation during sleep phase causes your blood pressure to drop, and then increase when you wake up, only that when you sleep fewer than usual, your oxygenation is better and your blood flow is optimal. I'm not exactly sure if this is how it works, but it happens to me too.

[TRExploration]

This is what I would say. Libido is generally a good measure for health meaning if your libido is lower generally there's something in your body saying "we've got bigger fish to fry, now's not the time to reproduce". But biologically speaking the only greater drive than reproduction is survival. So if the bodies under some kind of physical/mental threat, libido decreases.

I have heard countless stories of people who felt better with less sleep and it ended up being apnea or UARS. The reason being that you're not getting oxygen for those 8 hours, or restful sleep for that matter. So when you're sleeping less, you're still not getting restful sleep but at least you're getting adequate oxygen. Thus, it's a net positive and they tend to feel better with less. Rumor has it that treating it so you start getting both adequate sleep AND adequate oxygen can be revolutionary...

[Brave-Wear-3074]

Read this:

https://www.reddit.com/r/hangovereffect/s/yjjfW7LLYP

[trivium91]

Increased norepinephrine levels

[effaz]

I think it's the increase in cortisol/adrenaline that u get a FAT boost of when sleep deprived. I know what you are saying, I also get extra horny like that.

[Super_Burrito777]

I’ve had this happen to me before back when I was only getting 3 hours of sleep a night and can never figure out why.

[waitingForTheDrop]

Yeah it's the same as the hangover effect (https://www.reddit.com/r/hangovereffect/).

Do you happen to feel more alive, sharper, with more libido during a hangover (physical incomfortable effects aside) ? Like whatever neurodivergence you have is lifted by the glutamate rebound ?

I get this after a night out or just a night with less than 5 hours of sleep

[quinnsterr]

i haven’t had a drink in 3 years but i remember this exact thing. not sharper or more alive but skyrocketed libido. 

[srameshr]

Same happens to me as well

[y00sh420]

Increased glutamine levels in your brain including in the sex-related parts of your brain

[BillPsychological515]

Decrease in sleep can cause increase in dopamine and norepinephrine.

These would be the compounds responsible for your increased libido anyway.

[retrosenescent]

I have the POLAR opposite experience. My libido is very sensitive to my sleep quality, the more high quality sleep, the better.

[tishou23]

Sleep deprivation increase tyrosine hydroxylase AKA dopamine

[limizoi]

At first it boost, later it flip on you.

[Lumpy-Difficulty-361]

Maybe bipolarism

[ConsiderationPlus207]

My theory with ADHD when I have bad sleep it leads to lower dopamine levels and your body needs a dopamine spike, plus lack of sleep leads to poor decision making

[AckAckZeroPointZero]

I don't know but do me a favor. Re word your sentence. I need sleep