Abstract
Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the historical background, technical considerations, and clinical indications of sleep-related erections. Penile erections are a naturally occurring phenomenon during rapid eye movement (REM) sleep in all males from infancy to the elderly. Similar clitoral erections and vaginal engorgement also occurs in females during REM sleep. This strong temporal association between REM sleep and erectile activity allows for clinical evaluation of erectile function in males experiencing erectile dysfunction. A major advantage of sleep-related erection (SRE) testing is that the erection occurs during a stimulus—that is, REM sleep, which is minimally influenced by psychological factors. There are 4–5 cyclically occurring REM periods during a typical night's sleep, lasting 15–25 minutes each in duration. REM sleep thus provides approximately 2 hours of total erection time during any given night's sleep. If properly performed, an objective monitoring of these REM-related erections can provide tremendous clinical information regarding an individual's underlying erectile capability.
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