Luteinizing hormone and testosterone during nocturnal sleep: relation to penile tumescent cycles

Variations of plasma LH and testosterone in relation to sleep-related penile tumescence were assessed. Plasma LH and testosterone were measured at 10-20 min intervals in five normal adult men during 2 nights of sleep. Blood samples were obtained by means of an indwelling venous catheter while sleep was monitored polygraphically and penile tumescence recorded with a penile mercury strain gauge. Tumescent episodes were recorded in all subjects during 9 of the 10 nights of the study, and the percentage of time during sleep, which was associated with tumescence, ranged from 13% to 34%. Simultaneous REM and tumescence comprised 57.7% of total tumescent time. Abrupt elevations of plasma LH and testosterone were observed during the night without a significant relationship to stages of sleep. The mean of all hormonal determinations for the five subjects did not show significant differences in plasma LH and testosterone between fully and partially tumescent episodes and nontumescent periods. Mean testosterone during REM sleep with tumescence, a state of autonomic activation involving sexual function, was consistently higher for the five subjects than during periods free from REM and tumescence.