Erectile Dysfunction is the growing concern of the male population, and most men are afraid to go through this. We have five tips for you that can surely help you maintain your erection.
Also known as impotence, erectile dysfunction is quite a common problem – especially in older men.
According to NHS, UK, about 50 percent of men aged between 40 and 70 years will usually suffer from this sexual dysfunction condition.
ED can be caused by a number of factors, both physical (biological) and psychological.
Some of the physical causes include hormonal imbalances, surgery, or the narrowing of blood vessels that lead to the penis (possibly caused by health conditions such as hypertension, diabetes, and excessive cholesterol.
Psychological causes of impotence include depression, anxiety, and problems in a relationship.
At times, the inability to obtain or maintain an erection occasionally happens, as opposed to all the times when you are sexually aroused.
Other known causes of erection problems include Peyronie’s disease, alcohol, and substance, prolonged use of tobacco, kidney or liver disease, prostate problems treatment, as well as trauma/injury to the genital area or spinal cord, among many others.
Here, we offer five tips to help keep erectile dysfunction at bay.
Lifestyle adjustment
Apart from hypertension and diabetes, poor lifestyle habits such as cigarette smoking can make you have erectile dysfunction.
Smoking leads to constriction of the blood vessels running to the penis area.
When this happens, the volume of blood flowing to the genital region reduces considerably, and this leads to weaker erections.
Nicotine that is found in cigarettes hinders blood flow to the penis and harms the blood vessels in the penis hence interfering with proper erection.
Apart from having problems maintaining an erection, you might experience difficulties attaining it in the first place.
The problem with cigarettes is that they can cost you up to a centimeter of your penis length.
With this knowledge, you may want to consider quitting smoking to prevent yourself from experiencing erectile dysfunction that will impact your sex life negatively.
In a randomized controlled trial conducted by Esposito et al., as documented by the National Library of Health, positive improvements in erectile function among the general male population were observed in association with lifestyle changes. These changes included increased physical activity, adoption of a healthy diet, and reduced caloric intake. The study, involving 110 participants, provided evidence that these modifications can have a beneficial impact on erectile function.
The quality of erections are affected by what you eat
When was the last time you eat a well-balanced diet? Do you normally pay attention to sex enhancing foods?
For the umpteenth time, your body functioning is largely a reflection of what you usually feed it. Include sex-friendly foods in your diet.
Diets that contain fewer vegetables and fruits and with a lot of fatty acids can contribute to the decrease in your blood circulation in the body, which also impacts the flow of blood to the penis.
A diet that is not good for a man’s heart is not also good for his erectile functioning.
Remember to eat a lot of leafy green vegetables, seafood, yogurt, dark chocolate, and nuts, among numerous other food items.
Reduce alcohol intake
According to Ira Sharlip, MD, a professor of urology at the University of California, San Francisco school of medicine, no scientific studies have confirmed the adverse effect of mild or moderate intake of alcohol, on the erectile function.
On the other hand, chronic heavy drinking is harmful.
It is known to result in nerve and liver damage, among other health problems such as interference with the level of testosterone – which eventually leads to erectile dysfunction.
Long term erectile dysfunctioning has significantly been linked to heavy alcohol intake.
The Health Service Executive highlights that numerous studies have demonstrated a correlation between excessive alcohol consumption and difficulties in achieving or sustaining an erection. This impairment is attributed to alcohol’s interference with the brain’s messengers that play a crucial role in signaling the penis to fill with blood.
Various studies have proven that high percentages of men who consume alcohol experience sexual problems ranging from premature ejaculation erectile dysfunction and the loss of sex drive.
If you are a chronic heavy drinker, consider moderating the intake.
Get a good rest
It is okay to work hard as it is the surest way of making it big in life. However, too much of it can have a negative effect on your erections.
Lack of enough rest destroys a man’s sexual drive and experiences low levels of testosterone.
A reduction in the level of sexual hormone has negative impacts on men, which includes a decrease of libido and poor reproduction.
Moreover, this can lead to failure to the building of enough strength through muscle mass and bone density, which results in low levels of energy, lower concentration, and fatigue.
If you are always fatigued, you will have difficulties maintaining an erection because your body is not performing optimally.
In a study reported by Frontiers Media SA, it was found that 93.3% of students who reported having poor sleep quality also experienced some form of erectile dysfunction (ED). Additionally, the study revealed a significant increase in the prevalence of ED (over 600%) among individuals with poor sleep quality. These findings contribute to existing estimates highlighting the association between sleep problems and ED in men.
As such, try to schedule your time in a manner that allows you enough rest and sleep.
Kegel exercises
A common misconception is that Kegels are only for women.
Claire Nowak, a contributor to Reader’s Digest, believes that Kegels are equally effective for men, and they usually help to prevent erectile dysfunction.
For us to understand why they are effective, we must grasp the science or biology behind it.
The pelvic floor muscles usually support the bladder, the bowel, as well as the muscles responsible for proper sexual functioning.
As such, the pelvic muscles are responsible for aspects such as erections, orgasms, and ejaculations.
A man may develop erectile dysfunction when the pelvic muscles become loose – and the more reason you should be engaging in Kegels to make the muscles even stronger.
Kegel exercise for men can be done just at any time; you can do it when you are sitting, eating, and even when resting and watching.
The following is the right procedure you need to use in conducting Kegel exercise.
Ensure that your bladder is empty, then you lie or sit on the down.
Then tighten the pelvic floor muscles, hold them tightly then count 3 up to 5 seconds.
Relax your pelvic muscles then count three up to 5 seconds
Conduct a repeat of the exercise 10 times and three times in the day that is morning, afternoon, and evening.
Bonus Tips Submitted By Viewers
- Avoid recreational drugs
Drug usage has promulgated all spheres of life. Substances that were hitherto considered illegal are now being touted as medicinal.
Still, the world has taken a completely different trajectory. After the psychological and financial stress brought about by the Covid pandemic, personal lives have been devastated irreparably.
No wonder drug abuse and unregulated usage of controlled substances are on the rise. But the impacts of these steroids are severe and linger for long.
These products act through aromatase action, and in the process, secrete excessive levels of estrogen.
Any spike in this mainly feminine hormone translates to the suppression of the male sex hormone.
Besides, a portion of these drugs suppresses the production of Luteinizing Hormones by the pituitary glands. The outcome is reduced availability of testosterone.
Inadequate testosterone, in addition to the drugs’ effects on the nervous and cellular system, results in increased instances of erectile dysfunction.
To avoid this situation, steer away from drugs.
- Limit stress
Stress is a natural response to counter a challenging situation or condition in your system. Everyone experiences some form of stress in their lives.
An occasional spike in stress level activates survival mode and could help you become more creative and resilient. But things get bad when you are constantly assailed by this condition.
When you are stressed, two systems work to balance the situation. The sympathetic nervous system triggers when your anxiety level is excessive and results in the production of cortisol enzymes to calm this situation.
Cortisol also instructs your system to release sugar from your liver to expend energy to fight or flee from this situation. When the level reverts to normal, then your parasympathetic nervous system takes over.
But as your body tackles the stressful environment, it blocks blood to the reproductive system and stifles the secretion of testosterone, resulting in erectile dysfunction.
Avoiding stress could help your reproductive system work better.
In conclusion, we have provided men with five tips that can help them prevent erectile dysfunction. We hope that with the tips mentioned above, you can successfully maintain your erection and prevent ED throughout your life.
