Dehydration can lead to erectile dysfunction. After all, water makes up 90 percent or more of blood, a robust flow of which is essential to healthy erectile function.
Water is essential to life. Up to 60 percent of the human body is made up of water. While most people have heard these facts before, all too many ignore the imperative to keep their bodies hydrated. And the consequences can be dire. For men, chronic dehydration can lead to erectile dysfunction.
In a landmark article published in the May 1, 1945, issue of the Journal of Biological Chemistry, renowned Illinois-born scientist H.H. Mitchell and colleagues offered an eye-opening overview of the body’s chemical composition.
Water Content of Vital Organs
Water, they observed, makes up 73.7 percent of the human heart, 73.3 percent of the brain and spinal cord, 83.7 percent of the lungs, 64.7 percent of the skin, 79.5 percent of the kidneys, and 71.5 percent of the liver.
Not surprisingly, the body’s blood, being a fluid, is estimated to be between 90 and 93 percent water. The remaining components of blood consist largely of blood cells, nutrients, enzymes, and hormones. And because erectile function depends upon a robust supply of blood to the penis, it’s not hard to see how dehydration could cause at least temporary impotence.
Symptoms of Dehydration
Healthline.com points to several specific symptoms of dehydration and explains how those adversely affect erectile dysfunction. First, dehydration can lower the blood’s volume of red blood cells and plasma, which in turn deprives the penis of the nutrient- and oxygen-rich blood it needs to achieve erection.
Secondly, the body reacts to low fluid volumes by synthesizing a hormone known as angiotensin, which triggers a constriction of blood vessels, thus increasing blood pressure and reducing blood flow throughout the body, including the penis.
Can Reduce Sexual Pleasure
Thirdly, angiotensin-driven high blood pressure can spoil sexual activity by reducing the pleasurable sensations associated with sex. And prolonged hypertension can inflict permanent damage on blood vessels, which will make it harder for them to supply adequate amounts of blood to the penis in the future.
Since blood is such an important component of the body’s vital organs, dehydration’s adverse effects go far beyond erectile dysfunction. Other tell-tale symptoms of dehydration, according to TheHealthSite.com, can include dry eyes, dry mouth, headache, profound fatigue, forgetfulness, irritability, constipation, and dry skin.
Get a Good Night’s Sleep
The most obvious cause of dehydration is inadequate water intake. However, Harvard Men’s Health Watch points out that failure to get enough sleep can also lead to dehydration. It cites scientific findings showing that study participants who had six or fewer hours of sleep were 59 percent more likely to be dehydrated than those who got eight hours or more of sleep.
Here, courtesy of RiteAid.com, are some tips for staying hydrated, above and beyond the blanket recommendation to consume two liters of water daily.
- Don’t wait until you’re thirsty. Thirst is a signal that you’re already dehydrated.
- Eat plenty of fruits and nonstarchy vegetables, which are high in water content.
- Drink water when you’re feeling hungry. It will help to tamp down those hunger pains.
- Drink before, during, and after exercise, which can quickly deplete the body’s fluid levels.
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