There’s a long list of potential causes for unhealthy erections, so narrowing down the problem is sometimes a challenge. Even some doctor-recommended medications and activities can play a part, at least for some men. Finding the source is the first step in relieving the symptoms, but that could take trial, error, and time.
Weak erections affect more than just your love life. And if there is an underlying medical condition, there’s even more in jeopardy. So you owe it to yourself and your overall health to consider some possible causes and their surprising links to erection health.
Is She Intruding on Your Guy Time?
It’s natural for you to want your friends to like your partner. A friendly and likable spouse or significant other helps create a relaxed atmosphere when everyone gets together. But a partner who spends too much time with your friends could carry over to your love life.
The connection between an overly friendly wife or girlfriend and erection health issues is a psychological one. When there is less independence, less control, and less freedom, self esteem can take a hit. This doesn’t mean you should exclude the love of your life from all social gatherings, but it does mean you should remember to take time out for yourself, just you and the guys.
Everyone needs time away, and women understand this as well as men. You probably don’t want to tag along on girls’ night out, right? So when the next poker game, Monday night football, or tee time at the golf course rolls around, you go your way, and let her go hers for a while.
Too Much Alcohol can Create a Whole New Problem
If you’re getting more than enough guy time and that involves a lot of alcohol, a surprising side-effect might be erection health issues. Partying too hard can have an opposite effect of what you might think; it’s also a bit of a conundrum.
Alcohol does lower inhibitions and even help facilitate erections. The idea that drinking inhibits erections is false, according to The University of Illinois. But hold on a minute, there’s more to the story. Because too much of a good thing is too much.
Drinking large quantities of alcohol immediately before or during sexual activity might impede your body’s ability to produce an erection. In older men, this is even truer than with younger men.
And as an evil part of the cycle, some men who experience these symptoms can develop depression.
Antidepressants May Have Their Own Unpleasant Side Effects.
Compounding the depression problem are the antidepressant drugs often used to treat it. Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors, or SSRIs for short, are the basis of many well-known antidepressants. Celexa, Lexapro, Prozac, Paxil, and Zoloft fall into this category. Not only is erection health potentially affected by the use of SSRIs, other side effects can include decreased libido and a reduced or delayed ability to reach orgasm. These symptoms can emerge within a week of starting an SSRI prescription.
It’s best to talk with your doctor if you think your antidepressant might be linked to erection health issues. Stopping medication without his advice and supervision is a really bad idea. There are options, including changing or lowering your antidepressant, adding Viagra or a similar drug, or even taking your antidepressant at a different time of day. These are decisions that you and your doctor should make together.
Bicycling is Good for Your Heart, but Maybe Not So Good for Sexual Heath
Exercise is supposed to be good for your health. And it is, but some physical activities can damage it in other ways. Bicycling, especially of the long-distance variety, puts pressure on both the nerves that are responsible for controlling erections, and the vessels that supply blood to the penis. Over an extended period of time, these nerves and blood vessels can suffer permanent damage.
Think of how comfortable, or rather uncomfortable, a bicycle seat is after a long ride. The more discomfort you feel, the more likely you are to damage those delicate nerves and vessels.
Instead of biking, perhaps it’s time to pick up running to stay fit and healthy. Live Science explains that while four percent of men who bicycle regularly may experience erection health issues, only one percent of runners report the same problem.
Lumbar Spinal Disease is More Than Just a Pain
Lower back pain is its own special kind of torture. The erection connection makes it even less appealing. Not only do you have the spinal discomfort, which is a libido killer, you may also have nerve damage. Yes, that’s part of the same nerve network that bicycling can damage.
With a lower lumbar condition, such as a herniated disc, the nerves that control erections are in jeopardy. The sacrum, which is the large, triangle-shaped bone at the bottom of the spine, the thoracic, which is essentially the midsection of the spine, and the lumbar region just above the sacrum, all contribute necessary nerve input.
Surgery has helped some men, but it’s not a cure-all. In some cases, it doesn’t help at all. If not, a physician-prescribed phosphodiesterase-5 (PDE5) inhibitor such as Viagra might.
Love Handles Just Became Less Attractive
Carrying too much weight may damage more than your self esteem, it’s also linked to problems with erection health. Fat around the midsection is especially worrisome for some doctors, as it’s also an early predictor of cardiovascular disease. The love handle link is related to blood flow.
You already know that when an erection happens, blood vessels in the penis engorge. When blood flow is restricted, the penis doesn’t get enough of the blood supply. The same hardening of the arteries that doctors warn can lead to heart attack can also restrict blood flow through smaller blood vessels that supply the penis.
The good news is that losing weight and lowering cholesterol can effect a direct and positive change with your overall health, including erection health. Reduce caloric intake, get plenty of exercise, but perhaps skip the bike, and work on lowering your bad cholesterol. You could see a measurable improvement.
Although the causes of erection health issues vary and aren’t the same for every man, the good news is that you can probably pinpoint and work toward reversing it. It might take some time, so don’t expect immediate results from a lifestyle change.
Some changes, you can make on your own. But always consult with your doctor before stopping medications or changing dosage. Even weight loss and exercise progress should be monitored by your doctor, especially if you’ve got more than a few pounds to lose.
Once you pinpoint the cause, you’re on your way to a healthier, and happier sex life.
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