Is your life getting a bit too chaotic? It may explain why you are suffering from Erectile Dysfunction.
While Erectile Dysfunction (ED) is well-known to be common as men get older, it doesn’t have to be a normal part of ageing.
And it is extremely common. In the UK, 20% of men will face ED problems in their life and recent research has found that s*xual performance problems are much higher among men under 40 than perviously thought.
All because of one very prevalent reason: Stress.
While there could be other factors causing your ED such as heart disease, diabetes or depression, stress is a major factor when it comes to getting it up.
“Many men report that they only experience performance problems in certain situations. They can get an erection when masturbating, when watching pornography or have nocturnal erections but are unable to get an erection with their sexual partner,” s*xual health expert and co-owner of online s*x retailer jodivine.com, Samantha Evans said.
“If this is the case, the underlying cause of erectile dysfunction is psychological, usually caused by stress.”
Samantha said the psychological impact that stress has on erectile function can be overwhelming.
“Stress increases the production of adrenalin which causes constriction of blood vessels, reducing blood flow,” Samantha said.
“Feeling stressed can affect your sexual relationship, which in turn, can make you feel even more stressed, making you less inclined to want sex.”
There can be a multitude of different reasons for this. From money, to relationship issues, work or even problems with your friends or problems your friends are facing, stress can have a negative impact on your overall health and wellbeing.
Samantha said there are several signs of stress:
– Eating more, therefore gaining weight, which can cause erection problems
– Consuming more alcohol, which can affect sexual performance
– Smoking, which impacts upon cardiac function, impeding blood flow
– Feeling depressed, which can affect libido, impacting upon sexual desire and performance
– Having a sedentary lifestyle
– Disrupted sleep pattern
– Increased blood pressure and cholesterol, both of which can cause ED
Stress-induced ED can have a lasting impact on your romantic relationships.
“ED doesn’t just affect the man but also impacts upon their partner’s sexual well being too. Often a partner will feel rejected by them if they cannot have sex, believing that their partner is having an affair or is no longer attracted to them,” Samantha said.
“It is important for couples to be honest with each other and communicate their fears and worries. Often sharing feelings of anxiety can help ease them and make seeking medical advice easier. It can help couples to renegotiate their sexual relationship to ensure they can still maintain sexual intimacy and pleasure even if coital sex is not possible.”
“Good communication between couples is vital to ensuring that ED treatment is successful. Both partner’s views about sexual intimacy should be taken into account and expectations about outcome of ED treatments discussed. If communication is an issue, relationship counselling may be offered.”
Samantha explained a simple way to help your ED is to find the root cause of your stress. If you do this, you could improve the way you feel emotionally and in turn give your sex life a boost too.
“According to research at the University of Adelaide in Australia, men suffering from erectile dysfunction (ED) can successfully reverse the effects of their problem by making lifestyle changes and avoid the need for medication,” Samantha continued.
“Lifestyle and stress management treatments include sexual anxiety counselling with a sex therapist, psychological counselling, maintaining a healthy weight through diet and exercise- taking regular exercise can help reduce stress, stop smoking and decreasing alcohol consumption.”
If you do seek medical treatment for ED, the most common include prescription medicine like penile injections, testosterone replacement therapy, penis pump, penile implants and even in some cases, surgical intervention.
If it is stress you’re suffering from, Samantha recommends male s*x toys to promote sexual arousal. Male s*x toys like cock rings also help men last longer so if you suffer from both ED and premature ejaculation this could be the perfect solution.
