Erectile Dysfunction (ED) is when you can’t get or keep a penile erection for good sexual intercourse or activity. It is the most common sex problem for people with a penis. At least 18 million people in the United States have it. 1 As another name, it is also called erectile dysfunction.
The symptoms of ED may get worse as we get older because testosterone levels naturally go down over time, which can make them worse.
It is a hormone called testosterone that affects the desire to have sex, among other things. Replacement testosterone does not improve ED, but it can help with libido and arousal, making it easier to get an erection, and it doesn’t hurt to take it.
Sexual arousal is a complicated process that involves the brain, hormones, emotions, nerves, muscles, and blood vessels. It also affects the ability to get and keep an erection.
Physical or psychological factors can have an effect on sexual function, desire, or arousal, all of which can cause ED. Older age is the most important factor.
What Is The Most Common Cause Of Erectile Dysfunction?
This article will talk about ways to keep ED from happening, like eating right, exercising, losing weight, managing high blood pressure and cholesterol, quitting smoking, drinking alcohol in moderation, reducing stress, and more.
Make sure you eat a healthy meal plan
Eating a lot of natural foods like fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and fish, and a lot less red and processed meats and refined grains, has been shown to cut down on the chances of having ED.
More than 21,000 men took part in a study that found that men who ate the most Mediterranean or Alternative Healthy Eating Index 2010 food were less likely to have erectile dysfunction.
Eat more vegetables, fruits, nuts, legumes, and fish or other long-chain fatty acids (omega-3 fatty acids), and less red and processed meat on these diets. They also try to avoid red and processed meats.
Under 60-year-old men who stayed the closest to the Mediterranean diet were 40% more likely to be able to have sex again.
To add to that, a heart-healthy diet also helps you cut down on things like your blood pressure and cholesterol levels. These factors have a big impact on the development of ED.
Exercise
Those who have an ED because they aren’t active, have poor circulation, are overweight, have low testosterone, or have cardiovascular disease should keep up with a regular exercise plan.
Exercise lowers blood pressure and blood sugar, increases blood flow through the body, and improves the health of the heart. When you eat more meat, your testosterone levels will go up, too! Even though ED is caused by many different things, burning fat can also help prevent vascular (blood vessel) disease and diabetes, two of the main causes.
Curing your ED doesn’t mean that you have to make big changes. Even small changes in how much you do can make a big difference.
One study found that people who had a heart attack and were put on a walking program started with just six minutes a day had 71% fewer episodes of ED over 30 days than people who didn’t walk.
Other research has shown that moderate exercise can help people who are overweight and middle-aged with ED have better sex.
People who have ED at a young age (before age 50) may have heart problems that haven’t been found. In this case, a person in this age group may be sent to the heart doctor before treatment for their erection problems can start. Early-onset ED could be a sign that there are bigger problems in the heart.
What Is The Fastest Way To Cure Erectile Dysfunction?
Lose weight if you need to.
You should lose weight for many different reasons because it is good for your health to do so. If so, could one of them be to help men with erectile dysfunction get better? Yes, that’s the short answer.
Weight loss has two benefits: it can help you with your ED and improve your physical health at the same time. Dropping a few pounds lowers your blood pressure and stops more narrowing and blockages in your arteries, which allows blood to move more quickly.
Studies have shown that having a lot of belly fat can make it hard to get or keep an erection.
The endothelium, a small piece of tissue that forms the inside lining of all of our blood vessels, can be damaged by having a lot of fat around your waist.
As a result, your body may not make enough nitric oxide, which tells the muscles around it to relax so the blood vessels can dilate and cause an erection. Carrying too much weight can also lower testosterone levels, which makes the situation even worse.
Having a lot of weight can also make your penis look shorter than it used to be. Weight loss may make the penis look longer because the extra fat and tissue that is used to cover the base of the penis are no longer there. There are even more visible lengths that help men get better erections after they slim down a little bit.
Fortunately, cutting your beltline can help you get rid of your ED. In one big study, more than 30% of men who lost weight and exercised moreover a few weeks were able to lessen, but not get rid of, their erectile dysfunction. They ate 300 fewer calories per day and worked out more.
Weight loss usually comes from cutting back on calories and getting more exercise. Physical activity seems to be especially good at lowering the rate of ED.
Getting rid of belly fat is an important part of getting rid of ED. Here are some ways you can slim down:
Eat healthy food on a regular basis. If you don’t eat, don’t do that. Cooked meals should be used instead of processed foods and takeout. Eat a lot of fruits and vegetables in a balanced way.
Emphasize how much food you eat. Keep your portion sizes in check by using the MyPlate method, in which you eat the right amount of each food group. This will help you avoid overeating and make sure you eat a balanced meal.
Replace sugary drinks like soda, energy drinks, and fruit juices with water, black coffee, or tea that isn’t sugary.
The best thing to do is to cut down on alcohol. Having a lot of alcohol is often linked to bad eating habits. Also, the liver burns alcohol instead of fat, which makes people have bigger waists.
Add more fiber to your diet. Fiber makes you feel full for a long time, which stops you from eating without thinking.
Exercise every day. The United States Preventive Services Task Force says that 30 minutes of sweat-breaking exercise should be done at least five days a week, at least three times each week.
What Are The Shocking Signs And Symptoms of Erectile Dysfunction?
Keep your blood pressure in check
People with high blood pressure damage their blood vessels, which slows down the flow of blood around the body, including to the penis. Blood can’t get into the penis before having sex because hardened and narrow blood vessels make it hard for blood to get there.
Erectile dysfunction may be an early sign that blood vessels aren’t working well. When your blood moves freely, you can get healthy erections. Natural arousal causes blood to flow more quickly to your penis, which causes an erection to happen.
The more you have high blood pressure, the harder it is to do this. Slowing blood flow in the pelvic area can make it hard to get or keep an erection. This change in sexual function can be a sign of a bigger problem, which makes people want to get help.
They are usually safe to take ED drugs if they only have high blood pressure but are otherwise healthy. But if you have a lot of health problems, like heart problems or urinary tract problems, ED drugs aren’t usually recommended.
Medicines for high blood pressure can also cause ED. This is why it’s important to keep your blood pressure under control.
Take care not to have too much cholesterol in your body
The more cholesterol you have, the more likely you are to get things like heart disease, which can make you more likely to have ED. The hardening and narrowing of blood vessel walls that happen when cholesterol levels are high are called atherosclerosis, and it happens when cholesterol levels are high.
Atherosclerosis slows blood flow all over the body, including the penis. Blood can’t get into the penis before having sex because hardened and narrow blood vessels make it hard for blood to get there.
One of the first signs of heart disease is when blood vessels in the penis don’t grow big enough to allow enough blood flow to get and keep an erection. One study found that men over the age of 69 with ED had more heart attacks, cardiac arrests, and strokes than men of the same age who didn’t have ED.
Take a statin or another cholesterol-lowering drug prescribed by your doctor to get your cholesterol levels down to a healthy level. This can help you lower your cardiovascular risk and ease your ED symptoms at the same time.
Take care: Don’t smoke!
Smoking is a risk factor for ED on its own. It changes the endothelium of blood vessels, which stops the production and signaling of nitric oxide.
Smoking also changes the blood vessels in your body, which increases your risk of heart disease, hypertension (high blood pressure), and diabetes. These changes are also linked to erectile dysfunction.
Many people smoke to lessen their sexual performance anxiety (fear or worry about having sex), but they don’t know that they are making the problem worse.
Quitting smoking has a huge impact on your health. So even though it may not completely get rid of ED, it could make a big difference in how well your penile function works and your overall health.
When it comes to the risk of erectile dysfunction, experts say that vaping is no better than smoking when it comes to the risk. Try not to smoke at all, even if you smoke cigarettes, cigars, or vape.
Drink a little alcohol at a time.
There are chemical messengers that tell the penis to fill with blood, and alcohol can mess with them. This makes it hard to get or keep an erection because alcohol stops the chemical messengers from getting through.
This is what one study found when it looked at nearly 50,000 men. Over half of them said they had some kind of sexual dysfunction, and one-quarter said ED was their main problem.
Using a lot of alcohol for a long time also stops the production of testosterone, the hormone that controls male sexual function. Sperm production and sexual desire can be affected by low testosterone levels. Alcohol can also make you eat more calories in total. This can make you gain more weight, which can make your ED even worse.
Heavy alcohol use has also been linked to;
Drive for sex is low (libido)
The size of sex organs is going down (binge drinking over a long time can cause the testes and penis to shrink)
fertility is lower
Increase in the number of sexually transmitted infections (chronic alcohol users are more likely to engage in sexual practices that carry a higher risk)
The condition will usually go away when alcohol is stopped if alcohol is the only cause of ED, but it’s not always true.
Find out how much Testosterone is in your body
Older people may want to check their levels if they have symptoms of ED. Testosterone levels fall as we get older.
Testosterone is a big part of the male sexual response, including the desire for sex and how to get an erection.
People with low levels of testosterone may have trouble getting and keeping an erection, but even people with normal levels of testosterone can have erectile dysfunction.
Boosting testosterone alone doesn’t always improve erections, but it can in a small group of people, so it should be thought about for people who have low testosterone and aren’t getting enough. Taking low doses of testosterone may also help you have more sex.
Still, improved testosterone levels don’t always mean levels that are high enough to make a difference in sexual performance. It is not unusual for a healthcare professional to add Viagra (sildenafil) or a similar medication if a person is still not satisfied with the quality of their erection when given testosterone therapy alone.
Stay away from anabolic steroids.
Anabolic steroids are used by between 1 million and 3 million persons in the United States each year. For decades, these medications have been used off-label (that is, for purposes other than those approved by the Food and Drug Administration, sometimes known as the FDA). Increased muscle mass, higher athletic performance, and other symptomatic advantages are just a few of the reasons why people get their hair colored.
Anabolic steroids have been shown to impair the body’s ability to create testosterone, which can result in erectile dysfunction in certain men.
It is possible that using steroids, whether androgens as part of testosterone treatment for a medical ailment or anabolic steroids for recreational purposes in bodybuilding, will have an effect on the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis. This implies that it disrupts the balance and control of your hormones, as well as the function of your pituitary gland.
When you quit using steroids, you may notice that some of your ED issues, such as shrunken testicles and decreased libido, begin to improve as a result.
Before you begin taking any medications, make sure you are aware of any potential side effects that may occur.
It has been estimated that side effects from medications are responsible for 25% of all ED cases.
This is due to the fact that using some high blood pressure medications, such as thiazide diuretics (water pills) and beta-blockers, might make your sex life less enjoyable.
As a result, keep an eye out for medications that fall into these drug categories, and never start taking a blood pressure medication without first consulting your doctor.
Reduce the amount of stress you are experiencing in your life.
Stress, as well as alcohol, can make it difficult for the brain and body to deliver impulses that aid in the acquisition and maintenance of erections. Starting with sentiments of enthusiasm about having sex, the process progresses to other sensations of anticipation. The brain then initiates a series of physical processes that result in an erection to occur.
A lot of things can make it hard to have sex and make or worsen erectile dysfunction. These are:
Depression, anxiety, or other mental health problems may be the cause.
People can lose their jobs, get a raise, or be stressed at work.
The financial burdens
Died in the family
Changes in the health
Stress, poor communication, or other problems can cause problems in a relationship.
Anxiety about how well they will do in bed or how they will look.
Stress can also make you more likely to get heart disease, high blood pressure, high cholesterol levels, obesity, and excessive alcohol use, all of which can cause ED. It’s important for many people to figure out what’s causing their stress so that they can get rid of their ED.
Talk therapy is a good way to get your thoughts and feelings out of your head, and sometimes it’s all you need to start having sex again. Stress can also be both a cause and a symptom of ED, so it’s important to note that.
Stress can make you less sexually aroused, which can lead to ED. But not being able to do well in bed can also make you anxious and nervous or make you avoid having sex, which can make your ED even worse.
Talking to your partner about ED can be understandably difficult, but communication is a part of any healthy relationship and sex life. Talking about your difficulties takes the pressure off you and informs your partner of what’s going on.
It can also be a good time to do things that are good for you, like stop smoking, exercise more, and eat a heart-healthy diet.
Joining a support group and imagining your sex life in a new way are also good ways to deal with stress. When you talk to people you don’t know, it can be a good way to deal with stress.
People’s thoughts and feelings can serve as a reminder that intimacy isn’t based on having sex with them. In addition to having a healthy sex life, having a naughty talk, having pre-dates, and having intimate touch is also important.
Kegels aren’t the answer.
It doesn’t look like Kegel exercises, which are exercises that involve contracting and relaxing muscles in the pelvis, are good for your pelvic muscles. A type of exercise called Kegels can help both men and women who have trouble with incontinence. But there’s no proof that they help with erectile dysfunction.
Avoid sex that could be dangerous.
There are some cases of erectile dysfunction that are caused by penile injuries that happen when people are having sex, even though you might not think so. Taking your time and not going into certain places can help. It might be uncomfortable, but you might want to talk to your doctor about what to do and what not to do.
Keep an eye out for things that could happen.
Getting an erection isn’t always easy. If it happens more and more often, don’t just ignore it, though. Tell your doctor about it. You might have a health problem that’s making you feel this way. To get your sex life back on track, you need to deal with it now.
Summary
You can help stop many of the things that cause erectile dysfunction. It’s important to keep your heart healthy and strong by eating healthily, not smoking or taking drugs, not drinking too much alcohol or eating a lot of junk food, and getting at least 30 minutes of exercise every day.
The weight loss projects advise that;
If you can’t keep up with a healthy lifestyle or natural methods haven’t stopped ED, talk to a healthcare professional who knows how to deal with ED. Together, you may come up with new ways to fight. There are also prescription drugs and even surgery that could help.
