Individuals who drink excessive amounts of alcohol regularly might experience sexual difficulties more often. This happens because alcohol has mind-altering properties, that can increase the interference in your arousal. Such individuals might suffer from erectile dysfunction, owing to their habitual alcohol intoxication. Let us see how alcohol can impact your sexual functioning by leading to erectile dysfunction.
Effects of alcohol
Alcohol is a psychoactive substance. It is classified as a depressant that can often contribute to erection difficulties. Its intoxication before an intimate activity can delay or slow down the central nervous system response. It does so by preventing the brain from sending signals to the nerves of the reproductive system from producing a successful sexual response. In addition to this, alcohol can affect the production of testosterone hormone which may contribute to low libido or low sex drive. It causes damage to the walls of the vascular system and leads to long-term sexual difficulties.
Besides, alcohol is a diuretic, which causes an individual to urinate more frequently than usual. It can cause issues of dehydration in men, which can lower the amount of blood in the body, thereby decreasing the supply of blood to the penile organ and making it more difficult for men to get a healthy sexual response.
What causes erectile dysfunction?
Persistent issues of erection failure can be an indication of a lack of adequate blood supply to the penile, which may arise as a result of some underlying health issue or a chronic health condition. Several physiological, as well as psychological factors, or sometimes a combination of both, can majorly contribute to persistent difficulties of sexual dysfunction.
Physiological Causes
Physiological causes of erection difficulties are most observed in older men, and these sexual difficulties may worsen slowly but become frequent over time. The physiological contributing factors may include obesity, hypertension, type 2 diabetes, high cholesterol, clogged arteries (atherosclerosis), hormonal imbalance such as thyroid or low testosterone, and prostate or spinal cord surgery.
Moreover, Sexual difficulties due to psychological problems occur mostly among younger men. One can talk to a mental healthcare expert that can help them in alleviating several psychological difficulties such as stress, depression, anxiety, guilt, trauma, grief, Parkinson’s disease, relationship strains, and esteem issues.
How does alcohol lead to erectile dysfunction?
Consuming excessive amounts of alcohol makes it difficult to sustain erections as it interferes with the sexual response. Alcohol has psychoactive properties that impact mental processes such as consciousness, cognitive function, perception, mood, and emotions. It is also a central nervous system depressant, that affects mental functions by delaying and slowing down the activities of your brain, thereby potentiating impairment of cognitive function. All these factors are contributing factors to long-term sexual difficulties, leading to chronic erectile dysfunction.
Nitric Oxide
When an individual attains sexual arousal, the nervous system increases the levels of nitric oxide in the endothelial cells which are present in the walls of the penile blood vessels. Nitric oxide is a substance that leads to the complete relaxation of the constricted and narrowed blood vessels to allow the supply of blood flow to the penile blood vessels. It conducts vasodilation and expansion in the penile shaft and helps to revive a healthy functioning erectile response. Alcohol intoxication depresses the nervous system activity and impacts the release of nitric oxide. As a result, inadequate production of nitric oxide translates to erectile dysfunction due to vascular system impairment.
Create a quit drinking plan
- Plan a specific date on which you will implement your plan for giving up alcohol consumption.
- Start to cut down your intake day by day. You may start by setting a limit on how much you are going to consume per day.
- Do not stop drinking all of a sudden, you will find it hard to give it up and unable to control your urge for alcohol, this is why you should take small steps first and cut down little by little.
- Go for smaller-sized drinks instead of larger ones.
- Tell your family and friends about your decision on reducing your alcohol intake. They can encourage you and provide you with much-needed support.
- Take a break from drinking several times a week. Try out some other beverages that do not contain alcohol.
Erectile dysfunction treatment
The most effective solution and reliable option for treating erectile dysfunction or impotence issues are prescription medications. These medications consist of active stimulants that help increase the flow of blood through the penile blood vessels. Such drugs help to revive and restore sexual function within a few minutes of consumption. They come in different doses that can opt for specific doses depending on the severity of erectile dysfunction, for example, if a person is having mild forms of difficulties getting an erection can choose a low dose, and so on. Also, there are generic versions of ED drugs that can be bought without a prescription. One can opt for ED pills like Malegra.
