For leading a healthy and fulfilling sex life it is necessary to have your reproductive abilities in good order. It is a vital part of life. Apart from reproduction, sex can be viewed as a source of intimacy and pleasure. Sexual interaction can offer many surprising benefits to all aspects of your life comprising physical, emotional, intellectual, psychological, as well as social.
Sexual health is all about recognizing that sex is an essential element of your life. Unfortunately, getting and maintaining an erection is not always as easy as it may seem. Millions of men are faced with some degree of erectile difficulties that prevents them from living their best life. Erectile dysfunction (ED) becomes more common with age but it does not necessarily mean that it is a normal part of aging.
However, there are ways you can implement in your daily routine that can certainly help you in experiencing optimal sexual outcomes by increasing your erection span and enhancing your performance. But first, you need to know the factors responsible for weaker sexual function.
Contributing Factors Of Erectile Dysfunction
Moreover, Erectile dysfunction (ED) is a common problem in men which is the ability to attain and sustain an erection. Struggling to achieve an erection once in a while is common among men and it is nothing to worry about as it can be improved. It can be a reason due to excessive consumption of alcohol, smoking, tobacco, drug abuse, medicinal side reactions, etc. These occasional erectile difficulties can be managed by controlling these factors.
Moreover, severe or long-term erection difficulties can be an indication of a chronic medical illness. In some cases, you might not be even aware of a presence of a medical condition. These physiological conditions can impact your overall well-being. They may include obesity, cardiovascular diseases, high cholesterol, diabetes, kidney or liver dysfunction, and high blood pressure. Diseases like heart problems and diabetes impact the vascular system and majorly contribute to ED.
Psychological Factors
Psychological factors can also cause and contribute to erectile dysfunction. They may include stress, anxiety, depression, guilt, fear, trauma, and low self-esteem. Know that, these are all treatable conditions. You may opt for psychotherapy that involves talking about your condition and related issues with a mental health professional. A professional can help you de-clutter your mind.
A combination of both psychological and physiological conditions can play a part in worsening sexual troubles even more. It affects the quality of life by causing stress, lowering self-confidence, and adding to relationship problems.
Necessary Lifestyle Changes You Need To Adapt
Check Your Testosterone Levels
Testosterone is the sex hormone responsible for the development of male sexual characteristics. It regulates fertility, muscle mass, fat distribution, and red blood cell production. Testosterone levels tend to drop as men age and as a result, it affects sexual arousal.
Symptoms of low testosterone may include low sex drive, moodiness, lack of stamina, trouble making decisions, and difficulty getting erections. You need to consult a doctor that can help you fix testosterone deficiency.
Say No To Alcohol
Alcohol and sex have complicated relationship. It is a depressant that can reduce sexual desire or affect the ability to maintain an erection. It can cause harm to the walls of the blood vessels and also lead to chronic erectile difficulties.
As a depressant, alcohol has a slowing effect on the activity of the Central Nervous System (CNS). The CNS is made up of the brain and spinal cord, and it is responsible for bringing in information from the senses and relaying information to the rest of the body. Alcohol interferes with the messengers in the brain that send signals to the penile nerves for promoting an erection.
Also, there is a possibility that alcohol can reduce the production of testosterone which causes low libido.
Stop Smoking
Smoking hampers blood circulation to all areas of the body, including the genitals, making it difficult to get and keep an erection. Some hazardous chemicals present in cigarettes or tobacco damage the walls of the penile blood vessels, harm the vascular passages, and impedes the erection function. It blocks the blood flow to the veins and arteries of the penile and gradually causes chronic health conditions that lead to erectile dysfunction.
Smoking increases plaque formation in the blood vessels which narrows the blood vessels and causes blockages by clotting. The chemical in cigarettes causes the blood to thicken and form clots inside the blood vessels. An erection is triggered when the blood vessels in the penile expand after receiving nerve signals from the brain. Thus, smoking impairs reproductive abilities.
Eat A Nutritious Diet
Further, Making changes to your diet may make it easier for you to keep your sexual function in optimal condition. A nutritious diet can help deliver the essential nutrients to your reproductive organs as they might need for performing the best function.
Certain foods including Legumes, such as peas, lentils, beans, nuts, fish, eggs, whole grains, berries including strawberries, olive oil, blueberries, pears, and citrus fruits, plenty of leafy green vegetables, meat, and poultry, dairy products, etc. can be beneficial for improving erectile functions.
Avoid consuming ready-to-eat processed food as they contain unhealthy levels of added sugars, sodium, and fat that can aggravate your ED by leading you to the problems like obesity, diabetes, etc.
Maintain A Healthy Body Weight
Being overweight is an invitation to many health problems including diabetes which can damage the nerves throughout the body. If the nerves that supply the penile get affected due to diabetes, ED can result.
Build Your Exercise Routine
Exercising regularly helps combat health conditions and diseases. It also prevents weight gain or helps maintain weight loss. When you engage in physical activity, you burn calories. The more intense the activity, the more calories you burn. It is also beneficial in improving mood, promoting better sleep, and boosting energy.
Further, You can try pelvic floor exercises or Kegels for sustaining blood flow to the penile and maintaining erections. These exercises are the most beneficial for ED. It strengthens the core and pelvic areas of the body.
In addition, some aerobic exercises such as cycling, boxing, running, and skipping can also play a huge part in improving erectile strength and increasing libido.
Conclusion
Healthy habits and lifestyle changes can have an incredible impact on your intimate life. Following these habits religiously can help address issues of maintaining an erection for a prolonged duration. Sexual arousal and function are dependent on a healthy cardiovascular system and overall health, so men can improve their sex life by maintaining a healthy lifestyle.
