Erections are produced by blood flowing into the penis based on signals it receives from the brain.
However, psychological factors related to erectile dysfunction (ED) such as stress and anxiety can interrupt signals between the body and the brain.
This can manifest in being sexually aroused, but due to particular reasons, your brain isn’t receiving the messages it needs to instruct the body to produce an erection in response.
ED is essentially what happens when you can’t manage to produce an erection firm and long-lasting enough for pleasurable sex. It can produce symptoms such as erections that are inadequate for penetration, or one that’s atypically less firm than you’re used to.
There’s no question about it: ED symptoms can be distressing. However, you are hardly alone in experiencing erection problems. ED is the most prevalent form of sexual dysfunction: as many as 50 million adult American men have experienced it one way or another.
Likewise, ED can be triggered by physical and psychological factors – one of them is stress.
How does stress cause erectile dysfunction?
Stress manifests itself in various physical symptoms, such as depression, anxiety, headaches, irritability, or gastrointestinal problems, to name but a few.
Long-term stress can also take its toll on your cardiovascular and immune systems. Therefore, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that stress can be devastating as far as erection quality is concerned.
Erections are produced from increased blood flow to the penis responding to arousal signals from the brain. Stress can interfere with those signals and likewise affect your ability to achieve an erection.
Being in the right frame of mind for sex isn’t just some old wives’ tale – it’s true. Some of the following stressors can contribute to or exacerbate ED:
- Psychological stress. Younger adult males usually experience this form of stress based on self-confidence issues, sexual traumas, or performance anxiety.
- Work-related stress. Stress arising from the workplace or an individual’s career often compounds erectile dysfunction in middle-aged men.
- Major life events. Major upheavals in life, such as marital problems, financial issues, and a downturn in overall health can worsen ED across all age brackets.
Depression, stress, and anxiety can all cause ED symptoms just by themselves, and men who suffer from them worsen their issues by taking up unhealthy coping habits that exacerbate ED. Such coping mechanisms include alcohol, tobacco, or recreational drug use, eating too much, or not engaging in enough physical activity, all of which compound ED and psychological symptoms.
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How do I get treatment for stress-induced erectile dysfunction?
If you have ED and suspect stress playing a role in your symptoms, consult your doctor and be honest about your lifestyle and health. This way, they will be able to determine whether your ED arises from psychological factors.
And since ED can be a prime indicator of the early onset of an underlying health condition, such as cardiovascular illness, hypertension, or diabetes, it’s important to seek medical advice when these symptoms appear.
Now, for some good news: if stress is the primary cause of your ED, there are several approaches you can take to manage it.
Seek professional counseling or speak to a sex therapist
Professional counseling in the form of sex therapy, relationship coaching, or couples counseling can help you reduce the stress that stops you from performing at your best.
Counseling can help you unlock new, healthy ways to manage stress and clear up relationship problems that bleed into the bedroom. As telemedicine is now becoming more popular than ever, so has to get online therapy.
Consider non-medical alternative therapies
Getting regular exercise is a fantastic way to boost cardiovascular health and relieve stress, both of which can only help your sexual performance. Other therapy options you can pursue include yoga, meditation, or taking up a hobby.
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Make simple changes to your lifestyle
Erectile function is at its best when your overall physical health is in good place. Simple changes such as being active, laying off alcohol and tobacco consumption, and eating a healthier diet might be all you need to improve your ED.
What other ED treatment options can I take?
If reducing your stress triggers isn’t enough to clear up your ED symptoms, you still have various options as follows:
- Oral ED medications. ED medications such as sildenafil (generic Viagra), tadalafil (generic Cialis), and vardenafil (generic Levitra) are all proven to be safe and effective treatment options.
- Low testosterone levels. If low T is causing your ED, you might want to explore testosterone replacement therapy in the form of testosterone injections or topical testosterone applications.`
- Alternative natural remedies. Certain supplements such as ginseng, l-carnitine, and l-arginine may be helpful for some men seeking natural alternatives to taking ED medicines.
Don’t delay treatment for ED if you are experiencing its symptoms – consult a doctor right away. Not only will they help you determine the most suitable approach to treating your symptoms, but also help nip other potential health problems in the bud before they fester into bigger, more serious ones.
