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Experiencing erection problems?
Impotence or erectile dysfunction - causes and cures
Most men experience erectile dysfunction at some stage in their lives. The inability to maintain an erection (also known as impotence) may be a temporary problem caused by too much alcohol, exhaustion, stress or a lack of desire.
What causes recurring impotence?
When the problem is a recurring one, however, it is often due to an ongoing physical condition that may have its roots in a circulatory or neurological problem, such as diabetes, multiple sclerosis or pelvic injuries, all of which may cause nerve damage. Alternatively, it may be a response to medications such as antidepressants or high blood pressure pills.
Circulatory conditions, such as hardening of the arteries, can prevent blood flow to the penis. Elasticity of the erectile tissues can be affected adversely by smoking, injuries to the pelvis and diabetes, allowing blood to leak out of the erection and hence the penis becomes soft.
How to seek help
If you experience recurrent erectile dysfunction, take a trip to your GP to determine if the cause is physical or psychological. A simple way to assess this is to check whether or not you are experiencing erections overnight.
Most men who are physically capable of having erections have several erections during sleep each night and wake up with an erection at least once a week. If you haven’t woken up with one for some weeks, there are a number of ways to test if you still have erections during sleep – and if you are, this rules out the probability of a physical cause.
Testing for erections overnight
Doctors are able to supply a device that fits like a penis ring around the base of your penis and which will measure the firmness and quantity of erections during sleep. Alternatively, as a simple test you could lightly attach a paper ring around the base of your flaccid penis when you go to bed, and a broken ring when you wake up indicates an overnight erection.
Treatments for physical causes
If the problem is physical, there is a wide range of treatments available, ranging from injections to induce an erection temporarily, to vacuum pumps, surgical implants and Viagra, which increases blood flow to the penis. Viagra is not advised for diabetics or after prostate surgery.
Dealing with psychological triggers
If your penis is functioning well physically, the problem may be psychological – possibly from high stress levels in your life or too much of an emphasis on goal-oriented (reaching orgasm) intercourse. There are a number of options for dealing with this, such as taking the pressure off yourself to ‘perform’ sexually by engaging in less direct sexual interaction for a while, for instance massaging and touching; taking a break from sex with your partner; or enjoying a less goal-directed approach to lovemaking with your partner.
If an emotional element is involved, talking to a therapist or sex therapist may be useful, especially for improving levels of intimacy and communication in your relationship.
Erectile changes with ageing
While there is much that can be done to improve erectile functioning and increase your libido, men also need to be realistic and recognise that as they age, the frequency and strength of their erections decline naturally. While this may be stressful at first, it can be a positive experience as you learn to focus more on the art of great, languid lovemaking, rather than goal-oriented sex.
Many couples' sex lives improve with age
Many men find their sex life with their long-term partner improves as they feel less pressurised to reach orgasm, often take longer to orgasm (and so intercourse lasts longer and is more pleasurable for their partner), and are confident enough to explore pleasuring their partner in ways other than that requiring an erection and orgasm. As such, many become more considerate lovers, increasing their focus on their partner’s pleasure and on developing their sexual repertoire. As with women, masturbation is a good method for exploring your body’s changing sexual response, and self knowledge helps with communicating your needs to your partner.
Importance of good sexual health
Maintaining good sexual health throughout our lives is important – many men enjoy sexual intimacy well into their latter years. Here are some tips on how to keep in great form:
- Be healthy – get enough sleep, eat healthily and get plenty of exercise. If you look after your health, you are less likely to need medication – which is a common cause of erection problems.
- Watch what you eat – sex requires energy and the better your diet, the more energy you will have. Increase your consumption of nutrients that have a known link with sexual health:
- Arginine. An amino acid required for sexual development and growth, it is found in protein foods such as dairy and animal products.
- Zinc. The most important mineral for fertility and sexual arousal, it helps produce the enzymes that regulate smell and taste. Occurs naturally in eggs, shellfish, poultry, brown rice, lamb, cheese and lentils.
- Calcium. Found naturally in dairy products, green leafy vegetables, nuts, beans, dried fruit and prunes, calcium is required for nerve transmission and muscle contraction – as in male erection and female orgasm.
- Magnesium. Vital for sexual stamina, arousal, orgasm and ejaculation, it also balances the sex hormones. Magnesium is found naturally in bananas, cereals, nuts, cheese and green leafy vegetables.
- Vitamin C. To strengthen your sex organs and bolster your sex drive, increase your intake of citrus fruit, berries, broccoli, potatoes and mangoes.
- Too much drinking is a definite negative for a strong erection. One drink gives you courage, after two you lose your inhibition, and after three you may lose your erection.
- Ditch smoking. There is a definite link between smoking, impotence and poor libido, and cutting down will help.
- Avoid stress as this affects your ability to get an erection. If you are overworked and exhausted, your favourite body part is less likely to play ball when required.
- Take natural supplements: rather than relying on a chemical pick-up, try supplementing with L-arginine, an amino acid considered as the natural equivalent of Viagra. It’s also much safer if you suffer from high blood pressure. L-arginine increases the level of nitric oxide in the body, which acts as a nerve transmitter to increase blood flow to the penis. Nitric oxide is found naturally in chicken, eggs, dairy products and beef. An alternative source is Yohimbe, which was used to treat erectile dysfunction prior to the advent of Viagra.
- Other natural supplements include saw palmetto for erectile dysfunction, sarsaparilla to improve prostate health, Siberian ginseng to increase sperm count and yerbe mate, which unleashes short-term energy.
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