If you constantly find it difficult to initiate or maintain an erection, then you may be dealing with erectile dysfunction too, just like hundreds of millions of other men. Fortunately, doctors and researchers now have a better understanding of erectile dysfunction, and a lot of people are now aware that the condition is treatable.
Of course, what kind of treatment you should get would depend on what’s causing your impotence in the first place. Below you’ll find four common factors that make you vulnerable to erectile dysfunction.
#1 Blood Flow Problems
Most men are acutely aware that their erection highly depends on how much actually goes and gets trapped inside the penis. If your penile arteries only trickle blood into your corpora cavernosa, chances are high that you’ll experience an erection failure. At most, you’ll just have a weak erection, probably not hard enough for satisfactory sexual activities.
There are a lot of factors that can lead to poor blood flow to your phallus. Of course, the number one factor would be the condition of your blood vessels, especially your penile arteries.
Unhealthy blood vessels, like those that are already clogged with plaque, can no longer function well. They become stiff and they can’t relax or dilate well enough to really allow a healthy amount of blood to pass through. This is why men with atherosclerosis typically develop impotence.
Plus, if you have clogged arteries, your heart has to work extra hard just to get your blood flowing. Eventually, your unhealthy blood vessels will lead to hypertension and heart diseases, which then result in erectile dysfunction.
If the problem is with your penile blood flow, the condition is categorized as arteriogenic erectile dysfunction. Vasodilators and compounds that help inhibit phosphodiesterase-5 activities in the penile tissues are usually helpful for this type of erectile dysfunction.
#2 Damaged Nerves
In order for an erection to happen, there has to be coordination between your central nervous system and the nerves in your genital area. Thus, medical conditions that cause damage to your nervous system, such as Parkinson’s disease and multiple sclerosis, also contribute to erectile dysfunction.
However, the nerve-damaging disease that most commonly causes erectile dysfunction is actually diabetes. In fact, diabetes not only causes damage to your penile nerves, but it also destroys your tiny blood vessels.
Long-term exposure of nerves and blood vessels to high concentrations of sugar in the blood result in impaired nerve signaling and weakens the walls of the capillaries that deliver nutrients and oxygen to your nerves.
Nerve damage caused by diabetes is referred to as diabetic neuropathy, a condition that is highly associated with severe erectile dysfunction. The sad thing is that even if you’re not yet in your 70s or late 60s, you can already develop neuropathy if you have diabetes, and it will eventually make you impotent.
#3 Poor Hormonal Balance
It’s common knowledge that hormonal imbalance can cause erectile dysfunction, especially if you have really low testosterone levels while having elevated estrogen levels. Testosterone is important for coordinating your erection with sexual arousal, so low testosterone levels will also have a detrimental effect on your erectile function.
Unfortunately, aging is not the sole cause of impotence-inducing low testosterone levels. Chronic stress can also cause a significant reduction in your endogenous production of testosterone. Stress makes your body produce more cortisol, a hormone that, in high levels, inhibits testosterone production.
Obesity can also cause your androgen levels to tank. If you’re undergoing treatment for an enlarged prostate, your testosterone levels will also decline. Thyroid conditions often lead to hormonal abnormalities and can also lead to erectile dysfunction.
#4 Psychological Burdens
Although doctors consider physical causes of impotence more common, the incidence of psychological erectile dysfunction is also high. The most common reasons for psychologically induced impotence are depression, relationship problems, and sexual performance anxiety.
Depression-related erectile dysfunction is quite challenging to cure. That’s because medications for depression can have adverse sexual effects and can also contribute to erectile dysfunction. On top of that, erectile dysfunction can make you even more depressed, which further adds to the problem.
Naturally Boost Your Erection
Despite the fact that there’s a host of factors that increase your risks of erectile dysfunction, there are several ways to prevent impotence and improve your erectile function. For instance, you can take steps to ensure that your testosterone levels don’t fall abnormally low.
You can do that naturally by exercising regularly, getting enough quality sleep, eating healthfully, and managing your weight. Alternatively, you can also take supplements such as Tongkat Ali and Tribulus terrestris, both of which are known to improve erectile function, as well as boost testosterone levels.
Horny Goat Weed is another excellent herb that’s also widely popular as a natural sexual performance booster. That’s thanks to icariin which has been scientifically shown to exhibit inhibitory effects on the activities of phosphodiesterase-5, the enzyme that hinders your erection by breaking down cGMP.
The way that icariin works is actually similar to how sildenafil and other prescription anti-impotence medicines help men to achieve erections. It’s just that Horny Goat Weed offers more benefits than those prescription medications. For instance, early research indicates that icariin also exhibits anti-cancer effects on top of its antioxidant properties.
Horny Goat Weed is actually best taken together with Tongkat Ali and L-arginine. That’s because Horny Goat Weed helps you to initiate an erection, while L-arginine ensures sufficient penile blood flow, and Tongkat Ali helps you maintain and prolong your erection. These three work together well because their mechanisms of action complement each other.
L-arginine, for instance, helps promote penile artery relaxation and dilation, which then allows for better blood flow to your phallus. When your body absorbs L-arginine, the amino acid is then broken down and converted into nitric oxide. In your penis, nitric oxide acts as both neurotransmitter and vasodilator.
The actions of Tongkat Ali, on the one hand, are geared towards preventing the smooth muscles in your corpora cavernosa from contracting. The contraction of those smooth muscles would cause your penile arteries to contract as well, which then makes the blood in your erectile tissues flow out through your penile veins.
