STRESS, ANXIETY, AND ERECTILE DYSFUNCTION

 

Relationship Between Stress & Erectile Dysfunction?

Impotence / Erectile dysfunction (ED) is a common condition that affects a large number of men over the age of 20, but the reporting is very low.

As the age increase, the risk for ED increases, while having trouble maintaining an erection isn’t always related to age. Many men will experience erectile dysfunction at some point. The good news is that the cause of your erectile dysfunction can usually be identified, and erectile dysfunction will often go away with treatment.

The causes of erectile dysfunction can be both psychological and physical. The success of treatment for physical causes depends on the condition. Studies show that psychological factors are the most common cause of erectile dysfunction. Psychological causes, like emotional and environmental factors, are usually curable, which includes stress and anxiety.

Increased stress and anxiety can also increase your risk for other conditions that may cause erectile dysfunction, such as:

  • Heart disease
  • High blood pressure
  • High cholesterol levels
  • Obesity
  • Excessive alcohol consumption

How Do Stress & Anxiety Cause Erectile Dysfunction?

You can experience three types of erections:

  1. Reflexive (due to physical stimulation),
  2. Psychogenic (due to visual or mental associations),
  3. Nocturnal (during sleep). These types of erections involve important bodily systems and processes, a disruption in any of these processes can cause erectile dysfunction.

Which include:-

  • Nervous system
  • Blood vessels
  • Muscles weakness
  • Hormones

Mental health conditions like stress and anxiety can also affect the brain signals and the body’s physical response. In the case of an erection, stress and anxiety can interrupt how your brain sends messages to the penis to allow extra blood flow, in erectile dysfunction

Stress and anxiety about erectile dysfunction can also contribute to a cycle of ongoing erectile dysfunction. Experiencing erectile dysfunction can lead to behavioral changes that contribute to anxiety and incidences of erectile dysfunction. The reasons for erectile dysfunction vary according to age.

Psychological erectile dysfunction (mainly nervousness and anxiety) affects about 90 percent of teenagers and young men with impotence, these events are fairly short-lived.

Personal and professional stress, such as relationship trouble, is the main reason for erectile dysfunction in middle-aged men.

Physical impotence is the most common cause for older men, but the loss of a partner and loneliness can also cause psychological stress in old age.

Can Porn Films Cause Erectile Dysfunction?

The following life events can also cause enough stress and anxiety to lead to erectile dysfunction:

  • Job problems, loss, or stress
  • Relationship problems and conflicts of couples
  • Changes in health
  • Financial burdens
  • Illness or loss of a loved one
  • Fear of aging

One study of soldiers with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) found that PTSD increased the risk of sexual dysfunction by more than three times. Long-term stress and anxiety can increase certain hormone levels in the body and interfere with the body’s processes. This can also lead to other health conditions that may cause erectile dysfunction.

Which are the Health conditions that can cause erectile dysfunction, stress, and anxiety?

Stress and anxiety can also worsen or develop into several health conditions. A 2013 study suggests that erectile dysfunction may also be a risk factor for future cardiovascular diseases.

What are the other health conditions associated with erectile dysfunction include?

  • High cholesterol
  • High blood pressure
  • Heart disease
  • Vascular disease
  • Nerve damage
  • Low testosterone
  • Metabolic syndrome
  • Obesity
  • Diabetes
  • Prostate cancer or enlarged prostate
  • Certain prescription medications

Stress and anxiety may lead to certain lifestyle factors that contribute to erectile dysfunction, including:

  • A sedentary lifestyle
  • Tobacco use
  • Illicit drugs use
  • Excessive alcohol consumption

Psychological erectile dysfunction tends to go away with time. For erectile dysfunction that doesn’t go away, talk to your urologist to see what treatment options are available for you. Treatment erectile dysfunction depends on what’s causing your stress and anxiety.

How to Easing stress and anxiety to treat erectile dysfunction?

  • Therapy

Treatment for psychological causes of erectile dysfunction typically involves therapy. This Therapy can help you break out of the stress or anxiety and ED cycle.

  • Counselling

You’ll work with a psychotherapist to identify and address major stress or anxiety factors so you can manage them.

  • Psychodynamic therapy

This usually involves addressing a subconscious conflict to help find the root cause of your erectile dysfunction by the psychotherapist.

  • Sex therapy

This therapy focuses on sensational pleasure rather than arousal and sexual activity. It aims to reduce the stress factor by building more a secure and reliable healthy sex life.

  • Sexual anxiety therapy

A urologist will explain erectile dysfunction to you in full detail, which can help reduce problems and worries caused by a lack of knowledge. Then your doctor will address the emotional issues and help you find the solution. These solutions may vary from trying to achieve relaxation to reactivating imagination.

  • Alternative therapies

Alternative therapies may also help with stress and anxiety, where Modern treatments include:

  • Meditation
  • Yoga
  • Relaxation techniques
  • Meditation
  • Yoga
  • Acupuncture

These treatments may help to manage the stress and anxiety levels. Many pieces of research show that meditation can change brain chemistry and reduce stress.

But there is less evidence supporting the effectiveness of these alternative treatments compared to traditional therapies and medications for stress and anxiety. While they may provide additional benefits alongside the treatments your of prescribes.

Is there a cream to help treat erectile dysfunction?

Herbs and supplements for stress, anxiety, and erectile dysfunction.

Some herbs and supplements are marketed for erectile dysfunction as well as stress and anxiety. These supplements include:

  • Panax ginseng, a Chinese and Korean herb that comes in the form of tablets or a cream
  • Black maca, a root vegetable helps alleviate stress and improve sexual performance
  • Kava, a plant that can help treat anxiety and improve mood
  • Chamomile, a plant that helps reduce symptoms of anxiety

Always talk to Urologist before trying herbs and supplements for any health concern. Some of them can cause serious side effects. For example, kava is known to cause serious liver damage and is banned in several European countries. Other possible side effects of these herbs and supplements are allergic reactions, nausea, and more. So be careful to take herbal treatment

What are the most common treatments for erectile dysfunction include?

  • Prescription drugs
  • Injections
  • A penis pump (vacuum erection device)
  • Penis suppository
  • Testosterone replacement
  • Penile implant
  • Blood vessel surgery

What are Lifestyle treatments?

  • Advice on sexual anxiety
  • Psychological counseling
  • Stop smoking
  • Reach and maintain a healthy weight
  • Reduce alcohol consumption

A urologist will identify the main cause of erectile dysfunction and manage it accordingly. So visit the urologist for better health.