Erectile dysfunction (ED) can be a normal part of having a penis, to put it bluntly. Sorry, folks, but these issues are part of manhood, especially as men age. Ongoing ED issues can interfere with your sex life, but they can also cause issues outside the bedroom. 

What is Erectile Dysfunction?

ED is the inability to get and keep an erection firm enough for sexual intercourse. If you have trouble achieving an erection from time to time, you don’t need to worry or doom scroll different medical websites. If ED is an ongoing issue, though, it may cause stress and affect your self-confidence, two things that can create relationship problems. Underlying health conditions can also increase the risk of ED, so you may want to treat the conditions in order to remedy the ED problem.

In the past, health professionals thought that ED resulted from psychological causes. These days, experts say that ED is commonly caused by physical health issues, such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, and vascular disease. Some prescription drugs, including antidepressants, blood pressure meds, and sedatives, can also cause ED. In some cases, a combination of physical and psychological factors may cause the issue. Below, we will highlight everyday habits that can worsen ED. You may not even know that you are causing the problem!

5 Common habits that fuel Erectile Dysfunction

1. Being sedentary

If you do not engage in regular physical activity, then you are at a higher risk for developing ED. Research indicates that regular aerobic exercise, such as swimming, cycling, or walking, can significantly improve ED. A 2023 study found that exercise can improve ED symptoms just as effectively as medications like Viagra. Just remember that ED can serve as a barometer for underlying cardiovascular health. Urologists suggest that you engage in aerobic exercise to improve cardiovascular health to positively influence erectile health and function.

2. Using marijuana

As of 2024, marijuana is legalized for recreational use in 24 states, plus the District of Columbia. People use it to help promote relaxation, improve sleep, and reduce anxiety. Although some people report that using cannabis increases libido and improves sexual performance, it may be harmful in the long run. According to researchers, THC, the active compound in cannabis, affects the brain’s neurotransmitters. Over time, that can disrupt the necessary signals to achieve an erection. Chronic marijuana use can also reduce testosterone levels, which can impair sexual performance and libido. In some individuals, marijuana can increase feelings of anxiety and paranoia, which can contribute to performance anxiety and worsen ED. 

3. Insufficient sleep

If you do not get enough sleep, cortisol levels can increase and testosterone levels can decrease. How significant that decrease is will depend on how sleep-deprived you are. Higher cortisol levels can increase levels of stress and anxiety, in addition to weight gain, moodiness, and mental performance. If you do not regularly get enough sleep, you may experience fatigue and a reduced interest in sexual activity. That lack of interest can worsen sexual dysfunction, both of which feed off each other. Urologists note that men who do not sleep enough may not produce sufficient signal from the pituitary gland, and ultimately suffer from low testosterone and ED.

4. Drinking too much alcohol

Health experts note that a drink or two here and there will most likely not have a big impact on sexual health. Excessive alcohol intake, however, can lead to ED problems in the short- and long-term. Alcohol is a depressant that can interfere with the brain’s ability to send the right signals that trigger an erection. Heavy drinking can also reduce testosterone levels, which are integral for optimal sexual function. Additionally, chronic alcohol use can worsen symptoms of anxiety and depression, which can negatively impact sexual health.

5. Smoking

In case you needed another reason to stop smoking cigarettes, this is it. Smoking can damage blood vessels, which reduces blood flow through the body, including to the penis. Nicotine constricts blood vessels, limiting the circulation necessary for an erection. Long-term smoking can also lead to permanent vascular damage, making erections much more difficult to achieve. Finally, smoking increases the risk of developing other health issues, including diabetes, heart disease, and hypertension, all of which can cause ED. In fact, men who smoke cigarettes are almost two times as likely to develop ED compared to men who don’t smoke.

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Beets contain nitrates which may improve the body’s nitric oxide production. Nitric oxide production is necessary for getting and maintaining an erection. The correlation may help people with erectile dysfunction, but there’s no scientific evidence to confirm.

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Grape seed oil has also been commonly swapped for vegetable oil as a healthy alternative. While it may serve benefits for your skin and hair care, it also offers heart health benefits. It may reduce cholesterol and risk of heart disease.

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To save you the time of reading this entire article to find out the answer, no, exercise does not cause erectile dysfunction (ED). In fact, research shows the opposite to be true, stating that lack of exercise contributes to ED. A 2018 review of various studies found that physical inactivity can cause ED. A separate review from six years prior in 2012 found that inactivity is a primary cause for many chronic illnesses. 

One of the reasons that lack of exercise is linked to ED is because of ED”s link to cardiovascular health. If you don’t exercise or live a sedentary lifestyle, you may experience decreased blood flow, which increases the risk of ED. Many studies confirm that regular physical activity improves symptoms in men with ED. A review of multiple studies found that weekly moderate to intense aerobic exercise helped improve ED. 

What Causes ED?

Stress, tiredness, or drinking alcohol are some of the typical causes of occasional or temporary ED. That said, ED can also be a side effect of common medications, such as:

• Sedatives
• Antidepressants
• Ulcer medications
• Blood pressure medications
• Appetite suppressants

If ED persists, it may be caused by one of the following conditions or procedures:

• Diabetes
• Heart disease
• Atherosclerosis
• Hormone problems
• High blood pressure
• High cholesterol
• Surgery for bladder cancer
• Injury to the penis, prostates, pelvis, or bladder
• Multiple sclerosis 
• Chronic kidney disease

Sports And ED

Although the research shows that exercise is beneficial for ED, some research suggests that certain sports may increase the risk of ED. A review from 2019 found a link between ED and sports with higher rates of head injuries, like American football. Additionally, football, basketball, volleyball, and other similar sports have been linked to an increased risk of varicocele. This is a condition that occurs when the veins in the scrotum become enlarged and produce low sperm/decreased sperm quality as a result. 

Bicycling And ED

A study from 2010 suggested that riding on a bicycle seat for long periods of time can compress nerves in the perineum. That reduces blood flow to the penis, which may increase the risk of ED. A more recent study from 2020 involved 3,000 cyclists. Study authors noted a positive correlation between cycling and ED after adjusting age and other coexisting/underlying conditions. Other research found that certain bicycle characteristics led to an increased risk of ED. People who used mountain bikes, for example, had a higher risk of ED than those who used road bikes. 

Should You Take Precautions For Exercising With ED?

People with ED can benefit from regular exercise, especially if you are physically active for 30 minutes per day. Walking, hiking, running, swimming, strength training, and sports are great forms of exercise. Although cycling is a great cardiovascular workout, make sure to take the following precautions if you decide to cycle:

• Avoid tilting the seat forward
• Select a wide seat with adequate padding
• Check that the seat height is correct, so that your legs don’t extend completely at the bottom of each pedal stroke
• Position the handlebars higher than the seat

Other precautions for exercising with ED:

• Take time to warm up and cool down
• Stay hydrated by drinking the right fluids
• Speak with a doctor about an appropriate exercise routine for you
• Avoid overexertion and ease up when necessary
• Avoid exercising in hot weather

Given the research, there is some evidence that associates an increased risk of ED and certain sports, such as cycling and football. There is currently no evidence, however, that suggests excessive exercise causes ED. Physical inactivity increases the risk of ED, so many health experts encourage daily movement to avoid these issues.

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There’s nothing to be ashamed of when it comes to ED. It may affect up to 75% of men. Maintaining a plant-based diet with foods like: whole grains, fruits, veggies, nuts and legumes may lower the risk for ED.

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It’s National Condom Week. Let’s get informed about STI’s!

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It’s extremely common to get HPV at some point in your life. More than 90% of sexually active men and 80% of sexually active women will be infected in their lifetime. It’s important to get tested once a year, or every 3-6 months if you have multiple sexual partners.

Chapters:
0:00 Intro
0:39 Condoms protect against all STIs.
1:52 Condoms are almost 100% effective with perfect use, but only 90% effective with normal use.
2:55 Some STIs can cause cancer.
3:53 Pregnant women can pass STIs to their babies.
5:41 Tiebreaker
6:29 Outro

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A lot of couples had to reevaluate their status when they emerged from pandemic seclusion. People changed and so did relationships. Couples spent as much time together during the pandemic as they would over a three-year period, according to clinical psychologists. As couples plunged back into regular life, they realized they needed to reset their relationships.

Now, you don’t have to be holed up in your house for a year to do a relationship reset. Resetting and redefining a relationship can be especially beneficial for empathetic and sensitive people because they can pick up on other people’s emotions more easily. Empaths have a uniquely close connection with others, so resetting a relationship may be the maintenance necessary for emotional housekeeping. 

Whether you’re an empath or not, a relationship reset can be highly beneficial for both parties. If you are in a funk as a couple, hitting the reset button can help keep the relationship on the tracks. Consider the following tips to help strengthen your relationship. 

Do A Relationship Review

For starters, have a sit-down together and assess what works and what doesn’t work about your relationship. In order to make positive changes going forward, you have to share what you’ve learned about each other during the course of your relationship. Consider using prompts to aid the flow of the conversation. What has your time together revealed about your relationship? What do you want to discard and what has surprised you about each other? Don’t just focus on annoying things your partner does because they probably did/do things that surprised you. 

Build In Time Apart

Togetherness is a beautiful thing, but every couple needs time apart. Not only does time apart help the relationship flourish, but it also gives each person more independent strength. Solo time and being with other people can shape your character from different perspectives. When you are alone, you are in more control of your actions and how you manage your time. You can also process events, set goals, and think more individually while apart. Taking time for yourself helps each person in the relationship grow independently, and that can actually strengthen it. 

Spend Less Time In Their Energy

This piggybacks on the aforementioned tip about building time apart, and it also applies to a wide variety of relationships. Create space for yourself by not answering calls, text, or emails immediately. If you live with the person, make a habit of running errands separately or spending time with other people outside of the house. Solo hobbies are also great to have because they allow you to focus on self-improvement. Cooking, gardening, writing, or martial arts classes are great solo endeavors. 

Voice Your Appreciation

Although time apart is necessary for any relationship, time together is also something to cherish. When you are together, it’s imperative to voice your appreciation, especially if you feel that that is one of your weaknesses. Just as negative feedback is conducive to the relationship, so is positivity. A nearly three-decade-long study of marriage and divorce confirmed that one of the biggest regrets among divorced participants was not giving more encouragement and positive support. You can provide this type of support in the form of words or thoughtful gestures. Neglecting simple acts like cleaning the kitchen or making dinner can slowly chip away at a person. Don’t let the little things go unnoticed and make sure to show appreciation. 

Take Time To Connect

Sex is a crucial component to a healthy relationship. A recent online survey of 1,559 adults found that 43% of participants reported a decline in the quality of their sex lives since the start of the pandemic. A sexual dry spell is more common than you think. Stress, career uncertainty, children, and more are all libido killers. So how do you reignite that sexual spark and intimate connection? Therapists suggest that you prioritize sex as a component of overall health and wellbeing. When you prioritize sex as health, it makes it easier to allocate time for intimacy. If that means scheduling sex once a week, so be it! Don’t worry about the schedule taking the excitement out of the act. More often than not, people look forward to sex on the calendar! Most health experts suggest aiming for sex once a week because it is a very achievable number. Plus, one study found that weekly sex was essential for maximum wellbeing. 

After a relationship reset, assess how you feel toward the other person. You may find that you love them more than ever before. It’s also possible that the other person may need to occupy less space in your life. Relationships are not easy, and they can be messy and imperfect. A good clean up and reset can often be of great service to your relationship.

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European and American health authorities identified several cases of monkeypox within the recent days. Since May 13th, at least 92 confirmed cases and 28 suspected cases of monkeypox have been recorded in 12 countries, including the United States. This is a surprising outbreak of a disease that rarely appears outside of Africa. Additionally, most of the cases appear to be in young men. 

Just what the world needs, the eruption of a rare virus, the monkeypox. Health officials around the world continue to monitor the spread of this virus, looking out for more cases. For the first time, monkeypox seems to be spreading among people who did not travel to Africa. Health officials do stress that the risk to the general population is low. 

What Is Monkeypox?

Monkeypox is a zoonotic virus that transmits disease from animals to humans. More often than not, cases occur near tropical rainforests, in which animals that carry the virus live. Monkeypox tends to originate in rodents and primates, occasionally jumping to people who tend to live in West Africa, where the disease is endemic. Scientists first identified the illness in 1958, when there were two outbreaks of a “pox-like” disease in research monkeys. The name, monkeypox, stems from that research. The first documented human infection was in 1970, in a nine-year-old boy from a remote area of Congo. 

What Are The Symptoms?

The symptoms of monkeypox in humans are similar to but milder than the symptoms of smallpox. Beginning with a fever, headache, muscle aches, and exhaustion, monkeypox causes lymph nodes to swell. Smallpox, on the other hand, does not cause lymph swelling. The incubation period (time from infection to symptoms) for monkeypox tends to be 7-14 days, but it can range from 5-21 days. 

After the initial appearance of the fever, the patient develops a rash, often beginning on the face and spreading to other areas of the body. Lesions can progress though the following stages before falling off: macules, papules, vesicles, pustules, and scabs. The illness lasts between two to four weeks. According to research, monkeypox has been the cause of death in as many as one in 10 persons who contract the disease in Africa. 

How Is The Disease Transmitted?

Transmission is limited among humans, but it can happen through close skin contact, bodily fluids, air droplets, and virus-contaminated objects. Of the recent cases in the U.K. and Canada, for example, most of them were among attendees of sexual health services at clinics in men who have sex with men. In regards to this trend, the regional emergencies director for the WHO’s Health Emergencies Program cautioned, “This is new information we need to investigate properly to better understand the dynamic of local transmission in the U.K. and some other countries.”

How Many Cases Are There Typically?

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), there are thousands of monkeypox infections in about a dozen African countries every year. About 6,000 cases annually are reported from the Congo, with an additional 3,000 cases coming from Nigeria. Because of patchy health monitoring systems, experts suggest that many infected people are not accounted for. Occasionally, there are isolated cases of monkeypox outside Africa, including the U.K. and the U.S. More often than not, these isolated cases result from travel to Africa or contact with animals from areas where the disease is common.

What Is Different About The New Cases?

To date, this is the first time monkeypox appears to spread among people who did not travel to Africa. Again, most of the cases involve men who engaged in sexual intercourse with other men, but health experts do not deem this the sole cause of transmission. Britain’s Health Security Agency said that all of its cases are not connected. This suggests that there are multiple chains of transmission in existence. Infections in Portugal, however, were discovered at a sexual health clinic, where men sought help for lesions on their genitals. 

At the moment, it is possible that monkeypox spreads through sex, but this still remains unclear. In previous documentation, monkeypox has not reportedly spread through sex. It does, however, transmit through close contact with infected people, so transmission via sex is not out of the question. There are many unknowns in terms of dynamics of transmission and the epidemiology of the disease. Health experts need to fill in important gaps with therapeutics and diagnostics and reach conclusions that go beyond addressing the disease.

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Exercise is paramount when it comes to combatting erectile dysfunction. According to several studies, regular erectile dysfunction exercises help to get your blood pumping and improve endothelium function. Endothelium is the inner lining of blood vessels and endothelial cells release substances that control vascular relaxation and contraction.

The blood vessels in the penis are about one-third the size of those in the heart. If you experience erectile dysfunction because of vascular issues, it’s possible that you’re at risk for heart problems as well. Taking steps to keep your endothelium healthy may help you reduce the risk of erectile dysfunction. Being more physically active is necessary for optimal circulation, but there are also other exercises that encourage sexual health. 

Erectile Dysfunction Exercises

Kegel Exercises For Men

Kegel exercises are some of the most beneficial movements for erectile dysfunction. In order to fight the effects of ED, you must strengthen the muscles in your pelvic floor. Kegel exercises, when performed correctly, do that in an efficient way. For men, the goal is to strengthen the bulbocavernosus muscle. This muscle allows the penis to fill with blood during an erection, pump semen during ejaculation, and empty the urethra after urination. When you target this muscle, you should be able to experience longer-lasting erections and better penile function.

Ideally, you should practice Kegel exercises every day to experience noticeable improvements. You can practice Kegels anywhere and you can do them lying down, sitting, or standing. Should you have problems such as urinary incontinence or other bladder issues, Kegels may positively impact these areas of your health as well. 

How To Do Kegel Exercises For Men

Before you begin, it’s best to locate the bulbocavernosus muscle for your own knowledge. The easiest way to do this is by stopping your stream multiple times during urination. The muscle you use to do that is the one you want to target. Be sure that you aren’t clenching muscles in the stomach, buttocks, or legs when you engage in Kegels. Otherwise, you won’t experience the same results. 

To begin, lie down, sit down, or stand up. Engage the bulbocavernosus muscle and hold it for three seconds. Release and repeat three to five more times. Repeat this process at least three times per day for the best results. Once your muscle gets stronger, you can increase the time from three to five seconds. The ultimate goal is to hold it for longer periods of time, with the ultimate hold amounting to 10 seconds, five separate times, thrice daily. The more you strengthen the bulbocavernosus muscle, the better chances you have at improving your condition. 

Knee Fallouts

This is a Pilates movement that helps activate the right group of muscles and challenges you to maintain pelvic floor strength while moving. It’s a beginner exercise that focuses on small movements. To being the exercise, lie down with your knees bent, keeping the feet flat on the floor. Allow your arms to rest by your sides. Keeping the spine in a neutral position, exhale and squeeze the pelvic floor muscles and slowly lower one knee to the floor, as if it is a controlled fall to the outside. You should only lower it as far as you can while maintaining activation of the pelvic floor muscles. Keep the pelvic stable, inhale, and release the muscles as you bend the knee again. Repeat on the other side and complete four or five repetitions per side. The goal is to build up to 10 reps per side. 

Pelvic Curl

Yet another common exercise in Pilates, this helps to activate the pelvic floor just like knee fallouts. Begin in the same lying down position as the previous exercise. Keep the spine in a neutral position, allowing a small space between your middle back and the floor. Exhale and engage your pelvic floor muscles, tilting the pelvis up toward the belly button. Your back should be pressed flat against the floor while doing this. Slowly lift the buttocks and drive your heels into the floor to push up into a bridge position. Make sure to squeeze your buttocks the entire time, resting your weight on the shoulders. Take three breaths before lowering the buttocks and back down to the floor, vertebra by vertebra. Repeat three to four times and build up to 10 repetitions. 

Supine Foot Raises

This is an exercise that actually builds on the movements involved with knee fallouts. The goal for this exercise is small, controlled movements executed to perfection. Begin in the same lying down position as the two previous exercises. Exhale and engage your pelvic floor muscles, slowly lifting your right foot off the floor. Make sure that the pelvis and spine are stable and not wavering as you bring your right leg to a full extension. Inhale and then slowly lower your foot back to the ground. Alternate sides, repeating three to four times on each leg. 

Aerobic Exercise

In addition to exercising the pelvic floor muscles, it’s beneficial to engage in other types of exercise, especially aerobic exercise. According to one study, aerobic exercise may help improve symptoms of erectile dysfunction. Often times, ED results from blood flow problems to the penis. Diabetes, high cholesterol, vascular disease, and obesity affect blood flow and your ability to become erect. Incorporating aerobic exercise to your workout routine not only works to improve cardiovascular health, but may also lead to improvements in ED. A simple 30-minute walk, three to four times a week, may be enough to improve cardiovascular health. Other forms of aerobic exercise include:

• Rowing
• Boxing
• Spin classes
• Biking
• Skipping
• Rebounding
• Running

Keep in mind that it may take between four to six weeks to notice the effects of practicing these exercises. Don’t expect instantaneous results because, much like strength training, building muscle strength takes time. 

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