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Maintaining an Erection
Erection is a physiological mechanism, a reaction of the organism to any kind of sexual stimuli (tactile, visual, and audial). Yet for males, the erection is also an important element adding to their self-confidence and self-esteem. The inability to keep an erection firm during sexual intercourse is a shocking experience for any man. For this reason, managing this disease is so much important.
What Are Erection Problems?
Occasional failures in bed happen to almost every man at some period in life. However, for some of them, such problems grow into erectile dysfunction. What is it and what causes it? Let’s find out more about erection problems causes, treatment, complications. Erectile dysfunction is characterized by the male inability to attain and/or keep the penis erect long enough for performing normal-duration sexual intercourse.
Men crossing the 40 years barrier are more prone to developing impotence if compared to younger individuals. The statistics say that about 70% of 70-year-olds develop this sexual dysfunction.
Why Can I Not Maintain an Erection During Sex?
The triggers of erectile dysfunction vary. In many men, the illness develops gradually, whereas, in some individuals, trouble keeping an erection firm appears abruptly. We’ll have a detailed look at the most common causes of such a condition.
One-Off Problems
As we’ve already mentioned, one-off cases of sexual inability happen to almost every man. They are not considered erectile dysfunction, yet they may signal the problems waiting ahead. The most often reported reasons for one-off failures in bed are stress, physical or emotional exhaustion, excessive alcohol consumption, or drug intoxication.
Signs of Underlying Health Problems
It’s not rare that male sexual inability may sign some underlying medical conditions. The diseases that may affect male intimate health and erectile function in particular are:
- diabetes;
- ischemic heart disease;
- arterial hypertension;
- atherosclerosis;
- high cholesterol levels;
- excessive body mass;
- insufficient levels of testosterone, and many others.
The specialists say that 42 – 57% of men with cardiovascular disorders will develop erectile dysfunction. The so-called silent ischemic heart disease is responsible for almost 34% of cases of impotence. Very often sexual inability is the only symptom of silent ischemia. For this reason, men complaining of difficulty sustaining an erection should be examined for any cardiovascular health disorders.
The prevalence of male sexual inability in diabetics ranges from 27% to 75%. Such a difference is the result of men not being aware of their elevated blood glucose levels, and thus, the absence of treatment that could halt the development of ED.
Psychological Causes
Erection is a difficult mechanism involving both physical and psychological factors. Although the latter provoke the disease rarer, they are still responsible for 10 – 20% of cases. Mental health issues such as stress, depression, the feeling of guilt, low self-esteem, anxiety, and sexual performance anxiety are more prevalent among men under 40. The signs of the disease provoked by psycho-emotional problems usually appear abruptly.
Sexual dysfunction may also result from troubles in interpersonal relations with a sexual partner, as well as due to the excess of pornography in a man’s life. Counseling and some other specific therapies may be efficacious in the treatment of ED.
How Can I Maintain an Erection Better?
In an attempt to avoid the intake of medicines and get their erections harder, men search for some alternative, more natural ways of managing their problem. Lifestyle changes tend to be among the most effective methods of bettering the condition.
So how to get erect & maintain an erection? Tips to get fully erect and keep so throughout the intercourse are given below:
- Give up some unhealthy habits, like smoking and alcohol consumption. Both nicotine and ethanol affect the blood vessels making them stiffer and preventing the normal flow of blood to the penis. Exclude these factors and, after a while, you’ll see some improvement.
- Start working out. Doctors say that at least half an hour of daily aerobic exercises (jogging, swimming, walking) can help enhance the circulation of blood in the pelvis, thus allowing you to prolong your erections.
- Change your diet. You may not know but the Mediterranean diet is thought to be the best for men suffering from impotence? That’s due to its being rich in unsaturated fats, vitamins, and minerals, which play an essential role in the health of the cardiovascular system, keeping your blood glucose levels within the norm, and maintaining healthy body weight.
- Try some sex toys. Sufficient stimulation of the penis during a sexual intercourse helps to keep the erection hard. Male vibratos, penile sleeves, and penile rings can not only diversify your intimate life and add some pepper to your relations but also provide additional stimulation to the genitals and prevent the preterm outflow of blood from the organ.
- Kegel exercises for maintaining an erection are also considered to be efficacious. By regularly repeating the exercise, you can strengthen your pelvic floor muscles and make your erections last longer.
- A conversation with a partner. This method is most recommended to men whose sexual dysfunction is related to a lack of trust in the sexual partner and sexual performance anxiety. Such a talk lets you understand each other better and improve both your relations and sexual life.
As you see, there are lots of aspects that may influence your erection durability. And the answer to the question of how to maintain an erection without pills is easier than you might have thought. Almost all the methods we offer don’t require any financial expenses. However, they need you to be responsible, patient, and persistent in your desire to change your way of life. Otherwise, the achievement of the desired result is almost impossible
Can Medication Like Viagra Help Maintain an Erection?
Medicinal therapy of unstable erection is the easiest way to cope with the problem. Therefore the majority of men choose drug intake instead of changing their lifestyle and habits. The high efficacy of medicines like Viagra in the therapy of erectile dysfunction is explained by the ability of the drug to enhance the inflow of blood to the penile area, thus promoting a hard and lasting erection. The rate of efficacy and the speed of action of medicinal ED treatments are the main advantages of ED pills if compared to natural ways of improving the quality of an erection.
As for the drawbacks, they are:
- Short-lived results. Viagra and other similar meds start working within an hour, yet the duration of their action ranges from 4 to 36 hours only. This means you can’t hope for permanent improvement of erectile function.
- Risks of developing side effects. PDE5 inhibitors, which are commonly applied for ED, may provoke some unwanted reactions, including diarrhea, headache, muscle pain, and others.
- Price. Unlike making changes to your lifestyle, which will probably cost you a zero, the purchase of ED pills is not cheap.
Anyway, if your attempts to make the erection stay hard longer naturally failed, the intake of Viagra-like medications is the best solution for you.
Our selection of ED pills
Diagnosing Erection Problems
The diagnostics of erectile dysfunction should only be done by a medical professional. A doctor’s examination will likely include the following:
- Collecting the information about your medical history. You’ll be asked questions regarding the frequency of your sexual intercourse, your ability to attain and sustain an erection, past and current medical conditions, surgeries you might have had, etc.
- Physical examination. A GP will check the sensitivity of your penis to exclude the possibility of nerve damage. Besides, he/she will evaluate the appearance of the organ for any curvature, which may affect the quality of your erection. Finally, your blood pressure will be measured.
- Exam of your mental health. A medical specialist can offer you to pass a psychological test or just ask you about how you rate your self-confidence, whether you have had any stresses, worries, and mood changes lately.
- A blood test. In case there won’t be any obvious reasons for your erection problems, you may need to pass a testosterone and blood sugar levels test. A blood test for cholesterol levels may also be required in men with obesity and heart disease.
- A urine test. This is done to exclude any underlying medical conditions.
- Doppler sonography. This is a kind of ultrasound test aimed to check the dynamics of blood flow in the penile area and to find its violations if any.
Usually, medical history and a physical checkup are all your physician needs for diagnosing impotence. The rest of the listed methods are recommended if no reason explaining your ED is detected.
When to Call Your Doctor
One-off cases of erection failure are not a reason to worry about. But if a weak or unstable erection gets more often or becomes regular, it’s time to call your doctor. A GP needs to learn your medical history and know the results of your blood and urine tests.
If none of the facts you provide can be qualified as a reason for your sexual dysfunction, you will be referred to the urologist. The task of this doctor is to exclude the issues related to the prostate gland. A prostate enlargement, as well as prostate cancer, may both affects the quality of your erectile function. A consultation with the urologist is especially important for those men who have undergone radical prostatectomy or other surgical interventions on the genitourinary system.
A visit to an endocrinologist is advised to individuals whose difficulties maintaining erections hard are provoked by diabetes, low testosterone levels, or low sexual desire due to elevated levels of prolactin hormone.
The ED induced by psychological health issues must be treated by mental health specialists. The treatment plan may include the intake of antidepressants, counseling, or psychotherapy.
Get Pills That Will Help You Maintain an Erection
The natural ways of improving your sexual health may be time-consuming and not always efficacious. Deciding on the intake of erectile dysfunction medicines you let yourself get fast results while applying minimum effort.
Online pharmacies offer a wide range of drugs for erectile dysfunction treatment. Men can choose between brand medications and their less expensive but same highly efficacious generic versions. Currently, the three most popular medicines can promote a lasting erection – sildenafil (generic Viagra), vardenafil (generic Levitra), and tadalafil (generic Cialis). These preparations may be purchased either in the form of pills/capsules or in the oral jelly form, which is preferable for men who have trouble swallowing tablets. The most commonly used jelly drug is Kamagra Oral Jelly, which is a Viagra generic.
Whichever you choose, you may be confident about the efficacy of your treatment as these medicines work in 70 – 85% of cases. Still, the best option is to try all of them and find the one working for you best of all.
