Tag Archives: stress and sex

The Relationship between Erectile Dysfunction and Stress

Erectile dysfunction (ED) or impotence is a problem that now affects many men across the world. Unlike several years ago when the problem was largely restricted to aging men, younger men are doing being diagnosed as being impotent, something that has raised a lot of concern to health authorities worldwide.

Simply put, erectile dysfunction is a man’s inability to achieve penile erection, erection necessary for sexual performance. In case a man does manage to achieve penile erection, it is not strong enough. There are indeed some impotent men who manage to achieve penile erection but end up reaching orgasm before their sexual partners do, leaving their partners dejected and sexually starved, which has been a major cause of family problems.

Although ED can be caused by several factors including long-term use of some medications, injuries to the groin area, poor diet and use of illicit drugs among many other causes, high stress level has been noted to be one of the major causes of erectile dysfunction. Indeed, majority of young men diagnosed as being impotent have been found to have stress levels, which calls for the serious need by health authorities in different countries to put in place stress prevention and management programs for the benefit of citizenry.

There is no doubt that we all experience stress or are encounter stressful situations and conditions. Although our bodies are naturally designed to absorb and cope with any stress, being stressed or being exposed to stressful situations and conditions on a daily basis weakens the body, leading to several health problems including erectile dysfunction. High stress levels disrupt the body’s normal work circle. Considering that the ability to achieve penile erection begins in the mind, high stress level simply kills a man’s sex drive, resulting in lack of interest in sex. When left to persist without any medical attention, continued high stress levels can easily lead to depression, which is another serious health condition.

What many fail to realize and in particular what many young men fail to realize is that high stress levels wreck havoc in their sexual life. Indeed what many young men do not know is that stress is not caused by events but how their bodies respond to such events, regardless of whether such events are good or bad. Death of a loved one, joblessness, simple confrontations, marriage, parenting, money problems and illness are just a few of the issues that cause stress. How a man’s body responds to such issues is what determines his stress level. Men whose bodies cannot manage such situations simply become stressed, increasing the risk of developing erectile dysfunction.

Because of the risk of becoming impotent, it is very necessary that all men and young men in particular know how to identify warning signs of stress so as to be able to manage the same. Stress presents emotional, physical and behavioural signs that all men need to watch out for including anger, lack of concentration, regular mood swings (emotional, chronic fatigue, stomach pains, low sex drive, sweaty palms and sleep disturbances among others (physical) and over-reacting situations, excessive use of alcohol, eating disorders and isolation among others (behavioural).