Did you know that your erectile dysfunction might be caused due to stress? Erectile dysfunction (ED) is more common than you think. As you age, erectile dysfunction risk increases, however, it can occur at any age due to different reasons. One of the most common reasons is stress. It increases the risk of erectile dysfunction and other chronic conditions like heart disease, diabetes, obesity, etc. Luckily, some strategies can help you manage ED that is caused by stress and anxiety. Learn how stress and anxiety cause erectile dysfunction and ways to manage them in this article. Visit the best Mental Health Clinic in Brooklyn at Doral Health & Wellness or log on to www.doralhw.org for a consultation.
How do stress and anxiety cause erectile dysfunction?
Many people don’t know but stress and anxiety can impact your sexual life and cause erectile dysfunction. Stress is one of the most common risk factors that increase the risk of conditions like heart disease, high blood pressure, obesity, high cholesterol levels, and excessive alcohol consumption. When stressed, your body produces stress hormones that increase your heart rate, blood pressure, and alerts all your senses to respond to the situation.
Over time with prolonged or chronic stress, these factors may cause a lack of sleep, high blood pressure, and emotional fatigue which impact overall physical health including erectile dysfunction. Many studies show how stress can ruin your overall health. Factors like blood pressure, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, and obesity can also cause stress that affects you during sexual intercourse. Stress can also interfere with your brain signals that increase blood flow to the penis during sexual intercourse. Stress can affect your sexual function by causing erectile dysfunction, performance anxiety, and reduced libido or sex drive. Research has revealed that common life stress can cause anxiety which leads to erectile dysfunction. Unluckily, it creates a vicious sex-stress cycle because when you’re stressed, it can lead to ED, and then your ED makes you self-conscious which can lead to more stress.
A study from 2015 reveals that 64 men struggling with ED or premature ejaculation (PE) had a significant connection with anxiety and depression. The majority of participants had anxiety and depressive disorders before sexual dysfunction. This means mental health issues including stress-related conditions can lead to erectile dysfunction.
Stress and anxiety that cause ED can vary based on your age group, which may include:
- Psychological ED (mainly due to nervousness and anxiety) affects 90% of teenagers and young men. These events affect the short term.
- Personal and professional stress like relationship trouble can be the main reason for ED in middle-aged men.
- Physical impotence is widespread in older men, but the loss of a partner and loneliness can also cause psychological stress.
Strategies to manage stress-related erectile dysfunction
Some strategies can help you manage stress-related erectile dysfunction and improve your sex life. It includes:
- Therapy:
You can speak with a mental health professional to get the right therapy to treat the psychological cause of your ED. Therapy helps you break the stress-induced ED cycle. It may include:
- Counseling: You will work with a therapist who helps you identify and address the key issues that cause your stress and anxiety so that you can manage them.
- Psychodynamic therapy: This involves addressing a subconscious conflict to find the root cause of your ED.
- Sex therapy: This therapy can help focus on sensation pleasure rather than arousal and sexual activity. It mainly is to lower the stress factor for you to build a secure and reliable sex life.
- Sexual anxiety therapy: Your doctor will explain your ED in full detail to you. So, they can lower your problems and worries caused by a lack of knowledge. Your doctor also addresses the emotional issues to provide you with a solution. These solutions may vary from achieving relaxation by reactivating imagination.
- Alternative therapies:
Some other therapies are also used to relieve stress and anxiety, including:
- Relaxation techniques such as rhythmic breathing, deep breathing, visualized breathing, progressive muscle relaxation, mental imagery relaxation, etc.
- Meditation
- Yoga
- Acupuncture
While these treatments may help you manage your stress and anxiety levels, there is less evidence to support that these treatments are as effective as traditional therapies and medication for stress and anxiety. However, it can offer additional benefits alongside the main treatment that a doctor prescribes.
- Other treatments for erectile dysfunction:
ED is usually a symptom of an underlying condition. In some cases, stress and anxiety may only increase the risk of ED, not cause it. So, talk with your doctor to learn if any other symptoms accompany ED. They can help you diagnose the cause and treat it. ED treatments may involve:
- Prescription medicine
- Injections
- Penis suppository
- Testosterone replacement
- Penis pump
- Penile implant
- Blood vessel surgery
- Lifestyle changes:
Certain lifestyle factors can be the reason for your ED. You can make changes in your lifestyle to manage your stress like eating a healthy balanced diet, exercising regularly, getting outside daily, limiting alcohol consumption, and quitting smoking.
- Herbs and supplements:
Some herbs and supplements can help you with ED along with stress and anxiety. These supplements include:
- Panax ginseng is a Chinese and Korean herb that is available in the form of tablets or creams.
- Black maca is a root vegetable that reduces stress symptoms and improves sexual performance.
- Kava, a plant that can be used to treat anxiety and improve mood.
- Chamomile is a plant that reduces symptoms of anxiety.
Always talk with your doctor before starting to take these herbs and supplements for any health concerns because some of them may cause serious side effects. For instance, kava can 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. Keep in mind that herbal medication is not regulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and is not subject to rigorous trials and safety reviews to get approved for prescription medication.
Stress and erectile dysfunction are linked to a vicious cycle. Stress triggers risk factors in the body that lead to erectile dysfunction and when you become conscious about ED it causes more stress. However, the above-mentioned strategies can help you manage stress-related erectile dysfunction and improve your sex life.
Need help with erectile dysfunction, visit our men’s health expert at Brooklyn Clinic to get professional medical help. Call us to book your appointment now!!!! Visit our mental health clinic in Brooklyn, to get professional help and guidance on how to manage your problem. Call us on +1-347-384-5690 to get a consultation. If you need help learning coping methods, register your information and make direct contact with our doctors and psychiatrists to learn those methods, log on to www.doralhw.org. Visit us at 1797 Pitkin Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11212.
