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Up To One In Five UK Men Live With ED, So Here’s Everything You Need To Know
More than 4 million men is the UK suffer from erectile dysfunction, making it one of the most common sexual health concerns. It can impact everything from sexual performance and relationship health to confidence and mental wellbeing. As such, it’s important to understand as much as possible about this condition to be able to spot the signs and get the treatment you need.
With that in mind, here is everything you need to know about erectile dysfunction, including what causes it and what you can do to abate your symptoms. Let’s take a look.
What Is Erectile Dysfunction?
Erectile problems are common among men, especially in men over 40. It’s not unusual to struggle to achieve an erection every so often when having sex, especially if you’re stressed, tired or have been drinking alcohol.
However, if you struggle to achieve or maintain an erection during sex frequently, it may be a sign of a wider health concern, as this is what defines erectile dysfunction.
What Causes Erectile Dysfunction?
Frequent erectile dysfunction could be a sign of deeper physical or emotional issues that need to be dealt with. ED can be caused by both physical and psychological factors, which will need to be addressed if you want to reduce your symptoms.
Physical causes of erectile dysfunction can include:
- Diabetes
- Cardiovascular disease
- High cholesterol
- High blood pressure
- Unhealthy lifestyle, including poor diet, drinking alcohol, smoking etc.
High blood pressure or high cholesterol can cause a narrowing of the blood vessels in the penis, making it harder for blood to travel there and therefore making erections more difficult to achieve or sustain.
Meanwhile, psychological causes of erectile dysfunction can include:
- Anxiety
- Stress
- Depression
- Negative thoughts about sex
- Relationship problems
- Sexual trauma
What Can You Do To Reduce Erectile Dysfunction?
There are certain lifestyle changes you can make to reduce your ED symptoms. These include losing weight if you are overweight, quitting smoking, eating a healthy diet and making time to exercise daily. You should also take steps to reduce stress and anxiety, whether this means addressing stressful situations head on, talking to a family member, friend or professional, or making time to do things that help you relax.
You should avoid drinking more than 14 units of alcohol a week. If you’re a keen cyclist, you should also try not cycling for a while to see if this makes a difference, as the pressure of the bike seat has been known to impact circulation to the genitals.
What Treatment Is There For Erectile Dysfunction?
As well as making changes to your lifestyle yourself, you can also seek out treatment for your ED symptoms. Depending on the underlying cause of your issues, the treatment will differ. For example, psychological causes of ED may mean that talking through your issues will make the biggest difference. You can talk through your anxiety with your partner or with a healthcare professional.
If you are currently taking any prescribed medication, you should check the side effects to see if erectile dysfunction is listed. If so, speak to your GP about changing your medication.
Speaking of medication, there are also tablets designed to alleviate ED symptoms, such as Sildenafil. This has been proven to make erections easier to achieve and maintain during sex, helping to reduce your sexual health concerns altogether. You can find Sildenafil easily and order it online right here: https://www.postmymeds.co.uk/treatments/erectile-dysfunction/buy-sildenafil-tablets-generic-viagra/
