How To Get An Erection?

Question:

Dear HowToGetErections.com,

To go straight to the point, I have been having problems getting erections for awhile now. It has never been a problem for me. I have no erections whatsoever with my intimate encounters or even with masturbation. All I can manage is get a bit hard but that is all I can manage. Please help me out. Thank you.

—Mr. P

Answer:

Dear Mr. P.,

Most men will go through erections problems at one time or another in their lives. There are many causes of erection problems and will mainly fall into these categories: biological, physical or a blend of the two.

This is part of a list of some of the biological reasons that could lead to erection problems – alcohol use, diabetes, kidney disease, neurological disease, lack of sleep, vascular diseases like hypertension, high cholesterol, or atherosclerosis. You may need to check also hormonal imbalance or the side effects of prescription or other drugs if you are using them.

When it comes to psychological reasons think of stress, anxiety, guilt, depression, low self-esteem, and pressure from a new or "demanding" partner, or any other stressful or pressuring events in a man’s life.

These psychological issues can aggravate a physical problem. An existing condition like poor blood flow causing erection problems can be made worse by worry over the inability to get erections at the right time will build more pressure on the man and this leads to even fewer erections. The good news is that regardless of the causes, information, counselling, lifestyle changes, and perhaps medication can help.

Lifestyle changes are one way to go about handling this problem. Here are some lifestyles changes you can take to help yourself without resorting to medication

* Not smoking It reduces blood flow to the penis.

* Keeping a healthy body weight Overweight men are more prone to erection problems.

* Regular exercise Couch potato types tend to have erection problems.

* Seeing your health care provider regularly So that chronic conditions like diabetes and high cholesterol can be detected and managed as they can cause erection problems.

* Drinking alcohol moderately Over consumption of alcohol restricts blood flow to the penis and also lowers the production of testosterone.

* Avoid using illegal drugs Marijuana, cocaine, and other illicit drugs can damage blood vessels and/or restrict blood flow to the penis.

* Managing stress. Stress and anxiety are frequent causes of erection problems especially on a short term basis.

The man’s age too can have a lot to do with the quality of erections being less hard.

From all these it is advisable to start with your health care provider. He will find out about your erections, how often they occur, the quality when they are present (i.e., morning erections), and the degree of hardness, as well as checking you, he will be in a position to find out whether the cause is related to blood flow, blood pressure, and/or related biological causes. It may not be the most comfortable conversation but remember that your sexual health is part of your health as a whole so you have to make the step. You could even bring along this Go Ask Alice! Q&A. It is very likely that either s/he has met at least some of the 30 million men who have trouble with erections and will have an answer for you, or s/he will refer you to a specialist who does.

Once the exam is over and nothing is wrong with you the, the health care provider may prescribe Viagra or other similar drug. It is important to note that these do not need to be the first line of action or to be depended on notwithstanding what the health care provider will suggest. Try to eliminate as many causes listed above as possible before taking this step. Hope this helps, HowToGetErections.com