For many, the siren song of cigarettes is just too alluring to turn down. Men tend to start smoking early in life, and the habit sticks with them well into their golden years. While many struggle to kick cigarettes, the addictive properties of the little coffin nails makes it hard to stay away from them for good.
But there are some men that are perfectly fine with the litany of health problems that cigarettes are known to cause. The possibility of heart failure or cancer isn’t enough to dissuade these men, and they keep the habit up until the day they die. But there is one detrimental side effect to smoking that tends to scare all men, committed smokers or trying-to-quite smokers alike: Erectile dysfunction.
Yes, while the cancerous aspects of cigarettes are more commonly discussed, a smoking habit can also lead to the inability to achieve an erection. This is due to the fact that cigarettes contain harmful chemicals that lead to plaque developing on the walls of your arteries. As this plaque builds up, blood flow slows exponentially as the blood has to work to circumvent these newfound obstacles. This translates into aspects of the body that need blood to properly function, i.e. the penis when it needs to achieve an erection, not getting the requisite blood to achieve its function. As the plaque continues to build, blood output will slow, which can translate into permanent erectile dysfunction.
So yes, committed smokers are at a higher risk of developing erectile dysfunction. If you want to save your love life, kick the smoking habit and consult your doctor on the best way to eliminate the plaque from your body. By taking the proper medication, making positive lifestyle choices, and staying away from cigarettes, even lifelong smokers might be able to save their erection.