While the classic carols might tell you that December is the most wonderful time of the year, many would argue that this Winter Wonderland is actually the most stressful time of the year. With decorations to put up, presents to buy, holiday parties to attend, and family to visit, it can all feel like a lot to deal with. And while many men are able to get through this holiday stress with no issues, there are plenty of men that aren’t so lucky. For many men, this holiday stress can leak into other facets of their lives, and can lead to issues achieving an erection.
This is because stress has a way of overriding the brain. When you can’t get the Christmas tree to stand up properly, or you can’t find the right gift for your partner, this stress becomes priority number one for your brain, which can lead to other non-stress related signals being sent to the brain to get lost in the shuffle.
So when you hop between the sheets and your penis attempts to alert your brain that it’s time to supply the blood needed for an erection, this signal could get overlooked, leading to a missed erection. As stress about what you’re going to make for Christmas dinner for your in-laws clouds your brain, your body continues to miss erectile cues, leading to continual missed erections, which can snowball into full blown mentally induced erectile dysfunction.
But all this holiday stress does not have to spell the end for your sex life; rather, if dealt with properly, your sex life should be just fine, no matter what yuletide difficulties you encounter. Work with your partner to deal with stress as a team, or speak to a mental health professional. With help and patience, you won’t have to worry about losing your erection this Christmas season.