Hopping into bed with a new partner can be downright nerve wracking. You have to learn a whole new guidelines of do’s and don’ts, all while ensuring that you do a good enough job between the sheets that this new partner will want to see you again. For some men, these new benchmarks prove to be just too much, leading to anxious feelings over sex. These anxious feelings can prevent the body from achieving an erection, leading to the man believing that he may be dealing with erectile dysfunction. But is this erectile issue brought on by anxiety over sex? Or could it be the result of another issue entirely?
Well, anxiety-based erectile dysfunction is all in your head. When anxious feelings cloud the brain, it can block crucial signals, such as those sent to alert the brain that its time to achieve an erection. This anxiety can fade when the man is not in an intercourse situation, so it’s quite easy to determine if the erectile dysfunction is a result of anxiety: Test to see when you can achieve an erection.
Oftentimes, anxiety-induced ED will not be an issue for a man when he is masturbating. If a man can achieve an erection on his own, this is a strong indicator that the root cause of the ED is psychological in nature and is related to sex.
However, if a man attempts to masturbate and still struggles to achieve an erection, it is possible that the cause is either another psychological hang-up altogether (i.e. guilt, depression, etc.), or that the erectile dysfunction is caused by a physical issue.
If you suspect that your ED is a result of sex anxiety, see if an erection is possible via masturbation. If not, explore potential causes and speak with a health professional to figure out a way to overcome your erectile issues.