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Sure, it’s hard to be the convenience of a car, but sometimes you just want to get out and enjoy the fresh air. Bicycling to work is becoming increasingly prevalent among urban dwellers, leading to more and more men spending their commute on a Schwinn. Surely there can’t be any negatives to this biking craze; after all, regular biking is great exercise that helps to keep you healthy. But can all that bike riding actually be causing issues with your erection?

While the connection might sound flimsy, don’t scoff just yet. It might sound like an old wives tale, but it’s actually true: Regular biking can lead to erectile dysfunction. But that doesn’t mean it’s time to throw out your fixie just yet. It’s not bike riding itself that causes ED to develop; rather, it’s the bike seat.

Having a good bike seat is paramount for staying comfy on your ride, but it can also play a vital role in your ability to perform in the bedroom. This is because the bike seat puts a lot of pressure on the perineum, a bundle of nerves and arteries found smack-dab in the middle between the anus and the scrotum.

A hard, narrow bike seat can make this perineum pressure downright dangerous, as having constant pressure on this area can lead to nerve and artery damage, which translates into the body struggling to achieve an erection.

Thankfully, the work around here is easy: Invest in a better bike seat. A cushy seat that contours to your body is recommended, but something as simple as a softer seat can definitely help. If you regularly bike, ditch that old unforgiving seat and invest in something that will ensure your ride is smooth and your erection stays healthy.

With the country making strides towards being more accepting of offbeat and alternative lifestyles, the drug known as marijuana is slowly transforming from a socially stigmatized narcotic into a medicinal alternative that also functions as a relaxant. But while marijuana may be becoming more openly accepted, the drug is still saddled with its fair share of misconceptions. There are still plenty that think of marijuana as nothing but a mind erasing, laziness-encouraging devil weed. In addition to being a good-for-nothing drug, many people are under the impression that smoking marijuana can lead to health complications, such as the dreaded erectile dysfunction.

The association at least makes some kind of sense: The rationale is that marijuana causes the body to become sluggish, which translates into slowed blood flow to the penis, leading to ED. But let’s clear the air here: No matter how often someone partakes in marijuana, they are at no higher risk of developing erectile dysfunction than men who do not smoke marijuana.

While it’s true that marijuana does have its side effects (after all, partaking in anything too often, including marijuana, can lead to issues within the body), rest assured that erectile dysfunction is not one of them.

But that’s not to say smoking marijuana makes a man immune to developing erectile issues. Marijuana-enthusiast or no, all men are susceptible to developing ED. So no matter where you fall on the marijuana enjoyment spectrum, make positive lifestyle choices, stay active, and keep your your erection healthy.

Like a thief in the night, erectile dysfunction creeps up on you and suddenly makes your sex life much more complicated, and you didn’t even see it coming. While many health complications are saddled with red flags that allow a perceptive person to realize that something is amiss, it feels as though erectile dysfunction just strikes without warning. But is that the case? If a man knew what he was looking for, could he potentially spot developing erectile dysfunction and actively prevent it?

Well, unfortunately, ED is not the kind of health complication that is kind enough to give you an early warning. But that’s not to say that ED is completely unreadable. While it is true that erectile dysfunction cannot exactly be anticipated, you can learn a lot from how the erectile dysfunction afflicts you.

Erectile dysfunction comes in two forms: Temporary and long lasting. To the common man, any erectile issues whatsoever may cause them to assume it’s a permanent issue, keeping track of how your ED develops can tell you just what form you’re dealing with.

If you suddenly find yourself consistently unable to achieve an erection, perhaps after an event that could have affected you mentally (i.e. stress at work, moving houses, a fight with your spouse), this is temporary erectile dysfunction. By working to get to the root of the issue, it can be overcome.

But if the erectile dysfunction starts out relatively unobtrusive (i.e., only able to achieve a partial erection) but slowly gets worse, this indicates that the cause is likely physical in nature and puts your ED into the long term category. This form of ED can also be overcome, but it will likely require consultation with a doctor, medication, and serious work.

So, no, there is no way to tell when ED will up and strike. But should you develop ED, pay attention, as the signs of your erectile problems may just help you to regain your sex life.

If you were to grab a dozen men off the street and ask them what their most valued, protected asset is, you’d likely get the same answer every time: The penis. While the heart keeps us alive, and the brain keeps us thinking, it’s the penis that men seem the most attached to. That’s why when an injury befalls the penis, it can feel like the end of the world. As you sit there with a bag of ice on your bits, you may find yourself wondering what comes next. Will you still be able to urinate properly? Will it shrink? Does this mean no more erections?

While its easy to go into “worst case” scenario when it comes to groin injuries, the honest truth is that penile and groin damage does not necessarily mean that you’ve got ED looming in your future. In fact, much like any other injury, if treated and looked after properly, there’s no reason your little soldier shouldn’t be up and operational soon afterwards.

But that’s not to say that men can shrug off all penis-related injuries. The penis is a sensitive area, and it is possible to damage it in such a way that erections become more difficult. As the penis requires blood to achieve erections, should an injury harm the blood vessels and slow blood supply, or even damage vital nerves within the penis, ED can become a serious reality.

So it’s a mixed bag; if you receive a groin-related injury and begin to have erectile issues, it’s possible its purely in your head and you should be fine. But on the other hand, there exists the possibility that your ED could be due to a physical issue within your penis.

If you suffer an injury downstairs and begin to have erectile issues, be safe and speak to your doctor. Together, you can find out if it’s a serious issue or just your brain playing tricks on you.

There are many men who make it their goal in life to strive for the best body possible. This requires long hours in the gym, lifting, pulling, and pushing to sculpt their bodies into a mass of muscle. And while striving for physical perfection isn’t a problem in and of itself, there is concern that constant working out can lead to health complications. After all, everything should be enjoyed in moderation, even bettering yourself, so could exercising too much cause problems within the body? Could all those hours of lifting and running be putting you on the fast track to erectile dysfunction?

Well, that depends. If exercise is accomplished naturally, your sex life doesn’t run the risk of going belly-up any time soon. But if a man turns to enhancements for his workouts (i.e. steroids), the penis can find itself potentially running into ED.

But in actuality, naturally working out is one of the best ways to avoid erectile dysfunction. ED can often develop as a result of a sedentary lifestyle, which can have a detrimental effect on your vascular health. If a man doesn’t take time to get active, the heart will struggle to supply the body with adequate blood flow, leading to the development of erectile dysfunction.

But by exercising, you’ll give your body the fighting chance it needs to avoid ED. Regular exercise has been found to improve circulation throughout the body, ensuring that everything that needs blood to function properly (i.e. the erection) gets what it needs and stays healthy. In fact, as little as 20 to 30 minutes of exercise a day has been found to drastically improve blood flow, which translates into a strong, more reliable erection.

So, no, exercise in and of itself won’t put you at risk of erectile problems. But if you decide to bring steroids into the mix, you might be trading muscles for your sex life, and you’ll need to decide if that trade is worth it.

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.

These days, it seems as though every food and drink you come across has some sort of miracle side effect. Headlines trumpet avocados as helping to slow the effects of aging, while other experts claim that pistachios can make you a better lover. While the science behind such claims seems shaky at best, there is one consumable that has been found time and again to drastically help the body: Red wine.

Yes, red wine has been found to help the heart, improve bone health, and generally help the body in a number of ways, and it is all attributed to red wines richness in flavonoids. Flavonoids are found in red-hued fruits, such as the ones that are used to make red wine. These flavonoids are packed with antioxidants, giving the little metabolites powerful anti-inflammatory properties.

When you consume red wine, the flavonoids disperse throughout the body, helping to relax blood vessels and improve blood flow. While this means your heart won’t have to work as hard to supply blood to the body, it also means that your penis will be able to receive blood quickly and easily. With blood flow improved to the penis, erections will become easier to achieve, thus allowing the body to sidestep any potential erectile dysfunction issues.

But that’s not to say a man should knock back a case of wine coolers a day to stave off ED. Research has found a glass of wine a day, or every other day, is best to receive the wine’s health benefits, while simultaneously dodging the negative health effects that come from drinking too much.

So if you’re looking to avoid erectile dysfunction, consider red wine. A glass a day may just save your erection.

After several fancy dinners, a couple walks in the park, and a few glasses of wine, you’ve found yourself jumping into bed with a person you’ve never been sexually active with before. The feeling of exploring a new person with needs and desires can be very exciting, but, for some men, it can also be downright scary. For these men, even thought they certainly want to engage in sexual activity with their new partner, they find themselves unable to achieve an erection. The very though of being with someone new causes them to become so anxious, the body cannot translated sexual feelings into an erection, and it’s downright embarrassing. But this isn’t just a little hang-up for these men to deal with; anxiety over being sexual with a new partner can truly cause erectile dysfunction, and it’s a real problem.

When it comes to the penis, your brain is the end all, be all authority on achieving an erection. While the penis may be the recipient of pleasure, its up to the brain to translate this pleasurable feelings into signals that alert the penis that its time to become erect. If a man is anxious about getting sexual with a new partner, this pleasurable feelings get lost in the ether, leading to the brain not sending the necessary signals for an erection.

These feelings of anxiousness can be caused by a variety of factors; fear over sexually disappointing your new partner, worries over whether your partner will stick around after sex, or fretting that your partner will judge your sexual preferences can all lead to erectile dysfunction developing.

So, yes, new partner anxiety can lead to ED. Thankfully, by openly discussing the problem and working with a mental health expert, you can overcome this hurdle and your sex life back to normal. But don’t try to face this problem alone; ED is a problem that requires help to beat, so get to work beating it before it beats you.

When you finally manage to pry yourself out of bed in the morning, you need something to put a little pep in your step and make the day that much more manageable. The answer, of course, is coffee. Thousands of American men start every morning with a hot cup of Joe, and likely pay a visit or two more to the coffee pot as the day goes. But whether you’re taking it black or gussying it up with cream and sugar, surely all that coffee can’t be healthy, right? Could a serious coffee habit lead to health complications such as erectile dysfunction?

Actually, a steady diet of coffee may be the saving grace your erection needs. According to a study conducted by researchers at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, coffee can actually lessen a man’s chances of developing erectile dysfunction.

According to the study, research found that drink two or three cups of coffee a day are 39 percent less likely to develop ED. But it’s not the coffee itself that is staving off erectile problems; rather, it’s the caffeine. This is due to the fact that caffeine actually proves to be quite calming to the penile muscles, causing the muscle group that surrounds the penis to relax and open up, facilitating improved blood flow, thus making erections easier to achieve.

But that doesn’t mean men should start stocking up on cream and sugar for their coffee just yet. The researchers stressed that the study only relates to the caffeine naturally found in coffee; by regularly drinking sweetened coffee, you may be increasing your chances of diabetes or liver issues, thus negating the positive effects of the caffeine.

So, when you roll out of bed in the morning, reach for a cup (or three) of black coffee, and you’ll be keeping ED at bay while getting perked up for work.