Category: Erectile Dysfunction

First of all it’s important to know that the occasional inability to have an erection sufficiently strong for sexual activity is not erectile dysfunction. It really does “happen to everyone once in a while.” Erectile dysfunction is persistent and occurs in multiple contexts. In other words, men with erectile dysfunction not only have difficulty engaging in sexual activity with their partner, they also have difficulty achieving erections through masturbation, and don’t have nocturnal erections or have nocturnal erections that are not very strong.

If you think you may have erectile dysfunction, your first step to treating the problem is having it “officially” diagnosed by a physician. This is typically done through simple questions and answers about your sexual functioning, so it’s essential that you be honest with your healthcare provider about what you have experienced.

Your doctor will diagnose you with erectile dysfunction largely based on medical and sexual history. Therefore, it’s essential that you be honest.

The same general guidelines about alcohol consumption with Viagra apply to Levitra and Staxyn as well. Staxyn and Levitra have the same active ingredient, vardenafil. However, Staxyn is designed to dissolve under the tongue rather than being swallowed with water.

You’ll probably be fine as long as you drink only in moderation. If you don’t want to take chances with interfering with Levitra, your best bet is to avoid alcohol while you’re taking it. Drinking too much can keep Levitra from working as well as you want it to.

Premature ejaculation is essentially a self-defining term. It’s the inability to delay ejaculation for more than one minute after sexual penetration, but it can occur with other types of sexual activity, including masturbation. There are two basic types of premature ejaculation: primary and acquired.

Though it’s not something most men discuss openly, you can rest assured that premature ejaculation is a very common problem.

Primary premature ejaculation is diagnosed when it has happened to a man from the time of his very first sexual experiences, and has persisted. Acquired premature ejaculation occurs after having had sexual encounters in which premature ejaculation wasn’t a problem. It’s important for men to understand that the average time from the beginning of sexual intercourse to ejaculation is about five minutes.

If you ask the internet, there is no shortage of cheap, safe, effective, natural remedies for erectile dysfunction. According to the websites that sell them, these products are the perfect alternative to the hassle of obtaining a prescription and then spending a lot of money on prescription medications like Viagra.

The internet would have you think natural Viagra alternatives are just a click away.

But the internet lies a lot.

There are some herbs, like ginkgo biloba, Korean ginseng, and the aptly-named horny goat weed that have some anecdotal evidence that they may help erections over the long term. But even in these cases, it’s not always wise to take them long term, and getting a consistent dosage of herbs can be quite a challenge.

Here are some frequently asked questions about natural remedies for erectile dysfunction, what you can expect, and what’s simply hype.

There’s no definitive answer because large scale, double blind, placebo controlled trials have not been conducted with various herbal supplements. That said, there is some reasoning behind the use of some herbal supplements and better erection health. According to the Mayo Clinic, two of the supplements that may help and that are generally considered safe include:

• L-arginine, which is believed to stimulate blood vessels to open wider for better blood flow
• Panax ginseng, which, in one study, showed improved sexual function in men with erectile dysfunction.

Supplements, just like conventional drugs, have side effects too. Common side effects of L-arginine may include nausea, diarrhea, and stomach cramps. And you should not take L-arginine if you take Viagra, because of the possibility of dangerous interaction between the two. Likewise Panax ginseng is believed to be safe when used on a short-term basis, but in some men it causes insomnia.

Some supplements and teas can help with erection health, but they’re not a cure for erectile dysfunction.

Ginkgo biloba is another supplement that is believed to improve blood flow, but scientific evidence of this is limited, so there’s no real consensus. It is known, however, that ginkgo can increase risk of bleeding, and people who take blood thinners like Coumadin should not take ginkgo biloba.

The American Sleep Association offers several tips for getting better sleep:

• Maintain a regular sleeping routine by going to bed and getting up at consistent times, including on weekends.
• Avoid naps, because naps can “fragment” the next night’s sleep.
• Avoid watching television in bed, because it causes you to associate your bed with wakeful activities.
• Make sure you’re not consuming too much caffeine.
• Exercise regularly, and try to do so before 2 p.m.
• Keep your bedroom at the cool end of a comfortable temperature, keep it dark, have a comfortable mattress, and if you need to, run a white noise machine or fan to block out other noises.
• Develop a comforting pre-bedtime routine, like a warm bath, quiet time, or meditation.
• Don’t lie in bed awake if you’re having trouble sleeping. Sit in a chair (in the dark, preferably) and let your mind race until you’re sleepy again, and then return to bed. Don’t be tempted to turn on Netflix or surf the web during these times.

A restful pre-bed routine, that may include meditation, can help you shift into sleep mode.

If these tips don’t work, don’t hesitate to speak to your doctor about your sleep problems. You won’t necessarily have to take sleeping pills, and if you are able to resolve your sleep difficulties, your erection health should improve as well.

Lifestyle habits can have a tremendous effect, positive or negative, on the quality of your erections. Your sleep habits, dietary habits, whether you exercise regularly, how you handle everyday stress, and whether you use things like smoking or illicit drugs can all make a difference in whether you develop erectile dysfunction and how easy it is to treat if you do.

Going without sufficient sleep sometimes can’t be avoided, like if you’re the parent of a newborn, but in many cases, we have more control over our sleep schedule than we think. After all, nobody is making us binge watch that television series all in one night. Don’t look at lack of sleep as something to brag about, because its effects, while not necessarily evident after one or two sleepless nights, will eventually come home to roost in the form of too much cortisol, impaired testosterone production, and general irritability, none of which are good for your sex life.

And if you think you may have sleep apnea, by all means seek medical help. Not only can sleep apnea be dangerous, it can be a major contributor to erectile dysfunction, and taking care of the sleep apnea will likewise help address your erection problems.

It’s almost a badge of honor to declare yourself sleep-deprived these days. It’s an indication of how busy we are taking care of things, sacrificing our time for our job, or hobby, or kids, for example. But ongoing sleep deprivation affects health in profound ways. We all know how great it feels to wake up after a restful night’s sleep, and how awful it feels to be sleep-deprived.

A good night’s sleep does more than make you feel good, it helps you stay healthy.

Negative effects of sleep deprivation include being cognitively off your game, yawning too much, having trouble remembering things, and being more accident prone. Over time, chronic lack of sleep weakens the immune system, can lead to depression, and even increases risk factors for weight gain, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, and heart disease.

And as you might guess (or know from experience), losing sleep affects your erections as well. Here are some frequently asked questions about the relationship between sleep quality, sleep quantity, and erectile health.

Sleep deprivation is a source of general bodily stress. When the body is under stress, like when you don’t get enough sleep, it increases production of the hormone cortisol. Some cortisol is necessary, but too much cortisol puts a person in a false “fight or flight” state of functioning, at the expense of bodily processes that aren’t necessary to immediate survival (like sex). Excessive cortisol production inhibits production of insulin, narrows arteries, and increases heart rate. None of these phenomena benefits erection health.

Mental aspects of sleep deprivation affect erectile ability as well. When you’re sleep-deprived, it’s harder to relate to people, you’re generally more irritable, and it’s more difficult to get into the mood for sex. If you have problems with erectile dysfunction, insufficient sleep will only make things worse.

Just plain getting along with people is easier when you’re well-rested.

Most of a man’s testosterone is produced during sleep, with the highest amounts of testosterone being produced during REM (dreaming) sleep. And yes, scientists have determined that when men are deprived of sleep, their testosterone levels fall. A study of military recruits who were subject to major sleep deprivation reported testosterone levels falling by as much as 70%.

In most men, erectile dysfunction is caused by impaired blood flow rather than low testosterone levels, but low testosterone certainly doesn’t help matters. And plain old “being too tired for sex” is a real phenomenon, so don’t think of doing without sleep as a heroic thing.

Alcohol and seduction have a long and storied history together. It can be an uneasy alliance, since the same drink that functions as “liquid courage” can also impair numerous physiological systems, including the one that produces erections.

Alcohol and erectile dysfunction medications can go together if you are careful.

What should men know concerning alcohol when they take erectile dysfunction drugs in the PDE-5 class (which includes Viagra, Cialis, Levitra, and Staxyn)? Can he drink as usual? Is drinking a bad idea altogether with erectile dysfunction drugs? Here are some common questions and answers about taking erectile dysfunction drugs with alcohol.