By Health Square desk Erectile dysfunction is usually frightening for the men at first encounter whether young or old. It leads to a sense of having a miss in a relationship and sometimes problems. Erectile Dysfunction is usually assumed as a problem of older men, but surprisingly the facts are different. About 25% of the reported cases are men below the age of 40 years. The causes of erectile dysfunction can be different in different men. In men above the age of 40, the erectile dysfunction is mostly attributed to an underlying health problem. But in younger men, there is something different. The young people are more affected by psychological disorders instead of physical ones. If you are observing the symptoms of erectile dysfunction regularly and are not having any physical health problem, then you should delve a little deeper towards the psychological side.
Erection
Before discussing the causes of erectile dysfunction , lets find that how it effects the erection. Erection is a complex process and is based on a series of steps. I am starting right from getting a proper sexual stimulus and the transmission of the signals from the brain to the spinal cord. The release of nitric oxide causing the dilation of blood vessels in the penis and thus improving the flow of blood in penis particularly Corpus Cavernosum causing the erection. If at any stage the process gets interrupted, then it may result in affecting a man’s ability to get a healthy erection or sustaining it satisfactorily. Well, before going for a medicine option, sometimes it is much better to first consult your GP about your health condition and the symptoms that you are experiencing.
Physical Causes of Erectile Dysfunction
Below in this article there is a detailed analysis of physical and psychological causes of erectile dysfunction. Lets start with physical issues that can be the underlying causes of Erectile dysfunction symptoms.
High Blood Pressure
High blood pressure is a commonly prevailing condition among people above the age of 65 years. The reasons behind increased blood pressure are a high-fat food, salty food, obesity, alcohol intake and smoking. Constant high blood pressure makes the heart to beat with more force and increases the resistance in arteries. The resistance in arteries causes a hindrance to blood flow in the body, leading circulatory disorders. The blood supply is also reduced to the penis resulting in loss of potency to erect.
A study conducted in 2007 by scientist belonging to Qatar has proved that high blood pressure increases the chances of erectile dysfunction in men. A study was conducted on 296 with high blood pressure and 298 men without this disorder. A ratio of 66% with high blood pressure reported the symptoms of erectile dysfunction. On the other hand, only 24% of the men without blood pressure have an erectile dysfunction problem.
High levels of cholesterol
High cholesterol levels are another common problem that infers with the flow of blood. The presence of high fat in the body causes the deposition of plaques in arteries making them narrow. Therefore, the flow of blood is reduced and does not reach the organs according to the need. The decreased blood flow to the penis will result as one of the major causes of erectile dysfunction.
The reason for high deposition of cholesterol is once again bad eating habits and sedentary lifestyle. Smoking and alcohol are also contributing factors in the deposition of high cholesterol in arteries.
Diabetes
Diabetes is becoming very common among people all over the world. According to a survey, about 3 million people have diabetes only in the UK. It is one of the most neglected causes of erectile dysfunction among men. However, it affects a person ability both in the circulatory and neural transmission system. Diabetes is a condition in which the pancreas is not able to produce enough insulin, or the body starts developing resistance to insulin produced for blood sugar regulation. Both types are not suitable for a person’s sexual ability.
The high levels of blood sugar inflict damage to the blood supplying arteries, including those present in the penis. Along with blood vessel damage, blood sugar level also damages the nerves causing the decline in transmission of sexual stimulus signals and reducing the ability of erection. Various medical studies and researches have shown that people with diabetes develop erectile dysfunction as early as 15 years in their life as compared to healthy people.
Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia
Benign hyperplasia is not as such a cause of erectile dysfunction, but both the problems can be present at the same time. The studies do not fully endorse the problem as a cause of erectile dysfunctions. Still, doctors believe that symptoms of BPH like frequent urination, sleepless, swollen prostate can cause a decrease in libido and sexual satisfaction by decreasing erectile potency. Recently the daily course of Tadalafil tablet is accepted by doctors as a treatment for the benign prostatic hyperplasia when erectile dysfunction is also present.
Neurogenic disorders
Erectile dysfunction can be a consequence of brain, spinal cord or nervous system disorders. Various studies have proved the significance of neurological disorders in this matter. A study conducted on the subject found that half of the men having multiple sclerosis have erectile dysfunction. Similarly, two-third of the population of patients with Parkinson’s disease are suffering from the symptom’s erectile dysfunction. The issue is also quite prevailing in patients who have suffered from a stroke.
The reasons behind these conditions being a cause of erectile dysfunction is attributed to their inhibiting capacities to affect the nerve pathways between the brain and the penis, resulting in loss of proper transmission signals. This loss causes difficulty in achieving erection due to the absence of an appropriate stimulus.
Hormonal Imbalance
The hormonal system is one of the most critical systems of the body. Hormones are essential for the proper regulation and aid in many functions of the body. A disturbance in the hormonal balance can affect the erection ability of a person. Though not on a large scale, studies have proven the fact that low testosterone has an effect on the sexual capability of a person like causing a decrease in the libido. Currently, there is no treatment available for the enhancement of testosterone levels. Doctors usually advise increasing the blood circulation to avoid the problem.
Kidney Disease
Kidney stones can interrupt the blood flow; therefore, owing to this ability, they are a reason for developing erectile dysfunction. Erectile dysfunction can also be a side effect of the medication of kidney disorders.
Physical Injury
Trauma or any physical injury in the lower abdominal, genital or pelvic area can be a significant reason for erectile dysfunction. The primary cause may be a blood vessel or nerve damage interfering with the process of blood supply or transmission of a nerve impulse necessary for the process of erection.
Treatment of Physical Erectile Dysfunction
There are various treatment options available for physical erectile dysfunction.
PDE5 Inhibitor drugs
The most common treatment option adopted by the patients and health practitioners is PDE5 inhibiting drugs. The most common drugs belonging to this class are Viagra, Tadalafil etc. These drugs work by improving the nitric oxide release in blood and inhibiting the PDE5 enzyme from enhancing blood flow to the penile area by dilating the blood vessels.
Other treatment options available are
- Vacuum pumps
- Hormonal replacement therapies
- Penile implants
- Erectile dysfunction surgeries
- Lifestyle changes like reducing weight quit smoking, avoid alcohol, Exercise etc.
On the other hand, if you are having a complete medical check-up and there are no underlying medical ailments, but the symptoms of erectile dysfunction are still bothering you then the case is different than physiological erectile dysfunction. The problem can be a result of psychological instability in your life.
Impotence or loss of erection triggered by a psychological disorder is termed as psychological erectile dysfunction. There can be various psychological causes of erectile dysfunction in addition to physical causes of the problem. Discussed below are a few common problems among men suffering from psychological ED.
Psychological causes of Erectile dysfunction:
Stress and Anxiety
Stress and anxiety are closely related to erectile dysfunction. The erections can be of various types like due to a physical stimulus or visual or emotional stimulus and even nocturnal erection. All these erections are dependent on signals that are sent by the brain. Stress and anxiety affect the functioning of the brain to trigger the physical erection. Stress causes loss of erection, and dissatisfactory sex life leads to more anxiety. The situation ultimately turns into a cycle. Proper counselling and medications if needed, are the solutions left out.
Relationship problems
Sometimes it becomes challenging for people to keep their relationship healthy and sparking. The relationship problems like trust, understanding, lack of communication or loss of interest kind of problems severely affect a relationship. These problems not only affect you mentally but also pose an adverse effect on your sex life. A primary reason for psychological erectile dysfunction is these issues too. It is necessary to resolve the problems via communication and developing trust in each other to regain the lost charm of your relationship.
Depression
Most of the time, depression is considered as sadness, but, depression is a deep-rooted problem that has effects on mental as well as physical capabilities of a person. Depression works as an anchor for your body and mind keeping it down all the time. Significant symptoms of depression are tiredness, fatigue, loss of interest, lack of concentration, agitation, guilt, feeling of emptiness and non-worthy and many others. It is evident that when a person is always in such a mood or condition, how he will be able to even think of sexual pleasure.
Performance Anxiety
In many cases, sexual dysfunction is the result of just a mere thought about satisfying your partner. Many men keep on thinking about their ability to give satisfactory performance and being able to please their partner. This stress leads to a decreased sexual function instead of performing well. The only problem is too many negative thoughts about size, penetration, timing, and ejaculation makes brain unable to send signals of pleasurable sex.
Guilt or Low Self-Esteem
Guilt and low self-esteem are also sometimes associated with erectile dysfunction. Men who already have erectile dysfunction are in a complex of not satisfying their partner sexually, and it lowers their self-esteem. The lowering of self-esteem again aggravates the situation making it worse, and the cycle goes on.
Guilt and low self-esteem are not only associated with erectile dysfunction. These feelings are also associated with mental illness, feeling of being non-worthy and even failure. The problem can only be solved by having counselling or regaining the belief in your personality. If a person keeps on thinking negative about himself that he is not capable of satisfying a woman, he can never perform well in the bedroom.
Other issues causing Psychological Erectile dysfunction
Few other problems can also contribute to the psychological erectile dysfunction occurrence. Watching pornography is becoming a problem among young people these days. It is becoming a potential cause of developing erectile dysfunction in many men. Watching porn regularly affects your mind and makes you an addict of fascinating unrealistic things about sex which leads to always having dissatisfaction with your partner. Your brain not only expects that level of experience for arousal and reaching climax making your sex life quite difficult.
In another few cases, men who went through any sexual abuse in childhood are prone to later developing erectile dysfunction in their life. Indeed, a childhood mental trauma can sometimes be devastating for your future experience, so the problem is not only erectile dysfunction; instead, you need proper psychological help to overcome the issue.
Treatment options for Psychological Erectile Dysfunction
Although the causes of the erectile dysfunction which are of psychological nature are very complicated, the treatment for these is possible. However, the treatment options are not so simple, like taking tablets of Viagra or other brands. Erectile dysfunction drugs work on the physical causes like blood supply etc. but do not alleviate the causes of psychological erectile dysfunction. To treat psychological ED, it is a must to fight the root cause of the problem. Few suggestions in this respect are given below.
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy
CBT is one of the highly effective treatment options for psychological disorders and is helpful even in Erectile dysfunction. The basic principle of CBT is to address the root cause of the problem and making a person believe that it’s not the problem the attitude towards the problem is the real mess. A therapist will help the person to change an unhealthy style of thinking, helping to gain lost confidence in his personality and evolving thought process.
Other Methods
Sometimes a person is not ready to open about his problems even in front of a professional. In such cases, various lifestyle techniques can be adopted to make your life better and reduce stress, anxiety and other psychological problems. These relaxation techniques can be done at home and will be helpful to fight negativity.
Rhythmic Breathing
Breathing is the primary mechanism of life support, and concentrating on it can make a person feel better when fighting stress and anxiety. It is a simple process of inhalation and exhalation. Inhale the air slowly and hold it for few seconds in the lungs then slowly exhale the air on the count of 5.
Meditation
Meditation is being acclaimed worldwide among health professionals as the best way to reduce stress and anxiety. A 10 to 15 minutes meditation per day can boost your mental power to cope with the harsh conditions.
Talking with your partner
A lively and healthy talk with your partner sharing problems and seeking solutions can be the best option. Try to build a healthy relationship and be open about your issues in front of your partner can be a relaxing factor. There is no need to suffer alone in shame or feeling of worthlessness. Try to find the solution by building trust in each other.
In conclusion, whatever may be the causes of erectile dysfunction, it is a difficult situation for the suffering person as well as his partner. The best-recommended thing is to seek help from your health professional if a person is continuously having the symptoms of the problem. Another thing is that like any other medical problem treats it as a health disorder and never feel uncomfortable in seeking help, as this attitude can worsen the situation for you.