5 Common Causes of Erectile Dysfunction
The inability to get or maintain an erection could affect just about any male at any time. Fortunately, erectile dysfunction has common causes and generally common cures.
Knowing the causes can help you to prevent erectile dysfunction from occurring. Here is a closer look at five of the most common causes.
1. Medication, Alcohol, and Illicit Drug Use
Many prescription medications clearly indicate they might cause temporary erectile dysfunction as a side effect. If you tend to drink to excess or use illicit drugs, they also often have unintended consequences for your erectile dysfunction. As always, moderation is the best way to manage medication or any alcohol or illicit drug use.
2. Heart Disease and High Blood Pressure
The narrowed arteries that often accompany heart disease and high blood pressure also affect your ability to get and maintain an erection. Plaque buildup makes it much more difficult for the penis to get the blood flow needed to become and stay erect. Dietary changes, exercise, and some medications could help to counter the effects.
3. Obesity
The more overweight or obese that you become, the greater the difficulty in maintaining normal erectile functions. The only solution is to lose weight and increase your physical activity to fend off erectile dysfunction and prevent its recurrence.
4. Smoking or Vaping Tobacco Products
Men from ages 40 through 69 double their chances of experiencing erectile dysfunction when they smoke or vape tobacco products. Moderate to complete erectile dysfunction often affects older adult males within 10 years when they regularly use tobacco products. Moderating or quitting smoking or vaping tobacco products can reduce the odds of erectile problems occurring.
5. Low Testosterone Levels
The primary sex hormone that men contain is testosterone, which might become reduced due to many potential causes. Older males generally produce less testosterone than younger males, which increases the risk of erectile dysfunction for older men.
Other factors could deplete testosterone, too. Chronic drug and alcohol abuse could lower testosterone levels. So could many medical treatments and therapies, including chemotherapy to treat cancer. Testosterone-boosting prescriptions and treatments could help to replenish your testosterone levels and restore erectile functions.
Other causes exist for erectile dysfunction but have effective cures, too.