What are the common causes of Erectile Dysfunction (ED)?
An erection requires the interaction of your brain, nerves, hormones, and blood vessels. Anything that interferes with the normal process can become a problem. For male, it's consider a problem when you have difficulty having or keeping an erection more than 25% of your time during sex.
Common Causes of ED: High Blood Pressure makes the heart work harder. This puts strain on the blood vessels, which then harden and narrow. This can prevent blood from setting to the penis. And that makes it more difficult to get or keep an erection. More than 65%of men with high blood pressure also have ED.
High cholesterol can clog your arteries. This can slow blood flow to the penis. As a result, it can affect the quality of your erections. Having high cholesterol raises your risk of ED by 80%.
Heart disease also is known as coronary artery disease. For a person with heart disease, blood does not flow as easily throughout the body as it should as they are clogged or narrowed. This may slow blood from getting to the penis and prevent a firm erection.
Diabetes is a condition where there is too much sugar, or glucose in the blood. Over time, high blood sugar levels can damage nerves and blood vessels like those that produce erections. When this occurs, diabetes often leads to ED. Up to 85% of men with diabetes have some erection difficulty.
Prostate problems can also lead to ED. Prostate is a small gland near your bladder. It is next to the nerves that are needed for erections and certain treatments for prostate problems can lead to ED.
ED may also be psychological and/ or physical. ED can lower self-esteem and strain the relationship with partner and certain medications that treat depression can cause ED. Stress and anxiety can affect your ability to get an erection.
Smoking and drinking too much alcohol can lead to ED. Drinking alcohol can temporarily impair the ability to get an erection. To help avoid symptoms if ED, it's best not to drink large amounts of alcohol before having sex.