Erectile dysfunction, otherwise known as impotence, is the elephant in the room, but it’s surprisingly common in men aged 40 and above. Unfortunately, a lot of men don’t like talking about this tricky subject. The underlying reason for this is usually embarrassment, but men need to understand that some causes of ED are serious and must be addressed.

In this article, we are going to look at the most common causes of erectile dysfunction, as well as what you should do next if a failure to achieve or keep an erection happens more frequently than you’d care to admit.

Stress

Stress is part of modern life. Being stuck on the hamster wheel day in and day out, striving to earn a wage, and keep your boss/wife happy can lead to long-term stress and anxiety. The best way to check whether stress is causing your problem is to eliminate stress as much as possible. Take a break from work, book a holiday. Do things perk up, so to speak? If so, there’s your answer.

Booze

On average, men drink around 16 pints a week, but since the start of lockdown, drinking problems have soared. Isolation, work stress, and a lack of support have caused many men to drink more than usual. Unfortunately, excessive alcohol consumption makes it harder to maintain an erection. If you’ve been drinking more lately, this could be the cause of your erectile dysfunction.

Unhealthy Lifestyle

Aside from booze, obesity and other lifestyle factors can cause impotence. A sedentary life can lead to high blood pressure, high cholesterol, heart disease, and diabetes. All this constricts the blood vessels in the penis, which causes erectile dysfunction. The good news is that addressing your lifestyle issues can reverse the problem. So, lose weight, get fit, and your penis will thank you.

Hormone Problems

Hormones play a crucial role in the body and it should come as no surprise that low testosterone levels can lead to erectile dysfunction. Aside from erectile dysfunction, you may have a reduced sex drive, less beard growth, a loss of body hair, and a loss of lean muscle mass.

Low thyroid hormones can also cause erectile dysfunction, along with many other non-specific problems.

If you are feeling tired all time, putting on weight for no reason, feel depressed and below par, ask your doctor for a health check that tests for low testosterone and low thyroid function. Men already diagnosed with an underactive thyroid should be aware that erectile dysfunction is a sign of being undermedicated – don’t accept it if your doctor says your blood tests are “in range”. Most general practitioners are clueless about hormone issues.

Treatments for ED

There are plenty of options to treat ED once you have addressed the underlying health concerns and still have an issue. Well-known drugs like Viagra and Cialis can provide a short-term solution. Another solution worth looking into is PT 141 Peptide, which increases sexual impulses through the nervous system and has no known side effects.

If the cause of your ED is hormones, then you may need to start taking hormone replacement medication such as testosterone.

Making the necessary lifestyle changes as above can also help to alleviate the symptoms. This includes losing weight, exercising regularly, eating healthily and limiting the stress in your life.

Always talk to your doctor if you are suffering from erectile dysfunction. There might be a quick and easy cure!