At least once in a lifetime, a majority of men will experience some form of erectile dysfunction (or ED). However, the common widespread of this condition does not mean that it should be taken lightly – contrary, it could be a potential indication of more serious underlying conditions related to heart health among men. Read the following article to find out about the link between ED and heart conditions as well as learning how to treat both.
So, What Is the Link?
ED conditions occur mainly due to insufficient blood circulation around the body, where the blood does not reach the intended destination at that moment of time. Therefore, it could be assumed that the ED condition could be related to more serious underlying conditions which affect the ability of the heart to deliver enough blood through the blood circulation system. Therefore, ED could be caused by particular conditions like hypertension (high blood pressure) or high blood sugar levels caused by diabetes as well as atherosclerosis (hardening or blocked arteries).
However, before jumping to a conclusion that ED is caused by heart issues, it is important to ensure that the condition is not caused by psychological factors which are also major contributors to the risk of ED. In this specific case, it is important to know that ED can be caused by mental factors like anxiety, stress, depression as well as low self-esteem and past traumas which directly affect the increasing risks of experiencing ED. Therefore, it is important to establish that ED does not occur in all instances when it is needed and where there are no mental pressures that would affect your ability to perform. However, if ED is still present even in environments like that, it is worth checking the physical reasons behind ED.
The primary physical reason behind ED, apart from operations and injuries, is blood circulation issues where insufficient blood flow does not reach the intended destinations causing ED-related difficulties. For example, atherosclerosis, a condition where the build-up of fatty plaques affect blood circulation and blood pressure, could be a reason behind the ED condition while also directly contributing to more severe underlying heart conditions like risks of heart strokes or heart attacks.
The Psychological Factors of ED
Self Esteem and Anxiety Issues
Out of all of the mental factors that could potentially contribute to the ED condition and its development, stress and low self-esteem related to performance in bed could be considered as the most important and significant one. The researches suggest that there is a significant connection between anxiety/self-esteem with depression, making the mental anxiety experienced worse and more impactful when it comes to ED. Unfortunately, considering the nature of the anxiety and self-esteem issues, there is a chance that it might become cyclical, making the negative effect on these variables worse every time, causing repeating ED issues as well as other mental health parameters.
Stress-related Depression
Another important criterion that also might be the mental reason behind the cyclical ED is the individual’s ability to manage and deal with stress and depression. Considering the nature of these factors, solving them becomes the priority for the majority of individuals, where sex could be the least of their worries. Furthermore, traumatic experiences, issues with relationships or work can affect the body on a physical level, where the product of hormone levels might be affected, narrowing down the arteries and blood vessels, causing ED.
A similar case can be made with depression, where the growth rates of this condition are starting to impact more and more people. The nature of this condition can potentially affect the way individuals are enjoying and perceiving things or activities, potentially making them less attractive or enjoyable. This can be applied to sex, where the desire is lowered, further increasing the risks of ED. Taking medication to tackle depression can affect the ability to achieve an erection while also potentially lowering your libido levels, further contributing to ED
What Are the Common Risk Factors?
Heart health issues and ED issues could have many common risk factors which can be managed by lifestyle adjustments like dieting and exercising regularly.
- Being Diagnosed With Diabetes
- Ageing
- Low Testosterone Levels
- Excessive Tobacco Use
- High Blood Pressure Levels
- High Cholesterol Levels
- Obesity or being Overweight
- Excessive Alcohol Use
What Are the Heart Disease Symptoms?
Heart health issues can be identified by the key symptoms listed below and could be an indicator of serious heart conditions:
- Experiencing Chest Pains
- Severe Stomach Pains or Indigestion
- Sweating When You Haven’t Exercised Along With Chest Pains
- Left Arm Pains or Neck Pains that Doesn’t Go Away
- Restricting or Choking Feeling in the Throat
If you are experiencing any of these symptoms, make sure to call your local healthcare institutions due to the life-threatening nature of these conditions.
How To Treat ED Caused by Heart Health Issues?
One of the ways of tackling the ED conditions caused by heart concerns is to adjust your lifestyle, habits and routines. For example, reducing your alcohol and tobacco consumption, as well as exercising regularly and maintaining a healthy diet could contribute to the normal function of your heart and blood flow, hence reducing the risk of ED.
However, these lifestyle alterations might take a while and therefore, as an alternative, you could use clinically proven, safe and effective erectile dysfunction treatments like Viagra that you can buy at Pharmica that use their PDE5-inhibiting properties to reduce the risk of ED and improve the blood flow to achieve your goals.
In summary, attempting these lifestyle changes can help you achieve your goals in the long run while taking treatments can help you with your performance in the meantime as well as in the long run.
However, it is also very important to ensure that any potential underlying heart health conditions and issues are properly identified and managed. It is worth consulting with your doctor to ensure that those conditions are treated accordingly.