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Erectile Dysfunction (ED) is a common condition that affects about 18 million men over the age of 20. As you age, your risk for the condition increases. But having trouble maintaining an erection isn’t always related to age. Many men will experience it at some point. The good news is that the cause of your Erectile Dysfunction can be identified, and it will often go away with treatment.
What Can Cause Anxiety?
Anxiety may be caused by a mental condition, a physical condition, the effects of drugs, stressful life events, or a combination of these. The initial task is to see if your anxiety is a symptom of another medical condition.
Common causes of anxiety include these disorders:
- Phobic disorders
- Stress disorders
- Panic disorder
- Generalized anxiety disorder
- Life events that can cause anxiety:
- Financial stress
- Stress from school
- Stress at work
- Stress in a personal relationship, such as marriage
- Stress from a serious medical illness
- Stress from global occurrences or political issues
- Stress from an emotional trauma such as the death of a loved one
- Stress from unpredictable or uncertain world events, like a pandemic
Other outside factors that can cause it:
- Medication side effects
- Use of an illicit drug
- Symptoms of a medical illness
- Lack of oxygen in the circumstances as diverse as high altitude sickness, emphysema, or pulmonary embolism
How Is Erectile Dysfunction Related To Anxiety?
Even though most causes of erectile dysfunction are physical, many cases develop from emotional or psychological issues. When erectile dysfunction is related to a psychological problem, it’s called psychological ED.
Like with physical ED, no single psychological cause can trigger erectile dysfunction in men. Instead, a variety of issues can all cause or contribute to psychological ED, such as:
- Anxiety, whether general in nature or specifically related to sex
- Feelings of guilt about engaging in sexual activity
- Fear or sexual failure or poor sexual performance
- Depression and other mood disorders
- Relationship problems
- Low self-esteem
- Excessive porn consumption
- Stress about sex or chronic stress related to other issues
Some medications used to treat psychological issues, such as antidepressants, can also play a role in the development of erectile dysfunction.
In addition, in many ways, performance anxiety becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy in which you feel nervous about being able to satisfy your partner. That nervousness can follow you into the bedroom and lead to erectile dysfunction. In some cases, performance anxiety is triggered by negative self-talk, worries about being able to achieve an erection, please your partner or avoid ejaculating too early. If you’ve found it difficult to get an erection in the past, these experiences may also stick in your mind and affect your ability to relax in the bedroom.
How to Treat Erectile Dysfunction Caused by Anxiety?
Therapy
Treatments for the causes of ED typically involve therapy. Therapy can help you break out of stress, anxiety, and ED cycle. There is:
- Psychodynamic therapy – This usually involves addressing a subconscious conflict to help find the root cause of your ED.
- Counseling: You will work with a therapist to detect and address major stress or anxiety factors.
- Sex therapy – This therapy focuses on sensational pleasure rather than arousal and sexual activity. It aims to lessen stress by building a more secure and reliable sex life.
- Sexual anxiety therapy: Your doctor will explain ED to you fully. This can help lessen problems and worries caused by a lack of knowledge. Then your doctor will address the emotional issues and help you find a solution. Solutions may vary from trying to achieve relaxation to reactivating imagination.
Alternative therapies
Alternative therapies may also help with anxiety. Modern treatments include:
- Yoga
- Acupuncture
- Relaxation techniques
- Meditation
These treatments may help you manage your anxiety levels. Research shows that meditation can change brain chemistry and reduce stress. However, there is less evidence supporting the effectiveness of these alternative treatments compared to traditional therapies and medications for stress and anxiety. However, they may provide additional benefits alongside the treatments your doctor prescribes.
Medication
One of the recommended drugs you can use to manage ED may include:
- Zenegra 100mg – the drug relaxes the muscles of the genital as it increases the blood flow and helps achieve an erection in a time of sexual arousal. It improves blood flow. Thus, it inhibits the enzyme that causes the blocking and expands the blood vessel, which allows the blood to flow to the penis.
