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Is ED (Erectile Dysfunction) Related to your Heart Health?

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Your chances are that the common men’s health condition of erectile dysfunction will affect you at least once in your life if you’re a male. Whilst it is in many ways typical of the ageing process, ED can be an indicator of another health condition that might be even more concerning, such as those involving the heart. This article contributed to by Pharmica explores the relationship between what our erections might say about our hearts.

Is there a link between ED (Erectile Dysfunction) and your heart?

To understand the connection between these two, it helps to first understand how an erection is obtained. Upon arousal, hormones have released that prompt an increased blood flow to the penis, enabling an erection to form. Therefore, the ability for an erection to form relies on the body’s ability to effectively control blood flow around the body. With this considered, it makes sense that another health condition that impacts how blood flows around the body may cause erectile dysfunction – such conditions include heart disease, hypertension, diabetes, or atherosclerosis. By the same logic, if ED is experienced, these same issues surrounding high blood pressure may be present in the body despite no prior knowledge of them. ED can indeed be one of the earliest indicators of a more serious life-threatening condition that shouldn’t be ignored.

An understanding of why you might be experiencing ED will help to discover whether physical conditions are likely to be cause for concern. If you’re a middle-aged to an older male, eg. over 45, this is an age that men may typically experience ED regularly for the first time, and it is common for this to be caused by a buildup of cholesterol in the arteries over the years, contributed to be poor diet and lack of sufficient activity. However, it’s important to note that not all men’s erectile issues are caused by physical factors; some men experience ED due to psychological factors such as performance anxiety, stress, depression or relationship problems. If you are a younger man experiencing ED, there is a higher chance that this is due to mental factors than physical factors since it’s less likely you’ll have built up too much cholesterol in your arteries, unless you are very obese. Men who have an ED caused by mental factors are often able to get an erection when alone but often struggle during physical sex with a partner. Often some trauma is preventing them from enjoying the moment, or ongoing stress is reducing their libido and distracting them from enjoying sex.

If you are able to obtain an erection when alone, or whilst you sleep, this is good news for your chances of recovering from ED without medication treatment. Therapy, such as cognitive behavioural therapy or relationship counselling, can help to overcome your demons and be able to enjoy sex with your partner while maintaining an erection for long enough during sex. For those where the physical is the limiting factor, a change in lifestyle, diet and taking tablet medication can help to overcome ED.

What are the risk factors of ED (Erectile Dysfunction) and heart disease?

ED and heart disease have some shared risk factors, many of which can be improved upon and even eliminated with habitual changes or treatments. These include:

  • Diabetes
  • High Blood Pressure (hypertension)
  • High Cholesterol
  • Overweightness / Obesity
  • Ageing
  • Low Testosterone levels
  • Tobacco Usage
  • Alcohol Usage

Do I have heart disease?

Heart disease isn’t always clear immediately, however, those with heart disease might experience these common indicators:

  • Chest pains and feeling like you’re going to be sick – this is a common sign of a heart attack.
  • Stomach pain or indigestion
  • Sweating even though you haven’t exercised or when it’s a cold day, together with chest pains
  • Arm pain, particularly the left arm, or neck pain that is persistent
  • Jaw pain or back pain
  • Choking feeling in the throat

There are a few other, not as serious health conditions besides heart disease that might be responsible for the above symptoms, but we wouldn’t recommend risking waiting to find out. If you have chest pain and you also feel unwell, you should call the emergency services immediately. For other symptoms, call your doctor and ask for guidance.

To prevent heart issues, make sure your diet is low on saturated fats which raise your cholesterol and make sure it’s nutritionally balanced and calorie-restricted. You should also participate in an active lifestyle doing regular exercise and keeping fit.

For ED, you can treat the condition easily with clinically proven medication. Treatments such as Viagra have been on the market for many decades now, and are a tried and tested method of increasing blood flow to the penis to aid in getting an erection you can maintain.

 

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