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Years into the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s safe to say that the worst of the virus has come and gone. While many have moved on scot-free, the virus continues to cause long-term complications to a select few, of which erectile dysfunction is one.
While many men initially suffer erectile dysfunction during their bout with COVID-19, it continues to be prevalent months after the viral infection; in fact, reports say that 50.3% of men that recovered from COVID-19 continued to experience erectile dysfunction three months after their initial infection.
Besides that, factors like pressures arising from economic and mental health issues also contribute to erectile dysfunction.
However, this is merely a hurdle in your sex life—erectile dysfunction caused by COVID-19 can be minimized by changing your lifestyle and undergoing the right treatments.
Today, we’ll be discussing how you can improve your erectile function (or mitigate ED risk factors) and improve your overall sexual and reproductive health.
How Does COVID-19 Cause Erectile Dysfunction
Erectile dysfunction occurs when you cannot keep your penis erect for sexual intercourse. This includes both the inability to obtain and keep an erection.
There are several ways COVID-19 can cause erectile dysfunction. Below are three of the most common ways it can affect your sexual health.
- Endothelial dysfunction: When the virus infects your body, it enters your bloodstream and causes endothelial damage, leading to circulatory disorder in other organs.
- Lowered testosterone: The virus may cause a change in ACE2 expression, which causes the testicles to be susceptible to contamination and may cause testosterone imbalances.
Psychological stress: Pressures from infection, isolation, and real-life outlook of the pandemic results in stress, anxiety, or depression, which can cause lowered sexual desires.
Though there are many reasons why men suffer erectile dysfunction from COVID-19, this does not mean that all hope is lost. Addressing male sexual health problems is possible with a few good habits.
7 Ways Men Can Fix Erectile Dysfunction by COVID-19
Let’s look into ways male patients can prevent developing erectile dysfunction and improve their erections and sexual life at large.
1. Work Out Regularly
Being physically active makes your circulatory system healthier and increases your testosterone levels. As this helps to improve circulation and pressure in blood vessels, which are crucial in maintaining an erection, exercise is key to fixing erectile dysfunction.
It has been scientifically proven that doing aerobic exercises of at least moderate intensities consistently for six months can help reduce erectile dysfunction.
Such exercise includes:
- Boxing
- Brisk walking
- Cycling
- Jogging
- Kegel exercises
- Pilate
- Swimming
On top of managing your erectile dysfunction condition, regular exercise is also highly beneficial for your mental health status. If you’re suffering from depression or generalized anxiety disorder, you can reduce adverse mental health outcomes by exercising regularly.
2. Have a Balanced and Healthy Diet
It’s no secret that having a balanced and healthy diet enables you to maintain your sexual function while curing your erectile dysfunction.
Food that can help fix improve the health of the human penis includes:
- Fish
- Fruits
- Nuts
- Vegetables
- Whole grains
Conversely, minimizing the consumption of the following foods can also slow down the progression of ED:
- Alcohol
- Food with excess fats, salt, or sugar
- Red meat
- Refined grains
On top of reversing erectile dysfunction, having a balanced and healthy diet can significantly reduce the risk of getting other diseases, such as cardiovascular diseases and stroke. Shifting your diet towards healthier food options is always worth the jump.
3. Maintain a Healthy Weight
Being obese or overweight increases your risk of suffering from erectile dysfunction, and in the same way, it hinders your progress in recovering from erectile dysfunction after COVID-19.
Obesity increases the risk of diabetes and vascular diseases, causing other health complications that affect your recovery process. It’s also discovered that erectile dysfunction is vastly more common among obese men.
That said, exercising regularly and getting the right treatment is crucial in helping with weight loss, which would thereby fix erectile dysfunction.
4. Cease Smoking Completely
Many of us are aware of the harm caused by smoking and know that it’s hard to kick the habit as smoking can be pretty addictive. However, you’ll be surprised to find out that smoking is significant in contributing to erectile dysfunction.
Smoking can contribute to erectile dysfunction by damaging blood vessels and reducing nitric oxide levels, which affects the flow of blood to the penis. Quitting vaping and smoking can help alleviate the issue, although some damage may not be reversible.
As such, smokers should quit as soon as possible to improve their chances of recovery.
5. Cut Your Alcohol Intake
Drinking too much alcohol causes your central nervous system to be depressed and less efficient, causing less nitric oxide to be released to cause and maintain an erection. As such, heavy drinking may result in further erectile dysfunction caused by COVID-19.
While the underlying mechanism of how alcohol causes erectile dysfunction is currently unclear, there is much research proving the correlation between alcohol consumption and erectile dysfunction. As such, cutting your alcohol intake would be crucial in fixing your erectile dysfunction.
6. Relieve Stress
Due to lockdowns and the constantly uncertain market, many are stressed over the economic outlook and other pandemic-related issues. While the effect of stress on erectile dysfunction is uncertain, it can cause other issues resulting in erectile dysfunction.
It is found that chronic stress, including that caused by the pandemic, may cause lower testosterone levels. On top of that, stress may cause sleep deprivation, depression, or anxiety, which may ultimately result in lowered sexual desire and erectile dysfunction.
As such, taking time off from stressful situations, such as work and relationships, can be effective in treating erectile dysfunction.
7. Have Sufficient Sleep
Stress from the pandemic has caused many to suffer from insomnia and general bouts of sleeplessness. However, we need to know that aside from improving our overall health, having sufficient sleep and a good sleep schedule can fix erectile dysfunction.
Good sleep habits can boost sex hormone production and sexual function, whereas poor sleep can cause negative outcomes such as decreased testosterone levels, hypertension, and diabetes.
Consistent sleep patterns are crucial for hormone secretion, which can be a massive boon in helping ED patients recover from their condition.
Restore Erectile Health with Medical Guidance from Atlanta’s Top Men’s Clinic
Struggling with erectile dysfunction—especially after COVID-19—can be a devastating test of patience. However, it’s important to recognize that an ED diagnosis isn’t the end of your sex life, nor is it impossible for you to overcome it.
The most effective ways to improve erectile dysfunction caused by COVID-19 include exercising regularly, having a balanced diet, maintaining a healthy weight, ceasing smoking, cutting your alcohol intake, relieving stress, and sleeping enough.
These are some of the lifestyle changes that you can make to fix erectile dysfunction, while simultaneously improving your overall health.
However, when your ED case is severe, it’s best to consult a local ED medical professional from a trusted medical facility to get a professional opinion.
Priority Men’s Medical Center in Atlanta provides a range of treatment options that are vast; we offer ED treatment, PE therapy, andropause treatment, RestoreWave therapy, and much more. Don’t hesitate to contact us for a free consultation and to achieve an active sex life once again.
