By Darin Mendanor

 Erectile dysfunction causes can essentially be divided into a couple of categories: phsyiological and mental. Although the primary reasons for impotency tend to be physical in character, it's extremely common for a mental aspect to develop as well, and exascerbate the condition with time. This page examines the most-typical contributing factors to both categories of culprits.

Physiological Causes

Almost all ED episodes are induced, at least initially, by some type of physical condition. Considering that the mechanism for achieving, and sustaining an erection is so strongly connected to circulation, it should come as no real surprise to discover that nearly all of the principal causes of erectile dysfunction are related to things that negatively affect the blood flow through the body.

The Aging Process

Because men who have reached middle age are much more prone to suffer from cardiovascular disease, strokes, and angina than are their more youthful brethren, they're consequently more predisposed to recurrent episodes of impotence. Each of the aforementioned issues can reduce the flow of blood enough to make it difficult for the afflicted man to produce an erection.

Most doctors also suspect that there is a link between a reduction in the level of nitric oxide created by the body and getting older. Considering that nitric oxide is a key stimulant to the corpora cavernosa (the main muscle in the penis), this could mean that some older men may no longer be capable of making an adequate amount of the gas naturally to have normal sexual function.

Smoking Cigarettes

A recognized side effect of smoking is the constricting and hardening of the arteries (i.e., atherosclerosis). Since this ailment not only results in a dramatic loss of circulation, but is also a precursor to cardiovascular disease, evidence is convincing that cigarette smoking has led to erectile dysfunction in numerous men.

Type I Diabetes

Not only does type I diabetes (also known as diabetes mellitus) negatively affect the flow of blood in the extremities, it also impairs autonomic and sensory nerves throughout the body. The combined function of these two processes in Ed is to deprive men of the essential blood flow to the penis, as well as the muscle response to stimulation that are required to get an erection.

Elevated Blood Pressure

Although there is no conclusive medical explanation to establish why hypertension impacts male sexual health, scientists have found a statistical relationship between the two that can't be dismissed. A suspected connection exists in the reduced levels of nitric oxide produced by men who suffer from high blood pressure, but the relationship could also be based on the regular use of high blood pressure medication. The beta-blockers found in all hypertension medications depress circulation as well.

Drug Abuse and Alcohol

Together with their depressant effects on heart rate and blood flow, alcohol and most illicit drugs will usually contribute to low levels of testosterone and nerve damage if abused over a prolonged time frame. For that reason, men who consume these substances regularly experience the same causes of erectile dysfunction as those found in diabetics, compounded by a reduced libido.

Lowered Testosterone Levels

Men who suffer from any kind of compromised function of the testicles usually have low testosterone levels, or ??oLow T??? as it is now often labeled. This disorder results in a significant decrease in the sex drive of the affected man and, in many cases, the appearance of ED.

Being Overweight

Definitely one of the quickest growing causes of erectile dysfunction, obesity affects sexual function in a multitude of areas. By weakening circulation to the extremities, contributing to cardiovascular disease and diabetes, and causing a variety of other cardiovascular problems, carrying around an excessive amount of fat opens up a man to just about every known kind of ED cause.

Psychological Factors

As stated previously, despite the fact that most erectile dysfunction causes begin as physical, they often transform into a combination of physiological and mental components. To recognize the significance of this, consider the function that cognitive sexual arousal has in creating an erection.

Each time a man gets psychologically aroused by visible or imaginary stimuli, the brain transmits waves of electrical signals to the nerve endings near the penis which, consequently, triggers them to discharge the nitric oxide required to make the corpora cavernosa rigid. If the man is suffering from any of the following psychological causes of ED, this action can become impeded.

Depression, Stress and Anxiety

Men that suffer from high levels of stress, anxiety and depression frequently feel unfocused, isolated, or even detached from their surroundings to one degree or another. These feelings also tend to result in a decrease in the man??Ts libido and, in many cases, an inability to become psychologically aroused by sexual stimulation.

Exhaustion

The collective result of chronic fatigue is to slow the brain??Ts response to external stimulation. The obvious relationship between this condition and erectile dysfunction is that fatigued men usually find it problematic to become excited by sexual thoughts and images.

Trust and Communication Issues in a Romantic Relationship

A couple of the most-troublesome psychological causes of ED are communication and trust problems between a man and his lover. Since rewarding sexual relationships are extremely dependent upon the couple achieving a high level in these two categories, circumstances where there is weak communication or a deficiency of trust can lead to episodes of sexual dysfunction for many men.

Darin Mendanor is a regular contributor to several respected online websites that focus on erectile dysfunction causes and other male sexual health conditions. He has done volunteer work in the healthcare field as a guest lecturer and educator and is known for his experience in the subject of erectile dysfunction in young men .