Psychological problems can count for almost 25 % of erectile dysfunction cases in men under the age of 35. Usually, men in their twenties and thirties are in the prime sexual peak, but not if psychological factors and performance anxiety interfere.

Health conditions such as diabetes, hypertension and depression can also cause erectile dysfunction, but in younger men this is not common and psychological problems are the main cause for younger men getting ED.

Related article: More Young Men under 30 with Erectile Dysfunction Using Viagra

Before we show you 3 ways of stopping psychological ED and performance anxiety, let’s explain what they really are and factors that cause them:

Performance Anxiety:

This is a fear of how you are going to perform. It is a common sexual problem and anxiety plays a huge role, causing you to feel fear before engaging in sexual intercourse. The fear of how you are going to perform and what your partner will think of you can lower your self esteem and cause ED to kick in.

How long will I last?
Will she think my penis is small?
Am I doing it right?
What if she tells her friends?
I hope I am getting hard enough!

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh!!! Stop!!!!!!

Those are all common thoughts that performance anxiety can generate. An awareness of failing to please your partner or getting it up typically produces so much preoccupation and anxiety, that it causes men to loose their erections. This can happen in various episodes and if you do not treat performance anxiety, it can happen every time you want to have sex. You are training your mind to feel fear before intercourse and the key is to reverse this cycle.

ARTICLE: How to deal with Performance Anxiety

Balancing the mind and body can relieve Performance Anxiety:

Psychological Erectile Dysfunction:

Psychological ED can come from childhood experiences, death in your family, abuse, sexual trauma and many others causes. Here are the most common psychological ED causes in men:

Depression: This can affect a man both mentally and physically, it is a common cause of ED. Even if men are 100% confident, depression can cause weak erections.

Stress: Financial problems, family issues, complications related to your job, can all induce stress and contribute to Psychological ED

WEBMD: Read the top 5 common causes of Psychological ED in men

3 Ways of Stopping Psychological ED and Performance Anxiety

1) Seeing a Psychologist or Performance Anxiety therapist:

This can be embarrassing for some men, but has to be the best solution for fixing and reversing performance anxiety. Psychologists and Sexual therapists have reported an increasing number of younger men visiting their offices asking for help. They are experienced and are well aware of the problems surrounding these conditions.

MAYOCLINIC: Sex therapist is it an option for you?

2) Reduce Porn Habits:

Believe it or not, porn is another big factor in creating anxiety and psychological issues related to ED.

“Men are constantly browsing the web looking from harder and more extreme types of porn, something they have not seen before. Each time they are doing this they are causing brain chemistry desensitization, to the point where they have developed a dependency on porn and without it they cannot get aroused and therefore no erections.”

EDGUIDER: Is there a link Between Porn Viewing and Erectile Dysfunction?

3) Viagra, Cialis or Levitra:

This is an alternative that can only be prescribed by a doctor, even a sex therapist. They will not solve the root of the problem but will give you some assistance in getting erections again. The best solution is talking to a sex therapist, they will be able to get to the base of the problem and even prescribe these medications to help you along the way.

FORUM: See what other men have to say about Viagra, Cialis and Levitra

Through continued research into erectile dysfunction, the medical profession is realizing more and more every day that ED can be a barometer of sorts into other more serious problems. Urologist, Barry Buffman M.D., specializes in sexual dysfunction. He warns baby boomers to pay close attention to the early signs of erectile dysfunction.

Buffman adds that more often than not is ED a standalone problem. It can be an early warning sign that men should take seriously. Doctors these men visit should also take this problem a little more seriously too as the research does show that other health issues could be lying in wait. It should not be a simple diagnosis anymore. “Doctor, I have some erection issues.” The common reply is, “Well let’s prescribe you some Viagra then.” This should not happen anymore.

The Massachusetts Male Aging Study reports that more than 30 million American men between the ages of 40 and 70 have reported having trouble with erections at one time or another. More doctors need to get into the deeper issues that may be causing the erectile dysfunction.

Read about the top 5 reasons men get Erectile Dysfunction

In these studies, a high percentage of men with ED have also been diagnosed later with cardiovascular disease, diabetes, high cholesterol, and other physical ailments. These areas now need to be checked, can you imagine how many potential lives could be saved, or the millions in medical costs that could be saved by using the penis barometer?

Complete health check up if suffering from ED
It’s time to look beyond the short-term problem, it’s time to stop treating the symptoms, and it’s time to ask your doctor for a more intensive examination if you are suffering from erection problems. Have the entire health of you body analyzed. Not only could you stop a heart attack, or another potentially life threatening problem, but you’ll be fixing the cause of the ED as well.

Dr. Buffman say’s there is good news for aging men. You can regain sexual health, and when you do, your overall health will have improved as well. “Maintaining sexual health goes beyond managing other health problems, it supports overall health well into old age.”

Eat well, exercise regularly, drink lots of water, and the erection problems shouldn’t be an issue. Should they become one, ask your health care provider to help you discover if there is any under lying problems that should be addressed. It could be as simple as stress, but it could be more.

Tips on how exercise and eating well helps men with erectile dysfunction

Without stringent copyright laws, China copies most everything and markets it. Never as good as the original, but it always looks close and is generally a whole lot cheaper.

This is okay when you are talking about HiPhones, tools, and knock off Rolexes. But when it comes to medicines, your very health can be at risk.

Take 33 year old Zhang Yan (for personal reason’s he did not use his real name) in Changchun. He was never concerned about his sexual performance until he was laughed at because his sexual encounters only lasted 5 to 10 minutes he told the New Culture Daily Newspaper.

A friend recommended he try Viagra, so to protect his own self esteem, he decided to seek out Viagra. Viagra is a prescription only drug and he thought it easier and more economical to try counterfeit ones instead, and they turned out to be promising. He tried others on the market too over a three month period.

Promising was out the window when without warning he was unable to get an erection of any kind.

Urinary Tract Infection
“I was shocked and immediately went to the hospital,” Zhang reported, “and I later found out I had a urinary tract infection, but I almost completely lost my sexual ability because I carelessly took impotence drugs.” The doctor at the hospital said that the infection may have been caused by the counterfeit drugs.

The people who produce this counterfeit drug are not bound by the same rules as true pharmaceutical companies and contaminates can find their way into these fake drugs.

The newspaper visited almost 40 sex shops in the Jilin Province where Changchun is located. Almost half of them sold counterfeit Viagra. Some owners actually claimed they had medicines to keep you erect for 96 hours.

The packages containing these fakes were nearly identical to the packaging Pfizer uses for the real Viagra, the packages were even in English lending to authenticity.

In China, any sex shop selling Viagra can be guaranteed to be fake. Only hospitals and registered medicine shops can sell the originals with a prescription.

The cost of a fake can be hard to pass up, an actual Viagra pill will cost in USD $18. The fake stuff can be purchased for $1.40, and one sex shop owner claimed he had the real stuff for $7.30.

Over 50,000 of these counterfeit Viagra’s are sold each year in the Jilin province, which can be a heavy price to pay once you here of some of the side affects of these fakes.

A man surnamed Wang had taken fake Viagra for over six years and ended up with complete liver and kidney failure.

Yan Daqing, and urologist at the Changchun Liulong Man’s Hospital was quoted, after seeing many cases of men with terrible side affects due to these fake medicines, as saying “A fake Viagra may lead to erectile dysfunction, heart disease, and high blood pressure”. After hearing about the potency of the sex shops medicine he added “The only thing that could happen after getting an erection for 96 hours is death.”

Depression, diabetes, hypertension, and heart disease are all byproducts of stress. And all of either together or separately hit the sexual ability of men. This reduced libido is also known as erectile dysfunction or ED for short. Studies still have not concluded all the different ways stress can manifest itself in the human body.

In today’s world, there can be various factors that cause extreme stress. Will you have a job tomorrow to be able to pay your bills or buy groceries? A poor lifestyle which includes a lack sleep, or enough rest. Taking on to much burden or exertion, whether at home or at work. Lack of exercise and poor eating habits. These are all contributors to stress.

These stressors are likely to cause ED in men, and can be either temporary or permanent depending on how long you let the stressors go without changing something in your life for better health. This extreme sex simply inhibits the desire for a man to have sex.

Body releases adrenaline when stressed
Stress causes the body to release adrenaline and cortical hormones from the adrenal glands. This release of cortical hormones stimulates the liver to discharge sugar in the blood to meet the high energy demand quickly. It’s the perfect reaction for the body to deal with the stress, but if it’s always present, it’s also a danger to the system. And adrenaline is responsible for increased heart beat, which is also unhealthy for periods of time. Adrenaline also affects the digestive system poorly.

The primary affects of long term or extreme stress have easy symptoms to recognize. Behavioral indications are change in eating habits, less or more appetite, smoking, and the use of alcohol or drugs. Emotional indicators are impatience, irritability, and lack of personal care.

There is no doubt that extreme stress is the major cause of erectile dysfunction, which is likely to take care of itself once the stress is relieved. But long term exposure to stress may cause you to seek out medical treatment to deal with the ED. Blood pressure problems and diabetes are also likely problems that cause ED, which also can be brought on by stress.

Check out a few of our posts on exercise and reducing stress to combat Erectile Dysfunction:

How To Do Kegel Exercises For Men With Erectile Dysfunction

Can Certain Foods Imporve My Sexual Desire?

Exercise and Staying Active Reduces Chances of Getting ED

Sometimes reports that are aimed at a specific topic sometimes reveal other issues never even thought of. In a study reported by the DailyMail done in Italy over an eight year period that tracked almost 1700 men to monitor their health. Although the men had been treated for various levels of erectile dysfunction, the main objective was to look at the risk of stroke or heart disease and relationships.

Here are some of the variables that came to light that were unexpected; men are less likely to have a heart attack that have a partner that finds them attractive. The opposite was found for those whose partner found them undesirable. In fact, these men that were found less desirable were as likely to have a coronary problem as those who were overweight and smoked, even if they were NOT overweight or didn’t smoke.

Relationships are essential for human beings
The Italian researchers surmised that being desired by your partner is more than fun, but it also benefits your overall health. They believe close relationships are essential for human beings, that feeling loved has a physical as well as a psychological benefit.

This would make someone we all know like Michael Douglas, 65, very happy. In a recent interview, his younger wife of nine years Catherine Zeta-Jones, 40, said she remained attracted to Douglas. “He knows exactly what he wants and what life is about. That impresses me. Michael can also be a real softie. He sends me flowers and cries when his kids say something particularly pathetic. I need a man who is sensitive and caring” she said.

All of the almost 1700 men were asked for a three month period whether or not they or their partners had more or less desire to have sex. They had a scoring system to measure the levels of libido.

A number of known factors appeared.
The instance of stroke high blood pressure, or heart disease was higher for those that smoked and or were overweight. But the surprise was the results that showed men whose partner had low sexual desire for them had almost a 3 times more likelihood of stroke, cardiovascular problems, or heart attack.

University of Florence Dr. Giovanni Corona summed it up with this statement, “A broken heart really is bad for your heart.” It had always been thought that organic factors were the reasons behind hypertension or diabetes, but their research is the first to show a link to actual relationships between people.

Being loved not only boosts our happiness, but also our overall health and well being.

Middle age, or midlife, can have some profound affects on people. Physical changes can include vaginal dryness from menopausal changes, erectile dysfunction, low sex drive or libidos are the most common. But sometimes it’s not only physical issues; emotional issues can also play a major role in not performing between the sheets.

If an emotional situation is what is affecting your sexual satisfaction, then maybe sex therapy is the answer. But what is sex therapy? Many people assume its a couple being sexually intimate in front of a therapist jotting down notes about the encounter. Harvard Medical School has a newly updated report called Sexuality in Midlife and Beyond Special Health Report. The report covers many self help techniques to cover sexual issues, and well as various medical treatments like Viagra, and also what to expect if you decide to try sex therapy.

If you are familiar to couples therapy, sex therapy is similar. However the emphasis is on sexual issues and learning how to talk openly and comfortably with the therapist and your partner. Once this is learned, then getting into the details about the problem is easier and tends to be more honest. Then issues like preferences and needs can be addressed which will expand the whole experience of sexual activities both partners want and need.

The therapist can even be an educator on sexual activities.

Sometimes people don’t understand why their bodies react certain ways and the therapist can explain why it’s happening, and more than ever telling them it’s normal and alright. This goes a long way into relieving tension in the bedroom knowing that what may be happening to you is normal and that you should lay back and let it happen. Society and religion can sometimes teach us something is taboo when in reality it is normal to desire something that feels good.

Therapists can also direct you to books for sexual therapy, DVD’s, and exercises that can help as well. These weekly visits of just under an hour are tailored to the couples needs and concerns. Most of the therapist’s teachings will be accomplished at home where the couples put into practice what they’ve learned. Many therapists report that couples find that the most exciting part of the therapy, trying what they’ve learned. More than one therapist having mentioned that they wondered if the couples even made it home to start!

Also covered in the Sexuality in Midlife and Beyond Special Health Report are in depth coverage on the physical changes your body will undergo as you age, and the major impact on your sexuality. The knowledge in this report covers a wide range of sexual orientations that takes you through sexual response and the reason it’s happening as you age. Other factors that can affect your sexual capabilities are chronic disease, emotional issues, and common medications.

In addition to the sex therapy, other covered topics are Emotional and social issues, health problems and sexuality, treating common sexual problems, trends in sexual behavior among older adults, understanding sexuality, and what is sexual dysfunction.

Many men are always looking for more excuses to have more sex, and goods ones. Some of the ones being used have been refuted, so thanks to more and more studies on erectile dysfunction, some new ones are coming into the limelight. So how about this one; Regular sexual activity is good for the heart, and studies can prove it.

Let’s face it, ED is huge business, and now that it’s an illness, studies of all sorts from all walks of life are getting involved. Correlations between erectile dysfunction and heart disease have been made. Taking it a little further and new studies are showing that not only exercise is good for the heart, but so is sexual activity. But it’s on a different level as sexual “exercise” also decreases stress on an individual, and promotes better relations with your partner, which always makes life better all over the map.

Susan A. Hall, PhD, at the department of epidemiology at the New England Research Institute writes that men who have regular sexual activity of twice a week or more have reported less cardiovascular disease than men having sex once a month or less.

Over 1150 men with an average age of 50 were studied for an average of over 15 years. None of these men had any cardiovascular illness at the start of the study, and of them all just over 210 had reported issues with erectile dysfunction.

An interesting pattern started to emerge, men were found to have a more increased probability of cardiovascular issues that had a decreased amount of sexual activity. In fact, it was found that men with lower sexual encounters of once a month or less had a 45% higher risk of cardiovascular problems than men with a reported sexual activity of 2-3 times a week.

The results actually suggest that low sexual activity could actually predict cardiovascular problems. And this is independent of the ED issues pointing toward possible heart blockages as a possible indicator.

Dr. Hall mentioned that “Men who are sexually active likely have a libido and the capacity for physical activity. So the ability to have sex might be a marker for overall health”.

So, should doctors now include questions about their patients sex lives, sexual activities, and sexual interest as a screening method for getting clues about their cardiovascular condition?

Or how about “Honey, I need to keep healthy to watch our children grow up and take care of you until we get old, so let’s do it, okay?” That sounds like a new and improved reason.

Thinking Viagra is going to turn you into a wild sex machine? Or do you think Cialis is going to make you so horny you will risk having unprotected sex? Maybe Levitra will last so long that you want to go out and do it with whomever and wherever? It turns out, no.

Dr. Robert Cook, an associate professor at the University of Florida, is the lead researcher looking into this very question. Does ED (erectile dysfunction) medications make us take risks? It turns out if these drugs are prescribed and used responsibly the findings show that they do not affect our behaviors. These studies certainly give health care providers some assurances toward prescribing them.

What made this study unique is that unlike previous studies, it did not focus on men with substance abuse problems, men who obtained the ED medications without a prescription, or men who had sex with other men.

Cook said “In this study we looked at erectile dysfunction drugs and sexual behavior in the context of routine health cat for a group of men who are more representative of the general population.”

Data from over 2780 men with an average age of 52 that were involved in a study about aging veterans was used. Roughly half were HIV-positive. With the research parameters being that risky sexual behavior was defined as men having unprotected sex with HIV positive men, negative if you are positive, or the reverse, or unknown.

The study finding showed that about 9 to 10% of the men in two groups, those who did and those who did not take the drugs reported sexual behavior as risky. Over 25% of these men had been taking ED drugs over a 1 year period.

As we age, especially beyond 50, we develop (especially men) arteriosclerosis. This is a narrowing of the blood vessels, which is a major cause of ED. There can be other causes for arteriosclerosis other than age which include diet and stress.

A common question to doctors from men between 50 and 70 is how to keep their performance in the sack going even if they seem fit and are trying to do the right things. It’s not just one thing, it several things that we need to do.

Men with erection issues can have early indicators of more serious problems on the horizon. Your inability to get it up enough to have sex could be a developing heart issue which can actually be warning you up to three years in advance of the more serious issues.

Smoking, being over weight, family history of coronary disease increases your risk of a more serious problem. You need to see your doctor to have your blood pressure, cholesterol, and glucose levels checked. Exams like a CT angiogram to check your coronaries.

Read more about the top 5 reasons men get ED

This isn’t to say all men with ED issues have a heart problem, so see your doctor to be sure. It could be a matter of exercise. The heart is a muscle, and like all of our muscles, they need to be exercised regularly to perform at their best. Exercising moderately for 30 minutes 5 days a week can greatly reduce our chances of heart disease or other life limiting conditions. Studies show only 37 percent of men, and 24 percent of women exercise enough to gain benefit from it.

Most men know that regular exercise and being active can control your weight, blood pressure and lower cholesterol. But most don’t realize it also boosts your libido, and has way more affect than gulping oysters and eating gingko nuts.

To compliment the exercise, diet is important, not only what we put in our bodies, but also what we don’t. Salt is one of the real bad ones, and all processed foods contain too much salt, and do fast foods, canned foods, and chips. Excess salt can be huge in developing heart disease, so cut back on it. The things to increase on are fruits, vegetables, and water. One alcoholic drink can help relax us in the evening, but that’s just one.

Another common question for doctors is timing, in our busy lives, sometimes Viagra doesn’t work because we can’t get the timing right. Viagra generally only works for about 4 hours after it takes 30 minutes to start working. If this is the case, ask your doctor about Cialis, it takes 15 to 30 minutes to get you up, and can keep you ready for up to 36 hours.

Erectile Dysfunction can often be the result of diabetes and or impaired circulation, which could lead to stroke or heart attack. For this very reason, it is important to seek early treatment for erectile dysfunction.

Healthy sexual activity promotes health in many ways, everything from a man’s short term mood, the reduced risk of prostate cancer, and cardiovascular health.

Boston Medical Group, a national physician network specializing in the treatment of premature ejaculation and erectile dysfunction (ED), just released their top ten reason’s for sexual activity. Do men need more reasons? If they want a more restful sleep, reduced blood pressure, to man’s overall physical, psychological and emotion health, well then yes, bring them on.

Here is the list of 10 health benefits that the BMG released:

Stress Relief – Stress levels being what they are in today’s society is a huge burden to bear, sexual activity has shown in several studies to reduce the levels of stress in the body. This also makes dealing with future stresses more tolerable. In addition, sex also releases endorphins that naturally help lower anxiety.

Cancer Prevention – Men who ejaculate on a more frequent basis are shown to have a 30% less likely chance of getting prostate cancer. Several studies reflect these numbers; it shows that regular ejaculations flush out the prostate which could help the development of cancer cells in the prostate.

Boosting Your Immunity – In one of what could be the worse flu season in years, everyone is looking for ways to boost the immune system. Regular sexual activity is associated with an increased immune system.

Use It or Lose It – Using the penis at least three times a week helps it to maintain a healthy life into your golden years. Just like any other muscle in the body, the penis if prone to atrophy. We all need regular physical activity to keep fit, and sexual activity can help ward off erectile dysfunction and other sexual health issues later in life.

Improved Intimacy – Sometimes referred to the “Love Hormone”, oxytocin blast to five times their normal level just before orgasm. Oxytocin has been linked to building trust, helping strengthen bonds, and giving us an increased feeling of generosity.

Better Sleep – A restful night of sleep is associated with a number of health benefits like maintaining healthy blood pressure and weight. Oxytocin not only helps intimacy, it also promotes a deep sleep.

Calorie Burn – Intercourse definitely gets the heart rate and blood pumping helping to burn calories. It may not give man washboard abs, but it’s definitely more enjoyable than a trip to the gym.

Strength Training – Increased testosterone levels from sexual activity can help strengthen bones and muscles in addition to calorie burn. Low levels can result in fatigue, depression, and a decreased libido.

Pain Relief – Too bad oxytocin cannot be bottled, not only does it help with the above mentioned better sleep and improved intimacy, but it helps release endorphins. These endorphins alleviate pain associated with headaches and arthritis, so put away the Tylenol and go for a roll between the sheets.

Improved Cardiovascular Health – Sexual activity has been shown to lower blood pressure, accounting for the overall positive impact on cardiovascular health. A Queens University study shows that men who engage in sexual activity more than three times a week reduce their risk of heart attack and stroke.

The BMG provides therapies and treatments programs which can help men with sexual health and function issues, including men that cannot take oral medications like Viagra, Cialis, and Levitra. These personalized treatments can often help men get an erection in minutes.

Check out the discussion thread on the Boston Medical Group in the Edguider Forum.