For most men, getting an erection is as natural and easy as breathing. However, the process of achieving and maintaining an erection is much more complicated than you may think.
It involves a complex sequence of physiological and psychological processes in which the brain, nerves, hormones, emotions, muscles and blood vessels all play a vital role. A problem with any of these components can impact erectile function.
While the underlying causes of erectile are numerous, the one thing they all have in common is that they impact the flow of blood to the penis. Now a healthy supply of oxygen-rich blood is essential for your ability to achieve and maintain strong erections.
When the supply of blood to the penis is affected, not only does it make it difficult to achieve and maintain erections, but it’s also highly damaging to the erectile tissues.
So, how to increase penis blood flow? While there are synthetic ED drugs such as sildenafil can improve blood flow to the penis, they’re associated with numerous side effects and can be particularly dangerous for men who’re affected by cardiovascular conditions.
Moreover, the effects of prescription ED drugs are only temporary and they don’t provide a permanent solution to the problem. So if you’re looking for natural ways to increase blood flow to the penis, you’re in the right place. This blog post will serve as a comprehensive guide.
Why having a strong blood flow to the penis is important?
How to increase blood flow to the penis
Natural ways to increase blood flow to the penis
Devices that can improve penis blood flow
Medications improving blood flow to the penis
Why Having a Strong Blood Flow to the Penis is Important?
There are two chambers inside your penis known as the corpora cavernosa. These chambers start at the pelvis and extend all the way up the penis shaft to the head. The corpora cavernosa is primarily made of spongy tissues that grow in size when filled with blood.
When you’re performing routine activities such as running errands or working out, the penile arteries are only open partially, supplying just enough blood to keep the penile tissues healthy.
Also Read: Alcohol and Erectile Dysfunction: The Facts
However, this changes when you become sexually aroused. When you receive mental or physical stimulation, your brain responds by triggering a hormonal release which allows the penile arteries to expand fully. Fully open arteries naturally allow more blood to enter the spongy penile tissues.
This results in you achieving an erection. The veins in the penis also become compressed as blood is entering the penis faster than it’s leaving it. The compression of the veins traps blood in the penis, which helps you maintain the erection.
When you’re affected by a health condition such as atherosclerosis, you’re penile arteries get clogged up by deposits of fatty material and become narrower than they normally are. This inhibits the ability of the arteries to supply a sufficient amount of blood needed to achieve and maintain strong erections.
Some health issues can also cause your brain to stop triggering the hormonal response that allows the penile arteries to expand.
How to Increase Blood Flow to the Penis?
As we’ve mentioned above, there are numerous side-effects associated with synthetic erectile dysfunction drugs such as Viagra, Cialis, and Levitra. Moreover, these drugs are also not aphrodisiacs.
In other words, while they create the optimal biological conditions needed to get an erection, they will not increase your libido.
Consequently, an increasing number of men are now looking at all-natural ways to improve sexual drive and performance. Here are some healthy lifestyle choices that can help in restoring normal erectile function.
Natural Ways to Increase Blood Flow to the Penis
As we’ve mentioned above, there are numerous side-effects associated with synthetic erectile dysfunction drugs such as sildenafil, avanafil, and tadalafil. Moreover, these drugs are also not aphrodisiacs.
In other words, while they create the optimal biological conditions needed to get an erection, they will not increase your libido. Consequently, an increasing number of men are now looking at all-natural ways, such as exercising, maintaining a healthy increase penis blood flow.
Food
The easiest way to enhance blood flow to the penis is to maintain a healthy, nutrient-rich diet. While certain foods can improve erectile function, the scientific evidence available to support the effectiveness of these foods is anecdotal at best.
Also Read: How Many Calories Does Sex Burn? Discover The Best Sex Positions That Help Burn Calories
However, countless individuals swear by their effects. Foods that have been found to enhance blood flow to the penis include the ones below, but first, here’s a video about foods that increase blood flow:
Coffee
According to an American study, the caffeine contained in coffee can act as a relaxant to certain muscles and arteries in the penis, enhancing blood flow and helping to develop and maintain an erection. The team of researchers discovered that men who had a daily caffeine intake between 170 to 300 mg were 42% less likely to develop erectile dysfunction. These amounts are approximately an equivalent of 2 to 3 cups of coffee a day.
Dark Chocolate
Dark chocolate promotes the release of the pleasure hormone ‘dopamine’ which helps in the expansion of penile arteries, thereby improving the flow of blood to the penis.
Oats
Oats are rich with L-arginine, which is an amino acid that has been known to be an effective remedy for erectile dysfunction. L-arginine acts as a relaxant for the penile arteries, which enhances blood flow and makes it easier to achieve and maintain erections.
Chilies
Chilies contain capsaicin, a chemical that promotes the release of the feel-good hormone endorphin. Endorphin is one of the hormones released by the brain in response to physical or mental sexual stimulation. It causes the arteries in the penis to fully dilate, allowing for optimal blood flow.
Exercise
The lower abdominal muscles, particularly the pelvic floor muscles, play an important role in your ability to achieve and maintain erections. Strengthening these muscles can be very beneficial in regards to improving blood flow to the penis.
Kegel Exercises
Kegel Exercises are designed to strengthen the pelvic floor, or the PC, muscles. Located in your lower abdomen, this group of muscles becomes active during sexual arousal, and strengthening these muscles improves the flow of blood to reproductive organs.
This not only improves your ability to achieve and maintain an erection but also enhances other sexual functions such as ejaculations and orgasms.
Aerobic Exercises
Strengthening muscles outside of the pelvic floor can also help in improving erectile function. For instance, the American Journal of Cardiology suggests that aerobic exercises can also be beneficial in restoring normal erectile function.
Aerobic exercises, or even simple ones such as walking regularly, can bring about a significant improvement in your cardiac health and enhance blood flow within the body (including the penis).
Hydration
Some clinical studies also suggest that hydration levels also have a correlation with erectile function. When you’re dehydrated, the blood volume in your body naturally decreases which causes your blood vessels to become constricted. This impacts the flow of blood to all parts of the body, including the penis.
Sleep & Stress Management
Sleep is absolutely essential for your wellbeing, and that includes your erectile functioning. For one, it helps your body maintain optimum levels of testosterone, which, as we all know, supports your sexual functioning as well. For this, and several more reasons, it’s really important you make sure you get enough sleep and reduce your stress levels.
How your brain signals your body’s physical responses can also be impacted by mental health conditions such as anxiety and stress. When it comes to achieving and maintaining an erection, anxiety and stress can interfere with how your brain communicates with your penis to allow the extra flow of blood.
Also Read: What is Kamagra?
If you’re experiencing ED and also suffer from stress, anxiety or other mental health conditions, there’s a high chance the two problems are interlinked. Seeking cognitive behavioral therapy could bring about an improvement in your ED.
Avoiding Alcohol & Smoking
Unhealthy lifestyle choices such as smoking and consuming excessive amounts of alcohol can also have an impact on the flow of blood to the penis.
Alcohol’s relation to erectile dysfunction is quite simple to explain. Alcohol is a known depressant, and consuming it in excessive quantities can severely inhibit your brain’s ability to trigger the release of hormones that are responsible for the dilation of arteries in the penis. We’re not suggesting that you should quit alcohol altogether. Just consume it in moderate amounts.
The health risks of smoking are well-documented. In addition to almost every other part of your body, smoking also affects your reproductive system. The chemicals contained in cigarette smoke damage the lining of the blood vessels and impair their function, including those found in the penis.
So, even if the nervous system is effectively relaying the arousal signals from the brain, you may not be able to achieve or maintain an erection because of damaged blood vessels in the penis.
Devices that Can Improve Blood Flow
There are also devices available, such as penis vacuum pumps, which are specifically designed to improve erectile function by enhancing the flow of blood to the penis. A penis pump is a vacuum constriction apparatus that consists of an acrylic tube with a pump which is directly attached to the tip of the penis. The pump is then used to create a vacuum in the cylinder which helps promote blood flow to the penis.
Also Read: How to Talk about Erectile Dysfunction (ED)
The apparatus also comes with a constriction ring which can be used to trap blood into the penis so the erection can be maintained.
Penis pumps are a good option for men with ED who also suffer from conditions such as diabetes, poor blood flow to the penis, and psychological issues like anxiety and depression. The side effects of using penis pumps include minor bruising and decreased ejaculation force.
Medications Improving Blood Flow to the Penis
As we’ve mentioned there are a number of synthetic drugs on the market that can improve erectile function by increasing blood flow to the penis. The most commonly-used ones include:
Viagra
Perhaps the most commonly used ED drug, Viagra is a PDE-5 (phosphodiesterase type-5) inhibitor which works by increasing blood flow to erectile tissues, thereby making it easier to achieve and maintain an erection. Important to note though is that Viagra is not an aphrodisiac.
While it creates the optimum biological conditions for an erection, it won’t enhance your libido. In other words, it’ll only work if you’re already sexually aroused.
Levitra
Levitra is the most popular brand name of another drug, Vardenafil. Levitra is also a PDE-5 inhibitor which increases sexual performance by enhancing the blood flow to the penis. Levitra typically takes 30 minutes to work, and its effects can last for up to 4 hours.
While Levitra’s side effects are generally mild, such as headache and dizziness, some users have reported ones such as blurred vision, sensitivity to light and color blindness.
Spedra
Spedra, which is also known as Avanafil, is another popular ED drug. Like Viagra, Levitra and Cialis, Spedra also falls under the category of PDE-5 inhibitors. Spedra is perhaps the quickest sexual performance drug there is, typically taking just 15 minutes to deliver its effects. The side effects of Spedra include constipation, back pain, and diarrhea.
All-Natural Supplements
As synthetic ED drugs like the ones mentioned above are non-aphrodisiacs and only deliver temporary effects, men are now moving towards all-natural supplements. All-natural supplements such as Male Extra are formulated with herbal ingredients that have proven male sexual health benefits. These include L-arginine, pomegranate juice, L-methionine, and Zinc.
These supplements work by improving blood flow to the penis and boosting testosterone and nitric oxide production in the body. Moreover, there are little to no adverse side effects associated with these supplements.
Conclusion
While there is a variety of psychological and physiological factors that play a role in your ability to achieve and maintain erections, what we do know for sure is that the key to getting stronger erections lies in improving blood flow to the penis.
While prescription drugs can be effective in this regard, they only provide a temporary solution to the problem, and their adverse side-effects associated with them are huge negatives.
Most experts suggest that a combination of healthy lifestyle adjustments and all-natural supplements is a holistic and much safer way of increasing blood flow to the penis. However, before trying any male enhancement treatment or supplements, it’s important to consult with your doctor.
