Just the thought of losing your erection during sex can be a worrying experience. But you needn’t fret too much, as it’s a pretty common concern amongst many men.
Nearly every guy has felt themselves (quite literally) flop during that crucial moment, and it’s certainly nothing to feel embarrassed about. There’s no need to beat yourself up, as there is a range of reasons why men lose their hard-on during sex.
We’ve covered everything you need to know regarding why your erection is falling flat, as well as solutions to boost your weak erection and performance in the bedroom.
Why do men lose their erections?
Commonly associated with erectile dysfunction – or ED – losing your erection during sex isn’t something to be ashamed of.
It is a common misconception that those with ED lack the ability to get an erection completely, despite their arousal. But don’t go running for the hills just yet, as ED is better viewed on a scale of severity that can differ from one man to the next.
While men with severe ED are far more likely to struggle to get an erection at all, there are scenarios where they can get hard but later lose their erection.
There are many reasons worth considering when you’re wondering why you’re losing your erection during sex. Some of these can be physical, while psychological factors also play a huge part in your ability to stay hard.
We often don’t consider the impact of psychological factors, whether it’s stress, low self-esteem, anxiety or depression. Everyday stress may not feel like a big deal, but it can often affect your ability to keep it up without you realising.
Struggling to perform can also be a form of sexual performance anxiety, usually experienced by younger men before and during sex. If you’re feeling anxious before sexual activity, the likelihood is, your erection is going to fall flat.
We’re all familiar with porn’s representation of sex and its portrayal of erections, sexual performance and libido. So, it comes as no surprise that studies have shown that there may be links between compulsive porn consumption and sexual dysfunction. Porn’s sensationalised representation of sex can cause a knock-on effect on sexual enjoyment, responsiveness and arousal.
When we begin to look at physical impacts on losing an erection, it’s time to look at factors such as health issues, including your heart, blood pressure and weight. These elements combined can often determine the strength and dependability of your erection.
If you’re a lover of junk food, you may start to feel as though you’re experiencing weaker erections than normal – This could be due to the blood flow to your erection. High cholesterol and blood pressure can affect your blood vessels, making it increasingly difficult for blood to flow to your penis.
If you’re losing an erection during sex, it could be worth investigating health conditions such as diabetes or hormonal issues that can quickly reduce your sex drive and cause ED.
It’s not just physical or psychological factors that can play a part in losing your erection, either. Lifestyle choices can also affect your ability to keep it up – whether you’re a smoker, use drugs like marijuana or cocaine, or even anabolic steroids. Erectile dysfunction can also be caused by your usual medications, such as beta-blockers, antidepressants and other drugs commonly used to treat hypertension and heart disease.
While there may not be a blanket reason for your lost erection, it’s worth considering a mixture of causes, including physical, psychological, medicinal and general health factors.
Tips to keeping your erection during sex
There are plenty of treatment options available to keep you from losing your erection during sex. Simple lifestyle changes can be made to improve your performance, while medication is also worth considering.
But before you run for the hills over the possibility of ED, it’s important to point out the difference between losing your erection every now and then and losing your erection more frequently.
Many factors can impact your usual sex life, causing your erection to feel weaker. Whether you’re feeling the stress from work, suffering from a lack of sleep or have something else on your mind, your erection may not feel as strong as it usually would.
Good news guys, that doesn’t necessarily mean that you have ED. However, if you’re no longer experiencing morning glory, your libido has taken a hit or you’ve noticed your erections are consistently feeling weaker, then it may be time to take action.
Erectile dysfunction can mean getting an erection for a shorter period of time than you usually would have, or getting hard so briefly that you’re not up long enough to have sex. For others, in severe cases of ED, it may mean never being able to get an erection.
If after a heavy night out you’ve struggled to maintain an erection, it’s important to recognise alcohol’s effect – rather than your general health causing you to feel weak down below.
However, it’s not all doom and gloom. There is a range of ways to improve your performance in the bedroom, keeping your erection strong during sex.
Psychotherapy
If you feel as though a psychological factor could be causing you to lose your erection more frequently, psychotherapy could be a great route to explore.
Whether it’s stress, depression or sexual performance anxiety that may be causing ED, a range of methods are available to treat your needs. A therapist could recommend cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) in order to overcome any negative thoughts and improve your confidence to maintain an erection.
Lifestyle Changes
Instead of opting for medication right away, there are opportunities to improve your erections and keep you hard during sex with just a few lifestyle tweaks.
These simple, small changes can have huge effects on your performance in the bedroom. In fact, studies have shown that aerobic exercise can equate to considerable improvements in the symptoms of ED.
So, what can you do yourself to get your erection feeling pumped and ready to go?
- Pay attention to your diet and improve healthy eating
- Maintain a healthy body weight
- Keep your blood pressure in check
- Maintain a healthy, active lifestyle (aerobics optional!)
- Check for lower levels of testosterone
- Avoid smoking and other nicotine products
- Keep your porn consumption to a normal level
- Drink alcohol in moderation and avoid drugs
These may not be the answer to all your erection prayers, but they can definitely have a positive impact, helping to improve occasional weak erections.
If you’ve already spotted a particular point that applies to your life, focusing on improving one element can lead to harder erections in no time.
Researchers have found that limiting your alcohol consumption can have huge effects on your sexual performance. So, if you’re a regular drinker, you may quickly be able to resolve any issues with staying hard.
Much like alcohol, nicotine in cigarettes can contribute to weak erections. One study found that men given nicotine showed lower levels of erectile response to erotic material.
A focus on maintaining a healthy lifestyle can have surprising effects on your erection, sexual performance and sex drive. And with our handy list of positive lifestyle choices, you can quickly identify the factor or factors that cause your erection to feel weak.
Medication
As we’ve already mentioned, there are considerable differences between the occasional weak erection caused by tiredness or stress, and the frequent struggle to stay hard during sex.
We’ve all heard of Viagra, an erectile dysfunction pill that works by inhibiting the enzyme that regulates blood flow to your erection. While there is a range of medication available to treat erectile dysfunction – there’s no better way to pack a punch behind the belt than our all-natural, effective formula.
These popular erectile dysfunction medications aren’t only used by older men – with a growing number of younger men also seeking treatment for persistent weak erections during sex.
Losing your erection during sex: The normality
Losing your erection during sex isn’t something to be ashamed of. As we’ve already covered, there are so many factors that can cause your erection to feel a little weaker than usual. However, it’s important to pay attention to consistent issues in the bedroom, whether you’re struggling to stay hard, perform in the sack or gain an erection at all.
In some instances, erectile dysfunction can be treated through lifestyle changes, such as exercise, healthy diet, less alcohol or less nicotine.
Whatever the cause may be, it’s important to pay attention to what’s normal for you and your body. Pay attention to your erections, and if you start to notice any changes on a frequent basis, it’s time to take action.
