High blood pressure and erectile dysfunction

Our blood delivers nutrients and oxygen to all parts of the body. The heart helps to push blood through the network of blood vessels which constantly change their size. They become narrower or wider to maintain your blood pressure and keep blood flowing at a healthy rate.

When you have high blood pressure, the force of blood flow can damage your blood vessels, making them weak, stiff, or narrow. Over time, hypertension can cause health problems by harming important organs, such as your heart, kidneys, eyes and penis.

For an erection to occur, you need to have healthy blood vessels. Damage to blood vessels, from conditions like heart disease or high blood pressure could lead to ED.

How do erections happen?

When a man feels sexually aroused, his brain sends signals to his penis. These signals cause the muscles in the penis to relax and let blood flow into the penis. This causes it to become stiff and enlarged, which is known as an erection. The veins then trap the blood here and prevent it from flowing out, allowing you to maintain the erection.

If high blood pressure is not treated, over time it can damage your arteries by making them less elastic and narrow. This means that less blood is able to flow to different organs in the body, including the penis.

As blood flow to your penis reduces, it becomes more difficult to achieve and maintain an erection.

While high blood pressure by itself can lead to ED, some medicines used to treat high blood pressure can also be the cause.

ED is an occasional side effect of some blood pressure medicines like diuretics or beta blockers. These medicines can decrease blood flow to the penis and make it difficult to get an erection—however, not all blood pressure pills cause ED.

If you get ED shortly after starting treatment with any blood pressure pill, speak with your doctor. They may be able to change your treatment.

Learn about other erectile dysfunction causes

Yes. Studies Trusted source National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) Government Source Biomedical Research and Literature Go to source have shown that coronary heart disease (CHD) and ED are closely linked. CHD is when your heart's blood supply is blocked by a build-up of fatty substances in the coronary arteries.

Over time, the plaque causes the arteries to thicken and harden, making the blood vessels narrow and slowing down blood flow.

This condition can lead to a heart attack or stroke. However, the blood vessels in the penis are usually affected first, causing ED.

The good news is that making simple changes to your lifestyle can have a positive impact on your health and may improve your blood pressure. Managing your blood pressure could lower your risk of heart disease and improve your erectile function in the process.

Here's how to reduce high blood pressure:

• Eating a healthy, low-salt balanced diet
• Losing weight if you’re overweight or obese
• Being physically active and sitting less
• Quitting smoking or using tobacco
• Avoid foods high in salt or saturated fats
• Limiting alcohol intake
• Reducing stress (practice mindfulness meditation)

A healthy lifestyle including a balanced diet, regular exercise, and being smoke-free can improve how well your heart works, which in turn may improve your ability to have erections.

A well-balanced diet rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and lean proteins supports your overall heart health. This in turn can improve the blood flow throughout the body, including to the penis.

See the top 10 most effective foods for fighting ED here

Regular exercise can also help strengthen your heart, improve blood flow, and help you maintain a healthy weight. All of these factors contribute to better erectile function.

Additionally, if you avoid smoking it reduces the risk of damage to your blood vessels, further supporting healthy erections.

If lifestyle changes do not control your blood pressure, your doctor may recommend taking medicines for high blood pressure. Medications can help control high blood pressure and reduce the damage from it.

Your recommended blood pressure goal may depend on your age and any other health conditions you have.

Many different medicines can be used to lower blood pressure. Sometimes a combination of medications is necessary. Some blood pressure medicines include:

• ACE inhibitors
• Angiotensin-2 receptor blockers (ARBs)
• Calcium channel blockers
• Beta-blockers
• Diuretics

There are different treatment options for ED. One of the safest and easily accessible treatments for ED involves using a group of medications called PDE5 inhibitors. These come as tablets and are taken shortly before sexual activity.

PDE5 inhibitors help to achieve and maintain an erection and only work if you are sexually aroused.

There are several different PDE5 inhibitors available:

• Sildenafil (Viagra)
• Tadalafil (Cialis)
• Vardenafil (Levitra)
• Avanafil (Spedra)

Read more about Viagra alternatives here

You can only be prescribed these medicines once your blood pressure is under control. They are not safe for men with uncontrolled high blood pressure.

Other ED treatments such as injections, penis pumps or surgery are often used as last-line options reserved for when other ED treatments have been unsuccessful.

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