What is impotence?

The mechanism of male erection is so sophisticated and complex that there's no big surprise that sometimes it goes not as good as you'd wish to. Still, having problems with getting and keeping a good hard erection form time to time is nothing to worry about, because it happens to all men, and it's not impotence. A cause for concern is the situation when a man is having problems with erection in more than 25% of cases - that is what doctors start to call erectile dysfunction. ED can have various degrees of severity, ranging from ongoing problems with keeping the erection, early ejaculation to being completely unable to get an erection at all. But what is more important is that erectile dysfunction can have various causes, and by knowing which one has influenced impotence in every particular case is the key to treating the condition.

Erectile dysfunction can be a very strong signal, informing you that there's something wrong in your body. It usually doesn't take place on its own, being a side-effect of a much more serious condition. Erectile dysfunction is typically caused by two different sets of factors - psychological and physiological - which require their own ways of treatment. So before you engage in any practices or consider using medications, you first have to define what the root of your problem is.

Psychological causes for ED are probably the most widespread, because things like stress, anxiety and depression are met more often these days. Treating erectile dysfunction caused by such conditions can be relatively easy, because it usually doesn't involve any strong drugs or complicated medical procedures. However, when treating these conditions with certain anti-anxiety drugs and antidepressants you have to be careful, because they may be causing ED as a side-effect. So make sure to consult with a doctor or a pharmacist before starting a course of treatment.

Physiological causes for male impotence include a very wide range of conditions, which are primarily related to the health of blood vessels and nervous tissue in the penile area. Having diabetes, blood pressure problems, heard diseases, high cholesterol levels, kidney or liver diseases, recent surgical operations, cancer treatment or prostate problems will raise the likelihood of developing erectile dysfunction. This is where addressing the condition on its own, especially when it has been around for a long time, is not enough and using drugs such as Viagra is encouraged.

Lifestyle and habits can also be the cause for erectile dysfunction. It is a well known fact that alcohol abuse and heavy smoking influence the development of impotence in men, and the longer you follow these habits, the harder it will be getting back healthy erections after you're done. Shifting towards a healthier lifestyle, following a low-calorie diet, exercising and getting enough sleep can sometimes be a lot more effective than using Viagra, because a healthy lifestyle will improve the overall state of your body and not just the ability to have sex. So before you buy Viagra online, revise the way you treat your body everyday and see if there are some changes to be done.