Erectile function depends on healthy blood vessels, and many of the factors that protect the heart also protect erectile function. Several of these factors have been tested in controlled trials.
Aerobic exercise
A meta-analysis of 11 randomized controlled trials found that aerobic exercise improved erectile function. The improvement was greater in men whose dysfunction was more severe: about 2.3 points on the erectile function score in mild cases, 3.3 in moderate cases and 4.9 in severe cases.1 A systematic review identified about 40 minutes of moderate to vigorous aerobic activity, four times a week, for six months, as the pattern associated with improvement in inactive men and men with cardiovascular risk factors.2
Weight and diet
In a two-year randomized trial of 110 men with obesity and erectile dysfunction, 31% of men in the intervention group, which combined weight loss with increased physical activity, regained normal erectile function, compared with about 5% in the control group.3
Smoking
Men who stopped smoking were more likely to report improved erectile function within six months than men who continued to smoke, 54% compared with 28%.4
Sleep
Sleep restriction lowers testosterone. In a laboratory study, one week of sleep limited to five hours a night reduced daytime testosterone levels by 10 to 15% in healthy young men.5
In the Andro-Somatic Method
These findings form the basis of the Method's work on the body: aerobic exercise, weight, sleep, smoking and alcohol. They are introduced one at a time, after the initial assessment.
References
- Khera M et al. Meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials of aerobic exercise and erectile function. J Sex Med, 2023. Source
- Gerbild H et al. Physical activity to improve erectile function: a systematic review of intervention studies. Sex Med, 2018. Source
- Esposito K et al. Effect of lifestyle changes on erectile dysfunction in obese men: a randomized controlled trial. JAMA, 2004. Source
- Review of smoking cessation and erectile function. Sex Med Rev, 2023. Source
- Leproult R, Van Cauter E. Effect of 1 week of sleep restriction on testosterone levels in young healthy men. JAMA, 2011. Source
This article is educational and does not replace medical advice. Published by The Andro-Somatic Method.