by Fern Kuhn

Smoking not only causes death and other illnesses, many men don't realize smoking can cause impotence or erectile dysfunction.

The male libido and the ability to perform sexually are vulnerable to stress by smoking cigarettes. Sound familiar? While it is natural to have an occasional erection problem, when this becomes an everyday occurrence, it is a sign of a serious matter to deal with. Left unresolved, these existing physiologic causes of impotency can worsen and smoking can be an attributing factor. Medical experts believe that smoking may increase the risks of erectile dysfunction for men 30 to 50 year old, by up to 50%.

Why can smoking cause ED

For your penis to have an erection, chemicals released in your brain from stimulation send signals through your body to your penis. Another chemical is released which causes your penile muscle to relax so blood can rush into this area causing an erection.

Smoking cause’s impotence as it affects this process in different stages for a variety of different reasons. It can be a factor in that it can build up fatty deposits in the arteries that can restrict the flow of blood to the penis.

Cigarettes contain nicotine that causes restriction to your blood vessels. If that happens, it affects the chemical release that occurs when you become excited and your brain therefore cannot properly send the proper signals that cause your penile muscle to relax. Instead there is a restriction of blood flowing into the penis.

When nicotine travels in the blood stream it impairs the bodies' ability to trap blood in the penile tissue. This makes it difficult to keep an erection long enough for sexual activity. As you can see smoking can cause erectile dysfunction in 3 or more different ways. It just isn't a simple answer of smoking causes erectile dysfunction. This is not all in your mind! It also can cause a reduced amount of ejaculation, lower sperm counts, abnormal shaped sperm and decreased sperm mobility.

To reduce your possibilities of developing erectile dysfunction and impotence, you should find a way to stop smoking. Nicotene is an addiction. Many smokers become addicted because of the chemicals that make the ingredients in a cigarette. If you are serious about stopping smoking then ask for help. It is not an easy task on your own but having support can help improve your chances of achieving your goal and having much more fun in bed.