IF YOU Have A PENIS, then yous know information technology has a tendency to be a little, uh, temperamental sometimes. When y'all want it to stay hard during sexual activity, it goes soft. Then, when you finally manage to sustain an erection, you end upward ejaculating likewise quickly. It doesn't get along so well alcohol, fifty-fifty when you lot're in a sexually arousing situation. Information technology likewise tends to show up in a big way at inopportune times, similar in the heart of an important presentation at work. As far as sources of pleasure go, the penis can be pretty damn frustrating.

According to a study published in the American Journal of Medicine, 85% of penis-owning men between the ages of 20 and 39 say they "ever" or "about always" can go and maintain an erection, which means fifteen% of men in the prime of their life take a hard time getting difficult, at least occasionally. The aforementioned study constitute that of men betwixt the ages of 40 and 59, only 20% said they could get a salubrious enough erection for sex most of the time.

Why do so many people struggle to get it up? "More often than not speaking, poor erections are caused by i of 5 things: decreased blood flow, abnormal hormone levels, medication, aberrant nerve function, and the last thing is the mental component," explains Dr. Justin Houman, Dr., a board-certified urologist and men'southward sexual and reproductive wellness specialist.

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Though yous may never be able to predict how your penis will behave with 100% accuracy, there are steps yous can take to make certain that when it comes time to perform, your erections are as good for you and stiff as they can exist. So without further ado, here are xix tips to help yous stay hard.

1) Try a erect ring .

Did you know that a cock ring tin can help you maintain an erection? This O-shaped toy fits around your penis and helps continue blood in the shaft, where you lot want information technology. A cock ring also helps prevent venous leakage, a form of erectile dysfunction where blood flows to your penis, simply has trouble staying there. (Light-headed, a new erect-ring-like gadget designed to treat ED, may also help guys with venous leakage maintain stronger erections.)

In that location are 4 types of cock rings, all of which can help in the erection department:

  • Adjustable rings
  • Stretchy rings
  • Vibrating rings
  • Solid rings

To learn more than about the different types, cheque out our guide to cock rings. And hither's where to shop some of our favorite erect rings on the marketplace.

2) Piece of work your Kegel exercises.

The pelvic floor muscles play a role in sex activity, explains Robert Valenzuela, Physician, a board-certified urologist and Promescent medical advisor. "Contractions of the pelvic floor muscles (called Kegels) assist produce an increase in the penis pressure and the rigidity of the penis." In simpler words, Kegel exercises—where you contract and release your pelvic flooring muscles—can aid strengthen your erections. Here are some tips on exactly how to exercise Kegel exercises.

Kegel exercises are as well a component of a practice known as "penis rehabilitation," adds Michael Ingber, Md, a urologist and urogynecologist. "Just like after shoulder surgery, when you might see a physical therapist to piece of work on the muscles, strengthening them, and increasing range of motion, the same thing is truthful for the penis, the muscles, and fretfulness that play a role in erectile part." That'southward why many urologists recommend early penile rehabilitation—which includes Kegels—before long later events that affect the erectile nerves of the penis, such as prostate cancer surgery. "This is done in conjunction with medical therapies like Viagra," Ingber says.

three) Watch what you eat.

Foods that are bad for the heart are also bad for the penis—which makes sense, since the center and penis both depend on blood flow to function properly. According to a 2020 study, the Mediterranean diet—which includes fruits, whole grains, heart-healthy fats like nuts and olive oil, red vino, and vegetables—is a good identify to offset.

"The link between the Mediterranean diet and improved sexual function has been scientifically established," Irwin Goldstein, MD, director of sexual medicine at Alvarado Hospital in San Diego, told WedMD .

iv) Become more than exercise.

Cardio. Cardio. Cardio.

According to Ryan Berglund, MD, a urologist at the Cleveland Clinic, blood flow is the key to a healthy erection, and there's nothing that encourages blood flow similar aerobic exercise. Not only does it keep you lot in shape—it besides builds the torso'due south nitric oxide, which helps maintain erections.

While running is dandy, stay off the bike if y'all can assist it. "Endurance cyclists who spend a long time on their bike seats may have more trouble with ED," says Erin Michos, MD, an associate professor of Medicine at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.

"This is because bicycle riding can compress the pudendal avenue, which provides blood menses to the penis," Ingber adds. "Using a special bike seat (divide-seat) along with wearing special shorts tin can help prevent ED."

5) Quit smoking.

A 2015 literature review institute that smokers are at a college risk of developing erectile dysfunction than the balance of the penis-owning population. There's also some prove that smoking affects erection strength—and size.

"In improver to damaging blood vessels, smoking may cause damage to penile tissue itself, making it less elastic and preventing it from stretching," says Goldstein.

We have however to hear a better reason to quit.

6) Potable coffee.

Though few things are worse for your erection than a cigarette habit, coffee tin really help you out below the belt. A report past the University of Texas Wellness Science Center at Houston found that men who consumed the caffeine equivalent of 2-3 cups of coffee per day were less likely to suffer from erectile dysfunction than those who preferred to wake up with caffeine-complimentary beverages.

seven) Try some weed.

While some studies shows that smoking weed will give you marijuana'south version of "whiskey dick," others suggest that cannabis use might actually improve sexual office. Marijuana affects everyone a little differently, so you'll accept to experiment to meet if information technology helps or hurts your erections. If you need assistance relaxing and getting out of your head, then a touch of the devil'due south lettuce might exist just what your erection needs.

8) Become a vasectomy.

If you're finished producing offspring (or you're sure y'all don't desire kids), consider investing in renovations at the sperm mill.

"The risk of a contraceptive failure can be a big source of anxiety for some men, particularly those who've had a nativity control disaster—or a scare—in the past," says Karen Donahey, Ph.D., director of the sexual practice- and marital-therapy plan at Northwestern University.

That anxiety can, in turn, lead to erection problems—and cause the same vicious circle that makes performance anxiety such a mood killer.

But if at that place's no sperm, the risk of pregnancy is beyond minuscule: A properly performed vasectomy has an effectiveness charge per unit of 99.9%. Depending on your insurance situation, the procedure typically costs between $0 and $1,000, according to Planned Parenthood.

"Many of my patients end up paying $0 for them if they have low deductible plans," Ingber says. "We can ofttimes do these in the office setting, with a local anesthesia, which can minimize price for some patients."

9) Stay true-blue.

It'due south common for penis-owners who offset having affairs to stop having erections. Then common, in fact, that doctors who care for erectile dysfunction often inquire their patients if they're getting any action on the side.

Unless y'all're in an open or polyamorous relationship, you're bound to feel guilty when y'all take sex with your partner after you lot've been secretly getting it on with someone else. Guilt can turn to anxiety, and that tin kill an erection.

10) Reduce your risk of diabetes.

Erectile dysfunction is common in people who have diabetes (and especially type two diabetes), co-ordinate to the Mayo Dispensary. The disease hits the penis with a double whammy: It accelerates the process of arterial disease, and it slows the manual of stimuli forth nerves throughout your body. And, trust united states, a numb penis is not a happy penis.

Type 2 is the almost prevalent form of diabetes among American adults. There are various means to foreclose it, including eating diabetes-fighting foods and exercising regularly. You should also be vigilant in checking your blood sugar (talk to your doctor near the all-time methods).

xi) Get your testosterone levels checked.

Low testosterone doesn't direct affect the mechanisms involved in your erection, but it does impact your libido, making it harder to get turned on—and harder to get, well, hard. If you notice an uncharacteristic drop in your sex drive—or any of these symptoms of low testosterone—you might want to ask your doc if your T levels are lower than they should be. If they are, your doc can help go your testosterone back to levels inside the normal range.

12) Take it easy when you lot're thrusting.

One vigorously misplaced thrust is all information technology takes to rupture the corpora cavernosa, the elongated "erectile chambers" that run the length of your penis. Don't believe us? Endeavor aiming your erect penis at the torso of a tree—it'southward roughly the aforementioned density as your partner'south pubic bone.

A complete rupture volition require surgery within 24 hours to stanch internal bleeding and reduce the adventure of permanent impairment. A partial tear isn't equally serious, but it may cause bug afterward on. Every bit the linings of the corpora heal over with scar tissue, they lose their elasticity—leading to curvature, hurting, and eventually impotence.

Past some estimates, more a third of impotent penis-owners have a history of "penile trauma." To protect yourself, be careful when your partner's on pinnacle. That's the position nearly likely to cause harm.

thirteen) Walk more than.

In i

report

, researchers found that men who walk simply 2 miles a day had half the rate of erection issues of more sedentary men, says Goldstein. (Twenty minutes of jogging or xxx minutes of weight preparation will piece of work, likewise.)

"What'southward skillful for your heart health is expert for the vasculature to your penis," Houman adds.

Deposits that clog or stiffen penile arteries can likewise wilt erections. "Guys tend to think of their arteries as elementary pipes that can go chock-full, but at that place's a lot more going on than that," says Laurence Levine, MD, a urologist at Chicago's Rush-Presbyterian Medical Center. "The linings of those claret vessels are very biologically active areas where chemicals are beingness made and released into the bloodstream."

The more y'all exercise, the healthier, cleaner, and more flexible those linings go.

14) Yawn a lot.

Deplorable if reading the word "yawn" made you yawn merely now. Actually, we're not sorry—because as far equally your body's concerned, yawning and getting an erection are practically the aforementioned thing.

They're both controlled by a chemical called nitric oxide. Released in the encephalon, it tin either travel to the neurons that control rima oris opening and animate, or go downwardly the spinal cord to the claret vessels that feed the penis. Sometimes it does both (that's why a large yawn tin can cause a tremor down under).

We don't recommend foreplay with your mouth hanging open. Merely allowing yourself to yawn now and and so throughout the twenty-four hour period may assist prime the neurochemical pathways that pb to good, sturdy erections.

15) Get plenty of sleep.

Your penis needs equally much close-heart equally it can get. Every dark while you sleep, you lot take betwixt three and five-hour-long erections. Y'all probably noticed this phenomenon the last time you had to pee at four a.m.

Those erections are non there simply to make life interesting for your bedmate. They work to recharge your penis—keeping it well-nourished with oxygenated blood.

"Theoretically, the more nocturnal erections you have, the more flexible your erectile tissue will become. And that may aid keep erections strong as the years habiliment on," Goldstein explains.

xvi) Take amino acids.

If you lot're dealing with mild erectile dysfunction, you might not need prescription medication to get your groove back. Amino acids

50-citrulline

and

Fifty-arginine

are both known to improve sexual performance, and you can get them in pill- or power-form.

"They assistance increment some of the neurotransmitters that indicate for more blood flow to the penis," Houman explains. But brand sure you check with your doc before trying a new supplement—the supplement industry isn't well regulated, and some supplements might negatively interact with prescription drugs.

17) Try ED medication.

If all else fails, at that place is ED treatment in the form of drugs. Viagra, the first ever oral treatment for erectile dysfunction, works for a few hours before its effects start to diminish. And so in that location'due south Cialis, which tin can aid your erections for up to 36 hours (that'south why information technology's oftentimes referred to as "the weekend pill"). Stendra is the fast-acting option—information technology kicks into gear within fifteen to 30 minutes of taking a pill.

"Ultimately, you only have to observe whichever medication fits your lifestyle or fits the occasion," Houman says.

There are plenty of options out there, and they all work in a similar fashion. ED drugs heighten the effects of nitric oxide, a chemical your body produces that relaxes the muscles and arteries in the penis. That helps more blood menstruation go where you lot want it to go during arousal—and only during arousal. Yous're not going to end upwards with a 36 hr boner.

Once you've started taking ED meds, you might experience some side effects. "Some guys will experience headaches, flushing, heartburn, and lower back pain," Houman says. "For the about part, the more ofttimes you take the medication, the more than your body will get used to it, and those symptoms will wash off." If your side effects hang around, your doctor can help you lot detect a different ED pill that suits your needs.

Talk to your doctor about which ED medications might be right for yous—and know that men'south wellness brands like Hims and Romans both prescribe ED medication online and and so evangelize them directly to your door.

18) Endeavour Trimix

If traditional oral ED medication isn't working, there's something called Trimix, where you inject the base of operations of your penis with vasodilating agents, says Jed Kaminetsky, MD, a board-certified urologist and Promescent medical advisor. "Information technology's actually less painful than it sounds and is constructive in over 90% of men with erectile dysfunction."

However, while Trimix works great, "i has to be aware of complications," Ingber says. "In some men, this erection tin persist and become painful. If it lasts more than 4 hours, it's called 'priapism,' and it becomes a medical emergency where you will need to get to the emergency department."

19) Get a penile implant.

If ED medication and lifestyle changes don't improve your sexual function, a penile implant surgery can help you achieve the erections of your dreams. Through a small incision, a md inserts a pump inside your scrotum that draws from a reservoir filled with sterile water. Whatever time you want an erection, you tin can printing on the pump, sending fluid into the penis for a strong erection that lasts as long as you need information technology to. Like with whatever surgery, at that place's a hazard of complications, just overall, people who get penile implants report high rates of satisfaction—and so do their partners.

The editors of Men's Health are your personal conduit to the top experts in the globe on all things important to men: health, fitness, style, sex, and more.

Headshot of Ro White

Ro White is a Chicago-based writer, sexual activity educator, and Autostraddle's Sex activity & Dating Editor.