Getting older is a privilege, but often has some unwanted side effects on your body — your eyesight might start to go, your joints may be feeling creaky and maybe your hair is going gray, among other things.
Which brings us to a couple forms of an age-old question — at what age does a man stop getting hard? When does the oft-dreaded ED kick in? Should you start stocking up on Viagra as soon as you hit 50?
First off, it’s safe to say that ED is one of the most common forms of intimate dysfunction, with an estimated 30 million men in the United States affected to some degree. So if you’re finding it difficult to get ready for intimate activity, you’re not alone.
But the exact cause of your ED makes a difference as to what age your bedroom function might start to be affected. We’ll explore the causes of age-related ED, how to deal with ED and answer the big question: at what age do men need Viagra?
At What Age Does a Man Stop Getting Hard?
Before we dive into what age ED starts, what defines “getting hard?”
ED occurs when a man is unable to get or maintain arousal that allows for penetrative intercourse.
Here’s the thing though — ED can happen at any age (it’s not just for the old guys). So if you’re asking “at what age does a man stop getting hard?” the answer will likely vary from person to person. Some people in their 20s have difficulty getting hard. And some people in their 80s don’t.
However, like many other medical conditions, the risk of developing ED increases as men get older. Research shows that age is one of the factors most closely linked to ED, so the older you are, the more at risk you are of developing ED (but that still doesn’t mean it happens to everyone). ED becomes a particularly common issue after age 70, with a prevalence rate of between 50 and 100 percent in this age group.
Other research has shown similar numbers. For example, a scientific review from 2017 noted that a man in his 40s has a 40 percent chance of developing some form of ED, with this risk increasing by 10 percent each additional decade. And yet another study found that ED is quite common in men 50 years and older, and specifically that more than 75 percent of men 75 years and older are affected.
There are several causes of ED, from physical to mental and more, meaning there’s not one most likely reason behind the link between older age and ED. Many of the physical conditions that affect your ability to get hard tend to develop in your 40s and beyond.
It’s important to note that age isn’t the only factor that affects your risk of developing ED, nor does getting older guarantee that you’ll eventually need to deal with difficulty getting or maintaining arousal. However, age is very closely associated with other health issues that can increase your risk of ED.
Causes of Age-Related ED
As mentioned above, if you start to develop some form of ED as you get older, you’re not alone. What’s more, ED can show up in different ways for different men — and sometimes even in different ways for the same man.
For example, some men are only occasionally able to get aroused when they want to have intercourse. Others can get hard without difficulties, but find it challenging to maintain arousal for long enough to enjoy satisfying intimate activity.
For men with severe ED, just getting hard at any time can be difficult or impossible. There are many health-related factors that can contribute to ED, from psychological causes of ED to medications to underlying health conditions. Some lifestyle choices — such as being sedentary, smoking or drinking an excessive amount of alcohol — can also contribute to ED as you get older.
Physical Causes of ED
Many chronic diseases and medical conditions can contribute to ED, including high blood pressure (hypertension), high cholesterol, cardiovascular disease (or heart disease) and diabetes — and the risk of all of these conditions increases as you get older.
Arousal is all about healthy nerve function and blood flow. When you feel aroused, your nerves send messages that help the smooth muscles in the arteries that supply blood to your member relax. This stimulates more blood flow, allowing the tissue inside your privates to expand and become firmer.
Without proper nerve function and healthy blood vessels, getting and maintaining arousal is much more difficult. Many conditions that affect blood flow become more common as you grow older, particularly as you enter your 40s and 50s.
It’s common for your vascular system to gradually change as you age, which makes conditions like high blood pressure, a known contributor to ED, more common in older people. In fact, findings from the U.S. National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) show that over 74 percent of those 60 and older experience hypertension.
Another age-related health issue that can cause or contribute to ED is diabetes. Men with diabetes are three times more likely to develop ED, largely because of the negative effects that diabetes can have on blood flow and nerve function throughout your body.
In addition to cardiovascular health issues and diseases such as diabetes, age-related changes in your production of certain hormones might affect your performance and make it harder to maintain a healthy intimacy life.
For example, it’s common to experience a gradual decline in your production of testosterone as you grow older, usually starting between ages 30 to 40. Low testosterone levels can negatively affect your intimacy function in several ways, including reducing your drive and contributing to ED.
Medications and ED
In addition to physical health problems, some medications can affect your ability to develop and maintain arousal. These include:
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Medications for high blood pressure
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Medications for prostate cancer
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Antidepressants
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Anxiety medications
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Prescription sleeping pills or sedatives
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Appetite suppressants
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Ulcer medications
As you get older, it’s common to use more medications on a daily basis, including certain drugs that may affect your intimacy drive, ED and general intimacy health.
Other Causes of ED
Other issues that may cause ED include mental health disorders and lifestyle factors.
Psychological issues that can contribute to ED include depression, anxiety, low self-esteem and stress.
Lifestyle factors that may cause or contribute to ED include smoking, consuming an excessive amount of alcohol, using recreational drugs, having a sedentary daily life, being overweight or having obesity.
Even insufficient sleep, disrupted sleep and sleep disorders like sleep apnea or insomnia may affect your function in the bedroom. This full guide to the causes of ED goes into more detail about the factors that can affect your arousal and intimate function.
How to Treat ED As You Age
Regardless of your age, effective ED treatments are available. They may include medication, therapy and certain lifestyle changes to your lifestyle to improve your intimacy health and function.
ED Medications
Currently, there are several evidence-based ED medications approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Many of these medications are phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibitors (PDE5 inhibitors), which work by increasing blood flow to your privates. This can make getting and staying hard easier when you’re aroused.
Currently, the following medications are available to treat ED:
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Sildenafil. The active ingredient in Viagra, sildenafil (generic Viagra) can be taken at least 30 minutes to one hour prior to intercourse and provides relief from ED for around four hours per dose.
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Tadalafil. The active ingredient in Cialis, tadalafil is a long-lasting ED medication that can provide relief from ED for up to 36 hours — an effect that’s earned it the nickname of the “weekend” pill.
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Vardenafil. The active ingredient in Levitra, vardenafil starts working quickly and offers relief from ED for slightly longer than sildenafil.
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Stendra. Containing avanafil, Stendra is a new, fast-acting ED medication that’s less likely to cause certain side effects than older ED medications.
For a more convenient option with the same effective ingredients, chewable ED meds are also available as hard mints.
If you’re looking for more easy ways to increase blood flow to your member for improved intimacy function, check out these tips.
Therapy
Psychological ED can happen no matter how old you are. If this is the cause of your dysfunction in the bedroom, it may be helpful to speak with a mental health professional.
Many mental health issues that contribute to ED, such as performance anxiety and depression, can be treated with talk therapy. Your mental health provider may suggest taking part in therapy on its own, or participating in therapy while using medication to treat your symptoms.
Lifestyle Changes for ED
If you have mild or moderate ED, making certain changes to your lifestyle may help you get and stay hard without the use of medication. Try to:
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Maintain a healthy weight. Obesity is a significant risk factor for ED, particularly due to its close association with health issues such as diabetes and heart disease. If you are overweight or obese, try to lose weight. Although the measurement of body mass index (BMI) is far from perfect, aiming for a BMI in the healthy range is generally a good way to reduce your risk of experiencing ED.
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Exercise regularly. While there’s no need to train like an athlete, staying active is an important part of preventing ED. Studies have even shown that men with ED due to blood flow issues often experience improvements after exercising. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise and at least two sessions of resistance training per week for better physical health.
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Quit smoking. Smoking can affect your cardiovascular health and potentially increase your risk of dealing with ED. If you smoke, try your hardest to cut down on your cigarette consumption and eventually kick the habit completely.
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Get enough sleep. Getting a good night’s rest is another step you can take to reduce ED. Adults are recommended to get seven or more hours of sleep each night.
Another way to ensure your intimacy health is in tip-top shape and to prevent ED is to eat a balanced diet full of healthy foods. While there’s no specific healthy diet for ED, you can find some foods that may improve your intimacy dysfunction here.
You can also find out how to get hard after 65, as well as ways to maintain arousal and improve your arousal health and quality of life without medication.
What Age Does ED Start? The Bottom Line
Getting older comes with some fun and some not-so-fun effects — although sometimes it seems like more of the not-so-fun effects. One of the not-fun effects of getting older is the possibility of getting ED. But do all men get ED as they get older?
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At what age do guys have trouble getting hard? While it’s not a universal fact that all older men experience ED, many men have intimacy dysfunction after the age of 70 — and it can start much earlier.
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Many of the causes of ED, including health conditions like obesity, diabetes or heart disease, have an increased chance of happening as people get older. That’s a big reason why your chances of experiencing ED increase as you get older.
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Fortunately, there are effective treatment options for ED, even for people who are older. Medications that increase blood flow (known as PDE5 inhibitors) are an effective option, along with therapy and healthy lifestyle choices.
This article originally appeared on Hims.com and was syndicated by MediaFeed.org.
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The 7 Best Vitamins & Supplements for ED
If you’ve been googling “what is the best vitamin for ED” or “supplements for ED” and coming up short on answers, there’s a reason for it: the “natural male enhancement” pills that you find online and in gas stations are released by brands that make dubious claims about what their products can do, and often, those claims aren’t backed by a lot of research. In fact, many of them are dangerous.
That said, certain vitamins and supplements (not the stuff you see at the gas station) — like vitamins B3 and D, or supplements like L-arginine, to name a few — may offer some erectile function benefits that are backed up by some science.
So, whether you came here in search of vitamins for erectile strength or supplements for ED, we’re happy to share what research shows about vitamins that help with ED…maybe. We’re going to go through all the vitamins you should look for, and the foods in which you can find them
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You’re probably aware of ED treatments like Viagra, which work by increasing blood flow to your privates when you’re in the mood for love-making. But what about the options available without a prescription?
Well, if you’ve been looking at the “natural male enhancement” stuff on gas station shelves, we have some bad news. As we’ve discussed in our guide to herbal supplements for ED, most non-prescription products for treating ED are, to put it lightly, lacking in scientific evidence (unless they are something specifically approved or authorized by the FDA for ED, like vacuum devices or the topical gel, Eroxon).
That said, as we mentioned above, some research shows that deficiencies of certain vitamins might contribute to ED. If you’re deficient, adding these vitamins to your diet might improve your overall health, including your ability to get and stay so.
To put things in perspective, here’s the current wisdom:
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Numerous factors can play a role in ED, including your cardiovascular health, psychological well-being and your level of interest in love-making.
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Currently, the most effective oral treatments for ED are PDE5 inhibitor medications, such as sildenafil (the active ingredient in Viagra).
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Vitamins B3, B9, C and D have been linked with blood flow, ED or testosterone levels in scientific studies. However, there’s very limited research on the link between vitamins and ED, meaning our understanding of this potential link isn’t very strong right now.
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To get reliable relief from ED, it’s best to talk to a licensed ED healthcare provider online to learn how you can improve blood flow to your privates and strengthen your erections.
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Depending on your medical history, they may check your blood pressure, cholesterol and other tests that can screen for health conditions like heart disease, type 2 diabetes and other things that are a risk factor for ED.
Okay, now that we’ve covered the basics, let’s talk vitamins.
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Vitamins are critical for the proper functioning of your body. They play vital roles in the development of your bones and organs. They also power essential biological processes that keep you alive, from your metabolism to the operation and function of your brain.
Because vitamins play such important roles in your health and survival, vitamin deficiencies can have serious negative effects on your well-being. What vitamins are good for erectile dysfunction, then, are the ones you don’t have enough of.
Some potential vitamins for ED include:
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Vitamin B3 (niacin)
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Vitamin B9 (folic acid)
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Vitamin C (ascorbic acid)
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Vitamin D
Let’s look into each one to learn more.
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Some scientific research suggests that vitamin B3, or niacin, may be helpful for managing ED.
For example, a study in 2011 found that adult men with ED and dyslipidemia (abnormal amounts of lipids in the blood) experienced improvements in erectile function after taking niacin for 12 weeks.
Vitamin B3 is an important vitamin for metabolic function. It’s linked to a reduced risk of certain types of cardiovascular disease thanks to its anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidative effects.
Niacin is widely available as a health supplement. It’s also found in a variety of foods, including:
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Red meat, poultry and fish
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Bran, yeast and whole-grain cereals
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Peanuts, legumes and seeds
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Eggs
(Related: The Best ED Pills for Men: Pros & Cons of ED Medication)
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Another vitamin that may be linked with ED is vitamin B9, or folic acid.
A study published in the Asian Journal of Andrology analyzed the folic acid levels of men with ED and found that men with ED typically had lower levels of folic acid than healthy, unaffected men.
Interestingly, low levels of vitamin B9 were also linked to PE — another common male performance issue.
A newer study from 2020 noted a more direct link between vitamin B9 and health. In this study, men with ED showed measurable improvements in erectile function after taking a vitamin B9 supplement on a daily basis for three months.
Vitamin B9 plays key roles in the synthesis of DNA and RNA — essential molecules for storing and reading genetic information. It’s also important for the production of healthy red blood cells.
You can purchase vitamin B9 as a health supplement, but it’s also found in a wide range of foods, like:
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Leafy green vegetables, such as broccoli, spinach, asparagus and lettuce
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Meats, including liver
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Fish and other seafood
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Peanuts, sunflower seeds and beans
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Milk and other dairy products
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Eggs
Folic acid is also commonly added to many breads, cereals, pastas and other grain products in order to prevent nutritional deficiencies.
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Vitamin C is one of the most important vitamins for our bodies. When it comes to erectile health, research suggests that it might play a role in certain biochemical pathways that allow you to get and stay hard during intimacy.
For example, a review published in the journal Fertility and Sterility noted that vitamin C is one of several vitamins and minerals that support the biochemical pathway that leads to the release of nitric oxide.
Nitric oxide, or NO, is generally viewed as the principal agent responsible for relaxing the tissues inside your privates and allowing blood to flow in and create arousal.
Beyond its potential role in your health, vitamin C plays a key role in the biosynthesis of several neurotransmitters, as well as important structural proteins — like collagen, for example.
It’s also essential for maintaining healthy teeth and gums, absorbing iron and promoting proper wound healing.
Good sources of vitamin C include:
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Citrus fruits, such as orange, grapefruit, lemon and lime
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Other fresh fruits, including kiwifruit, guava and papaya
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Strawberries, blackberries, raspberries and blueberries
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Red peppers, green peppers, broccoli and other vegetables
Many fruit and vegetable juices also contain plenty of vitamin C. You can also find it in most multivitamin supplements.
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Although research into the effects of vitamin D on performance is limited, some studies have found that vitamin D deficiency is linked to ED.
A small study published in the International Journal of Impotence Research found that men with vitamin D deficiency or insufficiency had lower levels of function than men with normal vitamin D levels.
However, it’s also worth noting that this study only investigated function and depression symptoms in young men with low vitamin D status.
A meta-analysis from 2020 also found that vitamin D deficiency may be associated with severe forms of ED.
According to a review published in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition, around 24 percent of people in the United States have low vitamin D levels. Low vitamin D levels are even more common in Canada and Europe.
Your skin produces vitamin D when it’s exposed to sunlight, and it doesn’t take much to maintain healthy levels. Most people will be able to produce enough vitamin D to stay healthy with natural sun exposure from going for a daily walk or running errands.
If you live in an area with limited sunlight or prefer not to spend too much time outdoors, you can also take in vitamin D from food or vitamin D supplementation.
Foods that contain vitamin D include:
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Fish, including salmon, trout, tuna, sardines and many fish oils
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Cheese, milk and other dairy products
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Red meat and poultry
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Soy, almond and oat milks
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Mushrooms
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Apples, bananas and other fruits
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Rice, lentils, sunflower seeds and almonds
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Broccoli, carrots and other vegetables
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Research on other supplements for ED is often inconsistent or not very strong. Some men might see an effect, many might not.
ED supplements that may produce improvements in function and health include:
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L-arginine. This amino acid plays a key role in the production of nitric oxide, which is a molecule that relaxes your blood vessels and promotes healthy blood flow.
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Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA). This hormone is a precursor to testosterone, which is important for regulating your drive.
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Ginseng. This herbal supplement might produce improvements in function and satisfaction, but the quality of research is low.
Just like with vitamins, it’s important to keep in mind that supplements aren’t subject to clinical trials like medications. This means that there’s a lot that we don’t know about them, including the safety and effectiveness of using them as ED treatments.
(Related: What Foods Help You Get Hard: 8 Foods For Erectile Dysfunction)
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None of the “vitamins for erection health” listed above — or anything else you can find in a multivitamin — are proven, evidence-based treatments for ED.
Currently, among the most effective options for treating ED are FDA-approved medications called PDE5 inhibitors. These treatments work by dilating the arteries that supply your privates, allowing for better blood flow to your tissues.
Unlike vitamins and natural remedies, they’re subject to large-scale clinical trials before they go onto pharmacy shelves, meaning we know that they’re safe and effective for most men.
If you find it difficult to get or maintain an erection, consider one of the following medications:
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Sildenafil. The active ingredient in Viagra, sildenafil provides relief from ED for around four hours per dose.
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Tadalafil. The active ingredient in Cialis, tadalafil is a long-lasting medication that can provide relief from ED for up to 36 hours.
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Vardenafil. The active ingredient in Levitra, vardenafil provides relief from ED for four to five hours.
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Avanafil. Sold as Stendra, avanafil is a newer treatment that provides relief from ED for up to six hours, with a lower risk of side effects than other oral ED medications.
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Chewable ED medications. These fast-acting chewable mints include ingredients like sildenafil, tadalafil and vardenafil to help you get and stay hard during intimacy.
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Although research is limited, some studies have shown a link between ED and certain vitamin deficiencies.
If you’re deficient in vitamins B3 (niacin), B9, C or D, increasing your consumption might improve your overall health, and maybe your ED symptoms. However, there are several things you’ll want to keep in mind before turning to vitamins as a “proven” ED treatment:
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Vitamins like B3, B9, C and D are important for your overall health and health, and may help in the management of ED. More research is needed to determine whether natural supplements containing L-arginine, ginseng and others are as effective as supplement makers claim.
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It isn’t clear if these vitamins help with function if you don’t have a vitamin deficiency. In other words, if you’re healthy, taking extra vitamin C may not have any impact on your performance in the bedroom.
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More isn’t always better when it comes to vitamins. Certain vitamins are toxic when consumed in excess, meaning you shouldn’t exceed the recommended intake if you choose to use a vitamin supplement.
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Vitamins aren’t a replacement for FDA-approved ED medication, or for healthy, natural habits and lifestyle changes that can make maintaining an arousal easier.
This article originally appeared on Hims.com and was syndicated by MediaFeed.org.
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Featured Image Credit: Zinkevych/istockphoto.
