Key takeaways
- Quitting smoking promotes overall sexual health improvement.
- Male smokers face risks of erectile dysfunction.
- Nicotine, carbon monoxide damage blood vessels, affecting arousal.
- Smoking disrupts blood vessels, making erections difficult.
- Young smokers can experience erectile dysfunction issues.
Though advertisements and films have glorified smoking, the reality is that the habit is far from sexy.
We know smoking can cause a plethora of health issues, and aside from lung and digestive problems, male smokers can develop erectile dysfunction if they don’t kick the habit out of their lives for good.
Can smoking too much cause erectile dysfunction? Yes, it definitely can
Studies have shown that smoking has a strong correlation with men who develop erectile dysfunction. Nicotine, carbon monoxide, and free radicals in cigarette smoke damage blood vessels and sexual arousal, affecting interest in intimacy and physical performance.
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If you’d like to remain sexually healthy for the rest of your life, it would be best to stop smoking for good.
At Smokefree Clinic, we offer a range of strategies to help you quit smoking, which, in turn, can help treat erectile dysfunction caused by smoking. In today’s post, we’ll take a look at how smoking causes male sexual performance to plummet and how you can improve the symptoms of erectile dysfunction after quitting smoking.
Can Smoking Cause Erectile Dysfunction?
If you’re wondering whether smoking can cause sudden erectile dysfunction, the short answer is yes. Smoking and erectile dysfunction have a negative correlation.
Impotence, or erectile dysfunction, refers to the inability to produce and maintain a stable erection. In order to get an erection, the penis needs to fill itself with blood so it can enlarge and become firm enough for sex.
Why does smoking cause ED? Smoking impacts blood circulation, which is necessary for an erection. In other words, smoking disrupts the blood vessels in the penis, which means that producing an erection can become difficult or impossible.
As mentioned, dangerous chemicals and nicotine affect smokers physically and mentally. Cigarette smoke constricts blood vessels and affects your cardiovascular performance. Nicotine intake has also had a negative correlation with sex drive in men.
Does smoking cause ED in younger men? Yes it does.
It’s also a fact that erectile dysfunction is not exclusive to older men. In fact, smokers as young as 20 can experience problems with blood circulation, which can lead to erectile dysfunction.
So, if you want you and your partner to feel satisfied by performing better, it’s best to kick smoking for good.
How To Cure Erectile Dysfunction
Fortunately, research shows that quitting smoking can prevent and aid in curing erectile dysfunction.
In a 2011 eight-week quit program, an all-male group of sexually active smokers participated in erectile testing. At the end of the study, 75% of the group that had quit smoking were free of erectile dysfunction.
With nicotine, carbon monoxide, and other dangerous substances from cigarette smoke out of their systems, these men were able to produce firmer, wider erections. Compared to those that had relapsed, this group reached the highest level of sexual arousal more quickly, without climaxing.
From this, we can see that quitting smoking can significantly improve orgasmic function, perceptions of arousal and can cure erectile dysfunction.
How Long After Quitting Smoking Does Erectile Dysfunction Improve?
We have to keep in mind that smoking is just one contributor to erectile dysfunction. Other factors that can cause erectile dysfunction, such as high cholesterol, sedentary lifestyles, obesity, and other comorbidities, can also affect the way you perform in bed.
After you quit smoking, even just for one week, your improved breathing and energy will improve your stamina in bed. Your mood will even feel clearer, making you much more focused on the task at hand.
While a week after smoking won’t make your erectile dysfunction symptoms instantly disappear, you can expect to see improvements to your sexual performance after 4 months to one year (really big improvements!) of quitting smoking.
Alongside quitting smoking, some mental and physical activities that help with nicotine withdrawals may help you improve your erectile dysfunction too.
Can Quitting Smoking Cause ED?
It’s no surprise that many motivated smokers wonder why they’re suddenly having poor sexual performance and have asked themselves, “can quitting smoking cause erectile dysfunction?” Unfortunately, with loads of things in the mix of things, there’s no straightforward answer.
Nicotine withdrawal symptoms are the biggest challenge for any motivated smoker. You will feel irritable, moody, have low energy levels, and just feel a bit off and wonky throughout the day.
All levels of withdrawal symptoms, from mild to severe, can impact your ability to have consistent erections as they can distract or make you feel emotionally and mentally burdened during withdrawals.
But, the good news is, these symptoms only last a few weeks to a month after quitting smoking. So, if you keep on just for a short spell, you’ll definitely see improvements in your sexual performance come about after a month or two.
How to Get Started Quitting Smoking
Fortunately, there’s a seamless way to stop smoking for good. With the help of GPs and the right tools, you can quit within a month and stay smokefree for more than a year.
Go Through First-Line Solutions First
You need a nicotine prescription before you can purchase NVPs. As a second-line solution, one requirement is that you’ve already tried and failed to quit smoking with a first-line treatment, such as NRT products.
NRT products (like patches and gums) are the most trusted quitting option available for motivated smokers. They might not imitate cigarettes, but they contain a small dose of nicotine that may be enough to alleviate your withdrawals.
While NRTs can be effective, they don’t work for everyone. If these haven’t done the trick for you, you may now be eligible for a nicotine prescription.
Chat to a GP
As mentioned, NRT products have worked for many successful ex-smokers. But, you might have ingrained behaviours and triggers that only something that mimics a cigarette can successfully address, such as the hand-to-mouth motion, and needing something to use while having a drink with friends.
If your GP deems it necessary, they can write you a nicotine prescription for NVPs.
You can chat to your usual GP more about this.
Visit Your Local Pharmacy
Once you have your nicotine prescription, you can pop down to your local pharmacy. Over 2,200 pharmacies across Australia hold these products in-store, but any pharmacy can order these in for you if they don’t currently stock them.
Both your pharmacist and GP can advise you on how best to use the product, such as the initial setup, and the number of puffs to take when you feel withdrawals.
Use Pharmacy Nicotine Vaping Products (NVPs)
NVP products sold in pharmacies are made under stringent pharmaceutical standards on the manufacturing process and ingredients, are toxicologically assessed for inhalation, are locally insured, and are specifically designed to help you stop smoking.
They can only be purchased via pharmacies with a prescription from your GP. Your pharmacist and GP can guide you on the proper way to use these.
They’ve also been proven to work better than NRT products. The latest Cochrane Review found high-certainty evidence that NVPs are more effective than NRT in helping people stop smoking.
Start Your Smokefree Life with Smokefree Clinic
We know you’re reading this post because you want to learn about treating erectile dysfunction and quitting smoking.
Smokefree Clinic gives you access to many medically reviewed and trustworthy resources that can inform and aid you in your path to wellness, so have a look around!
If you’re ready to get started, Smokefree can connect you to Australian healthcare professionals who excel in helping patients quit smoking for good.