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Men are no strangers to erections. This occurs when blood rushes to the penis and enlarges it, causing it to be erect and stiff.
However, have you ever stopped and wondered how many times a day men get erections?
Most of us experience it several times a day, and that is perfectly normal and healthy. Erections don’t just happen during the day, though. They also occur at night, and oftentimes, more frequently so.
So, how many erections per day is “normal”? This article will discuss the average erection frequency and also whether the absence of it is indicative of underlying health problems.
How Many Times A Day Do Men Get Erections?
Simply put, there is no fixed number of erections that men should be hitting every day. Some men get more, others could get less, and this all depends on your health and your lifestyle. However, according to extensive medical research, the average number of erections that men get every day is 11.
The average duration of an erection, on the other hand, lasts anywhere between a few minutes to half an hour.
Your age, overall health, lifestyle, sexual stimulation, and testosterone levels all play a role in how often you experience an erection.
On top of the daytime erections, men typically also experience between three to five nocturnal erections, with the penis switching from flaccid to erect based on the phase of sleep you’re currently on.
You’ve likely also caught your penis at an erect state the moment you wake up. This is called nocturnal penile tumescence, or morning wood. All these traits are perfectly healthy events and are indicative of a healthy penis.
3 Signs of Erectile Dysfunction
Many men are concerned that them having too few erections is a sign of erectile dysfunction. This condition is a widespread phenomenon that affects many people on a global scale. It’s categorized as the inability to maintain or achieve an erect penis.
To clear any misconceptions, having fewer-than-average erections is not erectile dysfunction. It is only considered ED when the following signs are evident:
- Being able to obtain an erection for sexual intercourse, but not being able to last long enough.
- Being unable to obtain an erection at any point in time.
- Inability to consistently get a firm erection for sexual activity.
Moreover, erectile dysfunction becomes a more pressing problem if you feel like you’re debilitated by the condition. This is often the case when you had a normal erection and an active sex life before this condition.
Erectile dysfunction is usually caused by physiological and psychological conditions—high blood pressure, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, hormonal imbalance, hypertension, obesity, and depression, to name a few.
If you’re suffering from psychogenic erection problems, you might be able to have morning wood and nighttime erections but are unable to have erections during moments of sexual arousal.
For people with physiological ED, there’s a complete absence of erections throughout the day-night cycle.
If you have any of these problems, connect with a doctor to address your concerns.
6 Ways to Treat Erectile Dysfunction
There are many ways in which you can treat erectile dysfunction, both on your own and based on your doctor’s advice. Here are several methods for reducing ED to consider.
1. Stop Smoking
Smoking is well-known for its harmful effects, including addiction. However, it may come as a surprise that smoking also significantly contributes to erectile dysfunction, since smoking damages blood vessels and reduces nitric oxide levels, which affects blood flow to the penis.
Although quitting smoking can help improve the issue, some damage may be irreversible. Thus, smokers must quit as soon as possible to increase their chances of recovery.
2. Exercise Regularly
Regular exercise can help minimize erectile dysfunction as it promotes better circulation and increases testosterone levels. In fact, having a sedentary lifestyle is one of the key factors causing erectile dysfunction.
There are many different exercises that you can attempt on your own to help with erectile dysfunction. These include boxing, brisk walking, cycling, jogging, kegel exercises, pilates, and swimming.
3. Eat Healthily
Eating healthily is critical to sexual health. Just as a healthy diet can improve your overall health, eating healthily can also help to relieve you of erectile dysfunction. This includes eating more of certain types of food, as well as avoiding others.
Avoid a poor diet and consider consuming more include fish, fruits, nuts, vegetables, and whole grains, while some of the food that you should minimize the consumption of includes alcohol, red meat, refined grains, and food with excess fats, salt, and sugar.
4. Reduce Alcohol Intake
Excessive alcohol consumption depresses the central nervous system, reducing the release of nitric oxide, a compound that is necessary for achieving and maintaining an erection. This may exacerbate erectile dysfunction.
Although the exact relationship between alcohol and erectile dysfunction is not fully understood, there is significant evidence linking alcohol consumption with erectile dysfunction. Reducing alcohol intake is crucial in fixing erectile dysfunction.
5. Have Enough Sleep
Sleep is closely connected to sex hormone production and sexual function. Poor sleep can lead to decreased testosterone levels, hypertension, and diabetes—all of which can contribute to erectile dysfunction.
Consistent sleep patterns are essential for proper hormone secretion, and establishing a good sleep schedule can be beneficial in addressing erectile dysfunction.
As such, getting enough sleep and maintaining a healthy sleep schedule can not only improve overall health, but also help with erectile dysfunction.
6. Clinical Intervention
One of the best methods to treat erectile dysfunction is to seek advice from a healthcare professional, who may prescribe you various ED treatments.
For newly-diagnosed individuals, phosphodiesterase-5 inhibitors like sildenafil (Viagra) and tadalafil (Cialis) may be prescribed. This enzyme prevents blood from flowing to your penis and preventing it from being erect. With this medication inhibiting it, you can get an erection more easily.
That said, some doctors exercise caution when prescribing this medication due to the various side effects associated with it. In the case a patient is unresponsive to or has severe side effects after taking oral medications, they may offer second-line erectile dysfunction treatment that incorporates the use of wand-like devices such as RestoreWave therapy, intra-urethral suppositories, and penile injections.
If both first-line and second-line treatments appear to be ineffective, patients may consider third-line treatments, such as vascular surgery and penile implant surgery.
Get Medical Treatment for ED at St. Louis, Missouri’s Best Men’s Health Clinic
Erection frequency can be an indicator of erectile health. But just like how it’s okay for people to eliminate waste twice a day or twice a week, it’s completely normal to have some variance in your erectile frequency.
That said, an absence of erectile dysfunction may be a cause of concern. If you believe that you may be experiencing erectile dysfunction, you should seek advice from a healthcare professional.
Today, there are multiple non-invasive solutions available to treat erectile dysfunction, all of which can treat your condition with relative ease.
If you need assistance with erectile dysfunction or other sexual dysfunctions, please do not hesitate to contact Paramount Men’s Medical Center in St. Louis to schedule a free consultation with our friendly team of experienced doctors.
Besides treating erectile dysfunction, we also provide low testosterone therapy, PE therapy, RestoreWave therapy, and much more.