Getting and staying hard is a top concern for many men. The good news is, there are a lot of things you can try to help improve your performance in the bedroom.
The key is to understand how the refractory period works and what you can do to shorten it. Here are a few ways to do that:
1. Get a good night’s sleep
It’s a complex set of physiological events that happens when you have sex, but it can be broken down into three parts: arousal, reaching climax, and ejaculation. After you’ve reached climax and ejaculated, the penis goes through a period called the refractory period in which it can’t stay erect or become aroused again. This can last from minutes to days and varies from person to person.
This has a lot to do with hormones like oxytocin, vasopressin, prolactin, serotonin, and nitric oxide. Getting plenty of sleep is a key part of maintaining these chemicals, which help you feel energized and sexually aroused.
Stress, fatigue, being sick, medications, and even aging can all affect your ability to get and stay hard. But there are some simple things you can do to help keep your erections longer, including:
2. Eat right
A healthy diet of whole foods, fruits, and vegetables can improve your overall health. It can also help you stay erect after ejaculation by promoting good blood flow to the penis. It’s also important to avoid consuming too much caffeine, alcohol, and sugar, as these can decrease your ability to get and maintain an erection.
After orgasm, a man goes through a phase known as the refractory period, during which time it is difficult or impossible to achieve another erection. This stage can last for minutes, hours, or even a day and is due to natural and psychological causes.
Some of these causes include stress, tiredness, illness, certain medications (including antidepressants, narcotics, and blood pressure medication), smoking, a lack of sexual stimulation, hormones, and aging. Some men may have difficulty achieving or keeping an erection due to genetics.
While it’s common to have problems getting or staying hard after sex, it should not be ignored, as it can negatively impact a relationship and self-esteem. If you continue to struggle with this issue, consult a doctor. They can test you for underlying health issues and prescribe FDA-approved prescription medications to help you overcome erectile dysfunction.
3. Exercise
There are a lot of things that can cause erectile dysfunction, and while many of them can be treated with medications, exercise and staying hydrated can help, too. Exercise increases blood flow, which can help to keep an erection for longer. It also helps to strengthen the pelvic floor muscles, which can increase control over erections and reduce the likelihood of ejaculation.
Keeping an erection after orgasm requires discipline and practice, but with time, it can be done. One technique is to learn how to “edge,” which involves deliberately preventing the onset of ejaculation by stopping stimulation. This can prolong sex and increase satisfaction, since the sensation of orgasm remains without the physical expulsion of seminal fluids.
If you are having trouble getting or staying erect, it’s important to talk to your doctor about it. Your doctor can assess whether there are any medical or lifestyle issues that could be contributing to your problem and may be able to offer treatment options. To get started, request a free consultation online with Rex MD today.
4. Stay hydrated
There is no hard and fast answer to this question as it depends on several factors. However, some techniques that can help include taking a break and allowing your penis to relax, engaging in foreplay, and doing Kegel exercises to strengthen pelvic floor muscles. Additionally, reducing stress levels and anxiety may help prolong an erection.
When you are dehydrated, your body starts producing the enzyme angiotensin, which causes blood vessels to tighten and prevents the corpus cavernosum from getting enough oxygen and nutrient-rich blood to maintain an erection. It is also important to drink plenty of fluids and eat foods high in vitamin C to help your body stay hydrated.
If you are having trouble achieving and maintaining an erection, speak to your doctor about it. They will likely ask about your history with erection problems and may do a physical exam to determine what’s causing the issue. If they think it’s emotional, they may refer you to a counselor who works with sexual issues or to a urologist who specializes in conditions that affect the genitals.
5. Stay positive
As men, we want to be able to get and keep an erection so we can please our partners during sexual activity. However, it’s not always easy. Getting an erection and then losing it can be frustrating for both the man and the partner. It’s important to take steps to prevent this from happening so you and your partner can enjoy each other more.
This can include taking a natural supplement like CBD to help maintain an erection. Getting enough sleep, exercising regularly, eating healthy, and not smoking can also help. It’s also a good idea to talk to your doctor about any health issues that you may have that could be contributing to an inability to maintain an erection, such as a prostate issue.
Another thing to try is to retrain your body by practicing pelvic floor muscle exercises, known as Kegels. These can help you strengthen your pelvic muscles, and some anecdotal reports suggest they can make it easier for a guy to stay hard after ejaculation. You can also learn techniques to delay orgasm during sex, such as using a climax control condom and fingering her (tips here). This can take pressure off your penis and extend the time of an erection.
