Lifestyle changes

Men can often improve their erectile function by making changes in their daily habits. Further, these steps help men lead healthier lives overall.

Choose another disease or condition... Allergic Rhinitis Allergies, Food Allergy & Asthma Center Alzheimer's Disease Anxiety Aortic Aneurysms Arrhythmia Arthritis, Osteo- (OA) Arthritis, Rheumatoid (RA) Asthma Atopic Dermatitis Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) Back Pain Brain Tumor Bones, Joints & Muscles Center Breast Cancer Brain & Behavior Center Brain Tumor Cancer Center    Brain Tumor    Breast Cancer    Cancer Prevention    Clinical Trials    Colorectal Cancer    Endometrial Cancer    Living With and Beyond Cancer    Lung Cancer    Prostate Cancer    Skin Cancer Cardiomyopathy Cataracts Cholesterol Control Clinical Trials Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) Colorectal Cancer Congenital Heart Disease Congestive Heart Failure (CHF) Coronary Artery Disease (CAD) Crohn's Disease Depression Diabetes Center Diabetes, Type 1 Diabetes, Type 2 Digestive Disorders Center Eczema Endometrial Cancer Erectile Dysfunction (ED) Eye & Vision Center Fibromyalgia Food Allergies Gallstone Disease Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD) GERD Glaucoma Hay Fever Headache Heart Center Hepatitis A Hepatitis B Hepatitis C High Blood Pressure Hypertension Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy (HCM) Impotence Insomnia Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) Living With and Beyond Cancer Losing Weight Lung Cancer Macular Degeneration Memory Loss Osteoarthritis (OA) Osteoporosis Parkinson's Disease Peptic Ulcer Prediabetes Prostate Cancer Respiratory Disorders Center Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS) Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) Sexual & Reproductive Health Center Sinusitis Skin Cancer Sleep Apnea Sleep Center Stroke Type 1 Diabetes Type 2 Diabetes Ulcerative Colitis (UC) Weight Control More about Sexual and Reproductive Health Get more online resources about ED Erectile Dysfunction-Related Clinical Trials Information Email this page Print this section

Men who maintain a healthy weight, who exercise regularly, and who reduce stress and anxiety lower their risk of erectile dysfunction. Men with high cholesterol may damage the linings of blood vessels throughout the body, including those in the penis. Cholesterol can also harden, narrow, or block these arteries, leading to erectile dysfunction. You can lower your cholesterol through diet, exercise, and medication.

Nonsmokers have a lower risk of atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries), and men who quit smoking may partly or fully restore erectile function. Excess drinking can inhibit erectile functioning and can affect production of the hormone testosterone, affecting sex drive and erections. More than 80 percent of chronic alcoholics have chronic ED. Illegal drugs can also cause impotence.

Men with diabetes risk damaging the arteries and nerve endings serving the penis if their diabetes is out of control. Diet, exercise, and medical control for diabetes can all help men avoid risk of diabetes-related ED.