The human penis is a very complex organ, to say the least, and it’s also the cause of a lot of anxiety and stress for men across the world.
Recently, physicians from around the globe report that there has been an increase in the number of men who come to them to ask for ways to help them maintain better erections.
Thinking that this would improve their sexual performance and would resolve their body image issues, they often try risky techniques to increase blood flow to their penis, which puts them at risk for major health risks.
From penis fractures to high blood pressure; erection enhancement procedures/pills and exercises might not be as effective or healthy as you would think. You can opt for pills like Viagra and procedures like Vascular Reconstruction surgeries to improve your erections.
However, these are usually prescribed for people diagnosed with erectile dysfunction or similar conditions. So there’s little chance your doctors would approve these without having a valid medical reason.
This blog is a comprehensive guide on how to increase blood flow to your penis; it will describe the anatomy of the penis, how erections work and some safe ways that you can take to maintain better erections.
What Will You Learn?
- Why Having a Strong Blood Flow to the Penis Is Important?
- How to Increase Blood Flow to the Penis?
- Natural Ways to Increase Blood Flow to the Penis
- Devices That Can Improve Penis Blood Flow
- Medications Improving Blood Flow to the Penis
Why Having a Strong Blood Flow to the Penis Is Important?
The penis is erected when blood flows into the erectile tissue that makes up the shaft and surrounds the urethra. So, the more blood that flows into your penis the better erections you can maintain for longer periods and with greater consistency.
To understand the process of erection, it’s important that we understand the anatomy of the human penis because any erectile problems will be caused by problems in the structures that make it up.
The Structure of the Human Penis
The parts of the penis involved in getting an erection are the shaft and the glans but these aren’t all the tissues/muscles that make up the penis. Specifically, the penis comprises of the following structures:
- The Base attached to the pubic bones
- The Shaft
- The Glans (The tip of the penis)
Each of these parts contains tissues like the corpora cavernosa, corpora spongiosum and a network of nerves that control the blood flow into the penis.
How Do You Get an Erection?
The tissue responsible for getting an erection is the corpora cavernosa. It runs down the length of your penis and is capable of holding in large amounts of blood when you are sexually stimulated.
Usually, when your penis is flaccid, the blood flow to the Corpora Cavernosa is restricted just enough to make sure that it gets the appropriate amount of nutrition and oxygen to keep it healthy.
The nerves are contracted because of the tightness of the muscle and so your penis remains flaccid.
When you are sexually stimulated, hormones and neurotransmitters are released from the spinal cord which forces the cavernosal tissue to relax and therefore increase the blood flowing into it.
With this increase in blood flow, the cavernosa becomes stiff and you experience an erection. It’s ultimately the blood flow to your penis that decides the quality of your erections.
If you could increase the amount of blood that flows into the cavernosa tissues, then you could get better erections and perhaps for longer periods of time than before.
Incidentally, this is the same principle that erection pills like Viagra use. These relax the corpora cavernosa to the extent that help develop erections faster and for longer periods of time.
How to Increase Blood Flow to the Penis?
Although research isn’t favorable when it comes to increasing the size of the penis, there is plenty of evidence to indicate that you can increase the blood flow to the penis.
There are various options that you can consider which include natural supplements, exercises, vacuum devices, medication and surgical procedures to achieve better blood flow.
Each of these influences the blood flowing into the corpora cavernosa through chemical/surgical procedures to help maintain better erections.
It’s usually suggested that you don’t adopt any of the pharmaceutical and surgical methods (including pumps) to help maintain your erections because of the side-effects and risks associated with these.
For this very reason, medical interventions are usually restricted to helping treat medical conditions that cause erectile problems.
Natural methods like improving your diet and adopting healthy lifestyles are always preferred over those alternatives owing to their risk-free effectiveness and the general health benefits of these.
Natural Ways to Increase Blood Flow to the Penis
The natural methods to increase blood flow to the penis include a comprehensive lifestyle and diet plans which can be implemented for significant improvement in the quality of your erections. These include:
Food & Diet
There are certain foods and dietary regimens that can help improve the quality of your erections.
Incorporating them in your daily routines and diet plans will provide essential nutrients that can reduce the risk of ED and improve the quality of your erections. Some of these foods include:
Coffee
Research indicates that coffee intake is significantly correlated with a decreased rate of erectile dysfunction.
A study conducted on 3,700 men in Greece and the United States found that consuming 2-3 cups of coffee each day reduced the amount of failed erections as observed in healthy subjects and those with cardiovascular disease and obesity.
Experts are of the opinion that caffeine helps dilate blood vessels which can help increase blood flow to the penis which could explain why the coffee intake is related to improved erections.
However, this relationship has to be much more widely studied and the current results aren’t conclusive.
Dark Chocolate
Flavonoids have also been linked in reducing the incidence of erectile dysfunction amongst men and associated with a better quality of erections.
It is said that these can help ease the blood flow through the blood by helping the blood vessels dilate much more easily.
Dark chocolate is a flavonoid-heavy food that you can consume on a regular basis if you’re trying to improve the quality of your erections.
It’s considered so effective that some research actually compares its effectiveness to that of Viagra. In addition to improving erectile functioning, chocolate is also linked to a lower risk of heart disease and blood pressure.
Oats
Oatmeal isn’t exactly a way to improve the consistency in your erections, but these have been associated with improving the health of your arteries.
Studies conducted at Harvard University and the University of East Anglia found that it was a high flavonoid food source that can help with sexual performance and improve erection quality.
Chilies
Chilies have long since been considered a traditional treatment for conditions like erectile dysfunction and to improve erection quality.
It is also considered to be helpful in improving blood circulation which serves the purpose of increasing blood flow to the penis.
Exercises
Improving the functioning of the muscles near your pubic region can also help maintain better erections and increasing the blood flow into the tissues of the penis.
Exercises like the Kegel exercise and Aerobic Training can train your muscles to be much more sensitive to stimulation, have them grow and develop to accommodate better and greater blood flow.
Aerobic Exercise
High cholesterol could be one more reason for why people can’t maintain better erections.
It’s because the accumulation of cholesterol in the arteries holds back the amount of blood flowing into various parts of your body, including the penis to compromise the quality and consistency of your erections.
Numerous studies dedicated to studying the effects of aerobic exercise on the incidence of erectile dysfunction found that incorporating these into your lifestyle can help reduce ED and improve general sexual functioning.
Some common types of aerobic exercises include:
- Jogging
- Swimming
- Dancing
- Biking
Kegel Exercises
Kegel is a set of exercises that are supposed to help strengthen the pelvic muscles which play a crucial role in helping maintain erections and improving them.
The strengthening process helps increase the coordination in the muscles, improve blood flow and ultimately improve sexual functioning.
Below is one of the easiest kegel exercises you can perform:
- Sit on a flat surface and try to clench the muscles around your pelvic region as if you’re trying to hold back a stream of urine.
- Try to squeeze up; you should feel a lifting sensation around your anus and the surrounding muscle and then release.
Repeat this cycle three times a day.
As you get better at doing kegel exercises and make them a part of your daily routine, you’ll find that your erections have become much harder and easier to maintain.
Hydration
Dehydration and overhydration have also been linked to reducing sexual performance in men and has been correlated with erectile dysfunction.
In addition to this, there is an increasing amount of evidence that speaks of how drinking plenty of water can help improve erection quality as well.
Maintaining a well-balanced water intake is crucial to getting better erection according to research. The studies conducted on this subject found that people who drink too much water exhibit lower levels of testosterone and those who drink too little compromise tissue functioning required for healthy circulation.
Dehydration can also impact your mood, the stress you feel and therefore, compromise your sexual functioning.
Sleep & Stress Management
It’s no surprise that there is a very strong correlation between stress and sleep deprivation. When you’re not sleeping as well as you should, it makes it far more likely that you will experience hormonal imbalances which could affect your sexual performance and your libido.
Studies conducted on the relationship between insomnia and sexual dysfunction gave significant data to justify these claims.
Alcohol & Smoking
Both smoking and alcohol can cause erectile dysfunction in men. Nicotine in cigarettes narrows down blood vessels to reduce the amount of blood flowing into the penis and alcohol can also have the same effects, including psychological impacts which can cause ED.
So if you’re trying to improve the quality of your erections, it’s strongly suggested that you avoid both drinking and smoking to maintain healthy sexual functioning.
Devices That Can Improve Penis Blood Flow
Vacuum penile pumps are a recent technological innovation that can help increase penis blood flow. These are large suction pumps that create a vacuum around the penis to force blood into the corpora cavernosa to make up for any circulation problems into the organ.
Doctors frequently use these as part of the treatment for Peyronie’s disease to reduce the curvature of the penis to make it look longer.
These are also said to improve the ability of the corpora cavernosa to accommodate greater amounts of blood and therefore create much more stable and harder erections.
Medications Improving Blood Flow to the Penis
Pills for erectile dysfunction or just generally designed to help get better erections work with an enzyme called PDE-5 inhibitors.
PDE-5 inhibitors increase the periods of time for which the Corpora Cavernosa stays relaxed during the erection period and therefore enable better erections which last for longer periods of time.
Currently, there are four different types of FDA approved PDE-5 Inhibitors in the market. These are:
- Sildenafil (Also known as Viagra)
- Vardenafil (Known as Levitra and Staxyn)
- Tadalafil (Also called Cialis)
- Avanafil (Also called Stendra)
Before you begin taking either of these medications, please remember that these are only prescribed for medical conditions like erectile dysfunction and must be used with the supervision of a medical professional.
Always consult your primary healthcare provider before you take these pills and be wary of the side-effects of these, which include:
- Headaches
- Nausea
- Abnormal vision
- Kidney and Liver dysfunction
- Hearing loss
Conclusion
If you’re looking to increase the amount of blood flowing into your penis, then going for health and lifestyle changes is probably the best way to do this.
Vitamins and good cardiovascular health are potentially one of the best ways to improve the quality of your erections and also reduce the risk of developing ED in the future.
