Masturbation is an act of stimulating the genitals or other erogenous areas of the body for sexual pleasure. Male masturbation is when someone who identifies as a male, touches the sensitive areas of the body for peak sexual excitement. This is common in males across all ages.   

Some men may be afraid that excessive sexual stimulation can affect their erection function and lead to erectile dysfunction (ED). Let us see what the research has to say regarding the impacts of masturbation on erection function.  

About erectile dysfunction 

Erectile dysfunction (ED) is a common type of sexual disorder in males. It happens because of the lack of blood flow to the penile. Poor circulation can be attributed to the narrowing and constricting of the penile blood vessels.  

The blood vessels of the penile get affected because of some physiological health conditions or by chronic smoking and alcohol abuse. Some men might experience psychogenic erectile dysfunction because of psychological reasons like stress, anxiety, performance anxiety, relationship problems, and so on.  

The link between masturbation and erection function 

The physiology of erections is such that when the brain signals it to the penile nerves about sexual arousal, vasodilation happens in the penile. After receiving the signals from the brain, the nerves boost the release of nitric oxide in the walls of the penile blood vessels.  

Nitric oxide is a vasodilator chemical that relaxes the penile blood vessels and allows more blood flow to the penile. An increase in the blood flow to the penile leads to strong contraction of the muscles to hold the blood inside under high pressure, which promotes rigid erections.     

Once the erection is attained, the repetitive penile stimulation keeps the penile muscles contracted. The penile can be either stimulated by sexual intercourse or by masturbation.   

Symptoms of erectile dysfunction  

In the case of erectile dysfunction, the person might experience the following symptoms:  

Struggle to get erections: Despite being sexually aroused; some individuals might not be able to perform sexual intercourse or masturbation. They may struggle to get harder erections. Their penile may remain feeble despite sufficient sexual stimulation.       

Difficulty to maintain erections: In some, even if the erection is attained, they may struggle to sustain it. They might lose the erection in the middle of the sexual activity or masturbation.  

Weaker erections: Some individuals may get and be able to sustain erections, but the erections might not be stronger enough to engage in penetrative sex or stimulation.  

Does masturbation lead to erectile dysfunction? 

According to various sources, masturbation does not contribute to erectile dysfunction. It is just a natural process of stimulating the genitals for peaking sexual pleasure or orgasm. It does not affect the quality of erections and not even the frequency of erections.  

As per some false beliefs that have been circulating, masturbation causes erectile dysfunction. However, this is not true. Even if some individual masturbates excessively, their erection function and quality will not be harmed. Masturbation is not directly linked to erectile dysfunction.   

Masturbation is an act of self-pleasure. It does not have any harmful impacts on one’s sexual functioning. There have been a lot of myths going around on the subject. Some believe masturbation can lead to erection problems while others think that it might cause blindness.    

Such beliefs have been passed down for ages. It is considered to be quite a taboo concept by many. Some might even think it's a sinful act. However, these are all pointless and baseless arguments. It is a natural process, which is common in all ages.   

Ways to get stronger erections 

The person may develop erectile dysfunction temporarily or permanently. In case of a temporary one, the reasons can be injuries, surgery, medicinal side effects, alcohol, smoking, or tobacco.  

Besides, some psychological factors like stress, anxiety, performance anxiety, depression, relationship problems, etc., can also trigger erection difficulties temporarily. This happens because of the interference in sexual arousal.    

Some effective methods of managing these erection difficulties are given below:

ED medicines: Prescription or non-prescription ED medications can help restore the erection function within an hour of intake. Such medications are composed using an active ingredient that revives the erection function and helps get firmer erections.  

ED medicines like Cenforce 50mg can boost the blood flow through the penile arteries. These medicines dilate the arteries and increase the blood flow to the penile.     

Constriction rings: These are elastic bands that have to be worn around the base of the penile. It stops and traps the blood inside the penile shaft, which keeps the penile rigid.    

Vacuum erection device: Also called penile pump, this device helps draw blood inside the penile shaft by creating a vacuum.