Cosagrande

A man’s penis becomes erect when one of his senses of sight, sound or  touch is stimulated and he becomes aroused. His central nervous system sends nerve impulses that increase blood flow to his penis. As blood flows into the penis, the penis gets larger and harder. The blood vessels that drain blood from the penis are blocked enough so that blood stays in the penis, maintaining the erection.

Common things are needed to have a normal erection:

• An intact nervous system that receives external stimulus signals and sends arousal signals to the penis.
• An intact system of blood vessels (vascular system) to allow blood to flow in and out of the penis.
• Normal smooth muscle in the penis, which must relax so that the penis can fill with blood and enlarge.
• Valves in the blood vessels must close to keep blood in the penis so that it stays firm.

Factors that have been known to affect men’s ability to develop and sustain powerful erections include:

• Smoking
• Stress
• Age
• Decline in Testosterone levels
• Obesity
• Erectile dysfuntion which may be of a physical or mental nature (sclerotic veins or too much stress and worries or a combination, etc)