Erection - the hard raising

Although an erect penis may seem like one of the most basic features for people with male genitalia, the process is actually quite complex! It often requires a high amount of effort, as well as good physical and mental fitness.

What does it mean to get an erection?

Erection means a "swelling and stiffening of organs due to the influx of blood to the body".

It usually occurs because you think or experience something sexual, and only lasts for a shorter period of time. The process occurs either by thinking about or seeing something sexually arousing, or via a reflex, when the penis is stimulated directly by touch.

Getting a hard penis is therefore usually associated with sexual desire.

The actual erection of the penis takes place through an extremely complicated physical process, where the blood supply is increased at least 20 times. The penis fills with blood. After this, the blood vessels close, and the penis remains filled with blood and has thus become stiff and hard.

When does erection occur?

Already in the fetal stage, erections have been recorded in people with penises, and spontaneous erections can occur in childhood. Especially young people in puberty, with extra active hormones, can experience having an erect penis in strange situations.

During the night, the penis also often becomes stiff in connection with dream phases, and many also find that they wake up with a stiff penis in the morning.

But as a general rule, erections occur in relation to sexual stimulation of the genitals and sexual fantasies and desire.

Erection problems: what if the erection does not happen?

The vast majority will experience erectile problems , or reduced ability to achieve or maintain an erection, during their lives.

Perhaps the most common cause of erection problems is simply performance anxiety and nervousness , which destroys your libido. After all, there are quite complicated processes in the body that must work together to erect the penis - so when thoughts get in the way, the process quickly comes to a standstill. And once you've experienced erection problems, it's easy to get into a vicious cycle of thought patterns that can be unhelpful. Then it can be smart to talk to someone – either your doctor or a therapist.

Another important prerequisite for lust and sex drive is the amount of testosterone in your body. With age, hormone production will decrease, and this can affect sex drive, and ultimately also the ability to erect the penis.

You can do this yourself:

Try to live healthy
Try to focus on things that make you happy
Get enough sleep
Stress less
Eat a healthy diet

Can CBD Relieve Erectile Dysfunction?

Another solution that shows great potential for alleviating some of the symptoms associated with erectile dysfunction (ED) is cannabidiol (CBD), the cannabis-derived compound. Read more about CBD here .

CB1 receptors have been seen in and around both the female and male reproductive organs, meaning that CBD can target these receptors and potentially have an impact on general sexual health issues such as libido and most importantly, ED.

CBD and its reported help with sex drive is a source of division among researchers, with some claiming that chronic cannabis use in men lowered sex drive, and that sex drive decreased the more cannabis a man took. Other studies contradict this, offering that CBD products improve libido by reducing anxiety. Many suffer from performance anxiety, which can significantly reduce libido. Numerous studies have confirmed the benefits of CBD on general cases of anxiety, which could be helpful for people with ED if the root cause is performance anxiety or general anxiety.

Ayurveda practitioners have long used Cannabis sativa to improve ejaculation function and enrich sexual performance .

In terms of ED, the exact mechanism by which CBD may help is still unclear. One theory is that CBD may help relax blood vessels and stimulate blood flow, which could relieve ED if this increased blood flow traveled to the penis. Better blood flow means longer lasting erections and thus better stamina during sex. Likewise, CBD is claimed to be able to lower blood pressure. According to a small study , a single dose of CBD was sufficient to reduce blood pressure, which is another contributing factor to ED. So regular consumption of CBD can help those suffering from ED whose high blood pressure is to blame.

Chronic use of products with THC has been cited as a possible cause of ED and decreased sex drive. Fortunately, CBD has been shown to counteract the negative effects of THC h which means that CBD can help with ED if the root cause of it is excessive consumption of cAnna ice.

Since obesity is another physical cause of erectile dysfunction, managing weight can be critical to improving the symptoms of ED. Again, enter CBD. There have been tons of studies done that talk about this cannabinoid's success in dealing with obesity and BMI. Especially when CBD is combined with tetrahydrocannabivarin (THCV), CBD has shown promising results in suppressing appetite in obese people and lowering blood sugar. Therefore, the CBD-THC combination could indirectly help men with ED by reducing appetite and potentially contributing to weight loss.

Likewise, cannabis use has been linked to lower body mass index (BMI), rates of diabetes , and other metabolic diseases. Since CBD is either the primary or secondary ingredient in most varieties of whole plant cannabis, it can play a very important role in managing BMI , which would support healthy sexual function for men. The specific role of CBD in these conditions is still being investigated.

Another way that CBD can indirectly help with ED is by managing sleep disorders . In addition to having a detrimental effect on many other aspects of your health, lack of sleep can have a negative impact on your sexual health. Lack of sleep can cause or worsen symptoms of ED and decreased sex drive due to lack of energy. CBD has been shown in several studies to promote a rich, restful night's sleep, which in turn could provide better results for patients with ED, perhaps increasing sex drive and thus helping to get and keep an erection.

Back to blog