Psychogenic Erection
When the cerebral cortex is excited by the stimulation of hearing, vision, smell, thinking, and imagination related to sexual content, and the related nerves of the spinal cord act on the corpus cavernosum, the arteries will dilate, and a large amount of blood will flow into the corpus cavernosum; When the venous blood vessels are constricted and the blood flowing out of the corpus cavernosum is reduced, the blood will be fully retained in the abundant blood vessels and blood sinuses in the corpus cavernosum, so that the penis can quickly produce a psychological erection. Psychogenic erection is more common in young people and will weaken with age. It can achieve a synergistic effect by enhancing the effect of reflex erection.
Reflex erection can be caused when the external reproductive organs are subjected to local stimulation such as direct touch, walking friction, or internal stimulation to organs such as the rectum and bladder. Unlike psychogenic erections, reflex erections are achieved by stimulating the lower erection centers of the sacral medulla in the spinal cord.
Penile erection is the innate instinct of men. Researchers found through an ultrasound image in 1982 that the male fetus can have regular penile erection soon after conception, that is, when it is in the womb. A little boy may also have a hard erection when he urinates after birth, but the erection at this time does not have any “sexual” meaning, that is, it is not caused by “psychological” factors.
In fact, psychogenic and reflex erections are not completely independent. They can function independently, or they can influence each other and be involved in sexual activities together.
For example, when the spinal cord injury occurs above the thoracolumbar region, the sacral parasympathetic pathway is not affected, and the patient can develop an erection under the condition of physical stimulation of the reproductive organs, but the ability to have a psychogenic erection disappears. When motor neuron damage occurs below the level of the thoracolumbar region, the sacral parasympathetic nerve collaterals are damaged, and stimulation of the reproductive organs cannot cause erection, while 24% to 57% of patients can still have psychological erection. This is because the sympathetic nerves from the thoracic and lumbar regions mainly control the elimination of erections, but their adrenergic fibers can also play a role in triggering erections, especially if this sacral parasympathetic pathway is damaged. When spinal cord injury occurs in L2~S1 (between the second lumbar vertebra and the first sacral vertebra), that is, between the sympathetic and parasympathetic centers of erection, the neural connection between the two is destroyed, and both psychological and reflex erections exist. But without coordination, it is impossible to achieve ejaculation orgasm by stimulating the reproductive organs.
Human sleep is always in the alternation of REM sleep and slow eye movement sleep, which corresponds to the physiological process of erection-softening-re-erecting-re-softening, which is medically called nocturnal erection of the penis. Normal physiological processes in healthy men. Because the alternating between erection and weakness can promote blood circulation, bring oxygen, etc., and take away metabolic waste, nocturnal erection is sometimes called the “charging mechanism” of the penis. Generally speaking, men will have 4 to 6 erections every night, 20 to 40 minutes each time, a total erection of up to two and a half hours. This is because the brain always inhibits the occurrence of seek a doctor for further examination during the day, otherwise men will inevitably encounter embarrassing situations from time to time, but after deep sleep, this inhibitory function of the brain disappears, and the penis will spontaneously have an erection response, which is completely normal and does not need to be Worry.
The time, frequency, and hardness of nocturnal erections decrease or decrease with age, and are strongest during puberty. Whether it is psychological or reflex erection, the penis can quickly return to normal after the external stimulus is removed, and nocturnal erection is no exception. After a period of erection, the penis will automatically soften, because if the blood stays in the cavernous body for a long time, the blood will be hypoxic and accumulate a large amount of metabolic waste, which is not good for the tissue, and necrosis will occur in severe cases. Therefore, the penis is not erected all night, but must be stretched and flaccid.
Whether erection at night is of great significance for judging the nature of erectile dysfunction in men awake, if the erection is normal during sleep, it indicates that it is not an organic erectile dysfunction, but there are other causes.
Early morning erection, referred to as morning erection, refers to the spontaneous erection of the penis in men at 4 to 7 in the morning, and is not controlled by situations, actions, and thoughts. Erection is a clinically meaningful physiological phenomenon. If the morning erection disappears for more than half a year and there is difficulty in erection and poor hardness, which leads to a decline in the quality of sexual life, it is recommended to go to the hospital for treatment. However, it should be noted that although morning wood is one of the reference indicators of male sexual performance, it is not the “gold standard.
On the whole, with age, the ability to erect penis will gradually decline due to the decrease of sex hormones such as testosterone, the degeneration of the organ itself, the disease and the taking of drugs. At the same time, the hardness and duration of erection will also decline. All fall. However, healthy men still have erections 1-2 times a week by the age of 80.
Erectile dysfunction (ED) is commonly known as “impotence” or “impotence”, that is, men cannot achieve or cannot maintain an erection to complete sexual intercourse. Most of them are mental, but they can also be organic. Because “impotence” and other common terms have a derogatory meaning and have a certain value orientation, they are not used as official terms. Erectile dysfunction can affect sexual intercourse and is the most common clinical male sexual dysfunction. It is estimated that by 2025, there will be 322 million erectile dysfunction patients worldwide.
The etiology of erectile dysfunction is complex and involves many factors. About 60% of them are mainly caused by mental and psychological factors, and about 30% have organic lesions. Sexual anxiety, worry about not being able to get an erection, high demands on sexual performance, low levels of sexual arousal, and certain health conditions or medication can all cause erectile dysfunction. In addition, high blood pressure, diabetes, smoking habits, excessive drinking, obesity, etc. can increase the risk of erectile dysfunction, which means that men with bad living habits or related diseases, especially those with long duration, that is, elderly men are at risk higher.
Using the scale self-assessment can preliminarily determine your penile erection status. Combined with the situation of sexual life in the past 6 months, for the following 5 questions, choose the option that suits you, and add up the scores of the five questions. If the total score is less than or equal to 21 points, it is recommended to seek a doctor for further examination to confirm Whether suffering from erectile dysfunction.
