We all know about the various ill effects of smoking – lung cancer, increased risk of heart diseases and strokes. However, the risk of such potent dangers does little to prevent smokers from puffing on their cigarettes. But what about the effect of smoking on other organs of the body? Studies suggest that smoking may not just affect our heart and lungs. Indeed, it can also affect penises.
Before you recoil in shock and horror, let’s discuss how exactly smoking affects the penis. Does it cause the penis to shrink? Well, not quite, but close.
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A study conducted last year, published by BJU International, closely linked smoking and erectile dysfunction. That’s right, smoking can affect your ability to maintain erections. To be more precise, what smoking does is prevent your penis from attaining its full potential rigidity.
According to this 2005 study conducted by the American Journal of Epidemiology, men who smoked had greater chances of suffering from erectile dysfunction. However, among younger men who suffered from erectile dysfunction, the cause was most likely to be smoking.
The chemicals present in a cigarette can badly injure the linings of blood vessels in our body. An erection occurs when arteries in the penis expand and blood flows into them and fills them up after receiving signals from the nerves. However, smoking damages the blood vessels present in the penis, preventing them from being filled and stretching out. No matter how strong the signals are from the nervous system, if the blood vessels are damaged, the penis will not be capable of attaining an erection.
Not just that, smokers may have greater chances of damaged sperm as smoking decreases the sperm’s health activity and can cause inflammation around the testes and accessory glands.
But do not despair yet, for there may still be hope!
Quitting smoking can improve your chances of reversing the effects of erectile dysfunction. However, this depends to a large extent upon the intensity of your smoking habit and your age. According to research, people who are heavy smokers have significantly higher chances of developing erectile dysfunction. Among younger smokers, there are greater chances of recovery if they quit smoking.
After you quit smoking, your health sees immediate improvement. Your blood pressure improves, your chances of getting a heart attack go down, and as far as erections go, your blood circulation improves within 2 to 12 weeks.
Quitting smoking is not easy. But if you value your lungs, heart and your penis, it is absolutely worth it. So, convince yourself that no matter what, smoking is not an option, gather the support of your family and friends if you need to, clear your house of cigarettes, lighters and ashtrays and finally, pick a date to quit and stick to it.