Sexual health is incredibly important for people with penises, as it is for people of any gender. For people with penises, having a satisfying sex life often corresponds with maintaining a healthy level of testosterone. Luckily, you can make some lifestyle changes to improve your penis health, maintain your testosterone levels, and keep your sex life active, but it takes commitment to do so. Here’s how to get started.
Get More Sleep
If you want to improve your testosterone levels, you need to get enough rest. It might sound trite, but it’s true. People with penises reach peak testosterone levels in the morning since the majority of this hormone is released while they sleep. That means if you’re not getting enough rest, your testosterone levels could suffer, and that’s bad news in the bedroom. This phenomenon means that a high number of people with sleep apnea have low testosterone levels because the two are so closely correlated.
Staying Fit
Staying fit is another important component of your penis’ health. If you’re eating a diet that has too much fat, certain enzymes in the fat will convert testosterone into estrogen. Staying fit means something different for everyone, so losing weight may not be exactly what you need. Yet, getting a good amount of exercise and eating healthy foods can help improve your self-image as well as ensure you have the testosterone you need to have a long, healthy sex life.
Diabetes is also linked with low levels of testosterone, so check with your doctor to see what you can do to minimize your risk of a diagnosis.
Limiting Stress
Anxiety doesn’t just affect your mental health—it can affect your physical health, too. When you are stressed out, you may feel like you can’t focus on sex. Stress also has an impact on your sex life since your blood flow is impacted and stress can constrict the blood vessels you use for an erection.
However, stress can feel inescapable sometimes. Talking to a trusted therapist is a great idea, or you could begin a meditation practice to help focus your mind and limit your intrusive thoughts.
Check with Your Doctor
A physical exam is an absolute necessity to ensure you’re in peak physical health. But it’s also a good way to find out what could be hampering your sex drive or testosterone production. If you have a chronic condition, this could be creating difficulties for you in the bedroom. Further, certain long-term prescription medications can affect the quality of your sex life.
Check with your doctor about your prescriptions to see if those could be impacting your penis’ health, and ask what other options are available. Managing your sexual health is just one of the many reasons why it’s so important not to skip regular doctor visits!
After You’ve Made the Changes
Once you’ve started improving your lifestyle, you’ll notice how much better you feel very quickly. However, your testosterone levels may take a few months to reflect the healthy transformations you’ve made. In the meantime, if you’d like more ideas on how to create a sex life you love, contact me for a free consultation.
Bio: Dr. Nazanin Moali is a clinical psychologist and sex therapist in the Los Angeles area. She works with various individuals to understand and improve their sexuality. Dr. Moali conducts personal consultation sessions in her Torrance and Hermosa Beach offices, or via a secure, online video-counseling platform. Click here to take the sex quiz for women.