1. When Mr. Happy Becomes Mr. Sad
The causes of erection problems vary. Difficulty getting and keeping an erection isn't reserved for middle-aged men. Even younger men can experience occasional libido malfunctions. If erection problems are ongoing and endangering your relationship, then it's time to look at the factors that might cause it. If you can't get an erection after a long hectic day at work or a night out drinking, it's not a cause for concern. However, if stress, fatigue, physical weakness or injury impedes the parasympathetic system that triggers the erection process, the condition could become permanent unless you deal with it.
2. Breathe Easy
Practice deep breathing throughout the day and especially when you think you might encounter a romantic or sexual situation. Breathing deeply stretches the chest muscles and allows the parasympathetic system to let blood flow to the penis. Exercise more often and use other relaxation techniques like meditation to calm your nerves. Don't worry about performance, or paying the bills, or world politics. Of course, that's easier said than done, if you're enduring a lot of stress during the day, but if you think for a second about the result you'll get if you relax, your worries just might cease.
3. Work at Home
If the stress at your job won't let up, you have a few choices. Try shifting your job activities around or telecommute more. Arrange your schedule so you can take longer lunch hours, or start work later in the day. Take any action you can to relieve stress at the job. It will free your mind up to think about things other than your clients or balance sheets, like sliding between the sheets with your partner.
4. Check for Physical Causes
While stress certainly ranks as one of the prevalent factors in erectile dysfunction and temporary erection problems, physical maladies like high blood pressure and diabetes can also interfere with your love life. Doctors check for the physical causes of erection difficulties by using an electronic pressure cuff device, which he keeps on the penis all day and overnight to monitor daytime and nocturnal erections. If erections occur during sleep but not during the day (even when the man's exposed to stimulating factors) then the problems arise solely from stress and other psychological factors.
5. You Don't Know Where Those Stamps Have Been
You can solve the stress versus physical factors yourself without the ignominy of having a doctor strap an electronic device on your privates. Wrap a strip of postage stamps over your penis before going to sleep. If the strip is broken when you wake up, you had an erection during the night, so it's a safe bet your erection problems are all in the head. If you can't solve stress-related erection difficulties on your own, consider counseling.
