According to Barbara M. Dossey and Lynn Keegan, authors of "Holistic Nursing," a link exists between erectile dysfunction and nicotine -- in fact, nicotine is considered the foremost cause of impotence in the United States as of 2009. Nicotine's adverse effects on erection are both direct and indirect. In addition to affecting erectile function, smoking affects both male and female fertility.
Blood Vessel Constriction
Nicotine causes blood vessels to constrict, explain Dossey and Keegan. In addition to decreasing oxygen delivered to the skin and causing premature aging, it reduces the amount of blood that flows to the penis, effectively weakening and even inhibiting erection. A 2008 article from the "The Journal of Sexual Medicine" confirms that nicotine decreases erectile response to erotic stimuli even in healthy, nonsmoking men.
Nerve Interference
According to Discovery Health, nicotine compromises the nerve pathways that lead to an erection. As a result, erections are harder to achieve as well as maintain. Discovery Health indicates that previous sexual vigor prior to long-term, regular nicotine use may never return.
Stimulation
Nicotine directly stimulates the sexual organs, according to "100 Questions and Answers About How to Quit Smoking." Moreover, nicotine stimulates the release of acetylcholine and epinephrine, which modulate erection as well as ejaculation. In fact, nicotine has a historical reputation as an aphrodisiac. These effects decline, however, as the brain develops a tolerance for and dependence on nicotine, effectively reducing serum acetylcholine and epinephrine levels to be lower than levels prior to nicotine use.
References
- "Holistic Nursing: A Handbook for Practice"; Barbara M. Dossey, Lynn Keegan; 2009
- Discovery Health: How Erectile Dysfunction Works
- "The Journal of Sexual Medicine"; Acute Effects of Nicotine on Physiological and Subjective Sexual Arousal in Nonsmoking Men: a Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Trial; CB Harte, CM Meston; August 2008
- "100 Questions & Answers About How to Quit Smoking"; Charles Herrick, Marianne Mitchell; 2009
