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How To Stay Hard Longer With These Tips

By: Sam Pirson , November 5, 2024

Hard times fall upon all of us. However, life’s challenges shouldn’t include getting your dick hard and keeping it hard. Those times should be the hardest! While we know erectile dysfunction affects 30 million men in the US, some still experience inconsistent erections without being diagnosed. 

 

We’re here to help. When considering how to stay hard, there are plenty of lifestyle changes you can employ to stay harder longer, from what to eat, what to avoid, and some “in the moment” methods to keep in your back pocket.

Why can’t I stay hard? It’s complicated.

Athletic man frustrated with staying hard

 

While it may have always seemed like an involuntary bodily response, an erection occurs through a variety of physiological processes involving the brain, nerves, hormones, and blood vessels, and you do have control over some of them. For this reason, physical, emotional, and relationship things can be prohibitive in both getting hard and staying hard, leaving you wondering how to maintain an erection. Paying more attention and taking better care of your cardiovascular health and circulation will help keep your body in optimal shape to have strong erections or figure out what else may be in the way of how to stay hard longer. 

 

  1. Cardiovascular issues: Ailments affecting blood flow, such as high blood pressure, can impair essential blood flow to the penis.
  2. Psychological or emotional impacts: Carrying stress from your job, money, or literally anywhere into the bedroom or neglecting your mental health can create challenges for maintaining an erection. The stress of not being able to perform can also exacerbate the problem.
  3. Relationship strain: Difficulty with communication about both topics in and outside of the bedroom between partners can lead to frustration, misunderstandings, and decreased relationship satisfaction making intimacy less appealing or enjoyable. Thus your body might not cooperate when trying to get it up and keep it up. 
  4. Decreased sexual satisfaction: If you or your partner have been experiencing less sexual satisfaction with each other, this may lead to more pressure, performance anxiety, or less interest and subsequent challenges for maintaining an erection. 
  5. Physical health concerns: Erectile dysfunction can sometimes be a sign of underlying health issues, such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, or hormonal imbalances. Neglecting your physical health in general will also negatively impact your penis and sex life. 
  6. Drinking heavily: Alcohol is a depressant and being drunk can interfere with hormone levels, nervous system, and circulation, all of which support healthy, hard erections.

How long does the average erection last?

couple in bed under white sheets

 

The average erection lasts anywhere from a couple of minutes to about 40, with men under 30 clocking in around 6 and a half minutes and men over 50 at about 4.3 min. In addition to age, factors like physical and mental health, and frequency of sex or masturbation.

 

In order to know how to keep an erection longer, it’s worthwhile to understand how they occur. A boner occurs when sexual arousal stimulates the brain to release neurotransmitters, which increase blood flow to the penis by relaxing its blood vessels. This rush of blood causes the erectile tissue to expand and become firm, resulting in a hard dick.

 

With this knowledge, there are both simple lifestyle changes, in the moment tips and tricks, and bigger adjustments to incur long-term impacts for those who aren’t experiencing ED but could use some help to stay hard longer.

How to stay harder longer with lifestyle changes

healthy vegetables for harder erections

 

Everybody wants a quick fix nowadays – a six-pack overnight, a super successful career, a great relationship without the work. Realistically, most of these things and easily having better, stronger erections can be achieved by small adjustments and working toward a long-term goal by focusing partially on the outcome but also on the process of making better, healthier choices. Here are some lifestyle changes for how to make erection last longer.

 

Maintain a healthy diet with these foods for harder erections

 

If for nothing else than for better performance in the bedroom, consistently eating healthily is a great thing to do for yourself. Fruits and vegetables are rich in antioxidants and vitamins improve circulation and overall health. Try berries, leafy greens, and tomatoes to keep that blood flowing where it needs to go. 

 

Nuts and seeds contain healthy fats and nutrients like zinc, which can boost testosterone levels. Try snacks like almonds, walnuts, and pumpkin seeds as snacks or throw them into hearty salads. Lean proteins like chicken, turkey, fish, and legumes help with muscle health and overall vitality. Feeling good about yourself will give you more confidence in the bedroom, but also ensure everything is in optimum condition to support better erections.

 

Whole grains like oats, quinoa, and brown rice improve cardiovascular health, which is vital for erectile function. Dark Chocolate is great for your sweet tooth and contains flavonoids that can improve blood flow and lower blood pressure. And, to round out your heart health and improved circulation, you should incorporate healthy fats like avocados and olive oil.

 

Exercise and prioritize overall health to improve erection

 

Easier said than done, getting restful sleep is essential to improving erections. It helps keep hormones balanced and supports testosterone production, which affects libido and erectile function. Poor sleep can lead to increased stress and fatigue, both of which can hinder sexual performance.

 

Routine exercise is crucial for your overall health, and it impacts erections and performance in a variety of ways. Exercise helps manage weight, reduce stress, and improve mood, all of which contribute to better sexual health. Additionally, certain types of exercise, like pelvic floor exercises, can directly strengthen the muscles involved in erections. In addition to your mood, taking care of yourself like this and achieving the results you want boosts confidence as well, which is very important to bedroom performance. And, it’ll help you sleep better, which we’ve already established is very important. 

 

Regular physical activity improves circulation, boosts energy levels, and enhances overall physical health, including heart health. Cardiovascular health directly influences blood flow, which is vital for achieving and maintaining an erection. Conditions like high blood pressure, diabetes, and high cholesterol can restrict blood flow, leading to erectile dysfunction. Exercise, a healthy diet, and regular checkups can keep your cardiovascular health in check. 

 

Finally, your mental and emotional health is key. Proper sleep, diet, and exercise support good mental health, which is essential for sexual arousal and performance. Anxiety, depression, and stress can negatively impact libido and the ability to maintain an erection. Working on addressing and expressing our emotions rather than bottling them up or avoiding them is a great method. For extra help, consider therapy or counseling.

 

Avoid excessive alcohol intake

 

Alcohol can have negative impacts on your ability to get hard both in the moment or short term and have long-term effects. Being too drunk can cause what’s casually known as “whiskey dick.” Being so drunk your dick physiologically doesn’t respond is not only lame, it’s fully in your control. “Whiskey dick” occurs because alcohol can depress the central nervous system, impair nerve signals, and affect blood flow, all of which have a negative impact on the functions required to become aroused and stay hard. 

 

Lower testosterone can lead to decreased sexual desire and performance issues. Heavy drinking is disruptive to hormone production and balance, particularly testosterone. Because alcohol is a depressant, it can cause blood vessels to dilate initially, but excessive consumption can lead to dehydration and reduced blood flow over time impairing circulation, a crucial function for healthy boners. 

 

Long-term alcohol abuse can cause nerve damage, affecting the body’s ability to transmit signals of arousal, and it is directly linked to developing full-blown erectile dysfunction. 

 

Try kegel exercises for men

 

While we often hear about pelvic floor muscles in women’s bodies and in regards to pregnancy and childbirth, taking care of your pelvic floor is also important and helpful to staying hard longer and urinary control. 

 

Kegels are the contraction and relaxation of the pelvic floor muscles. You flex, hold, and repeat. Doing them enhances blood flow to the area and overall pelvic floor strength.

Tips to maintain an erection longer during sex

man and woman in bed long foreplay session

 

Once you get it up, how to stay hard for longer can be a challenge for some. You should be able to focus on pleasure rather than how to have a longer erection, so there are some small things to try to prep or plan, or make it happen in the moment. 

Use a cock ring 

A little aid never hurt anyone, and a cock ring can be a fun great option to introduce into the bedroom. It constricts the base of the penis, helping to trap blood that enters during arousal. This helps maintain a firmer erection by preventing blood from flowing back out too quickly.

Some users say it increases sensitivity and subsequent pleasure, and better sexual performance boosts self-esteem.

Try temperature play

Temperature play refers to using hot or cold stimulation on the body. Oftentimes, it’s incorporated into massages, foreplay or directly touching your penis and surrounding area, like warmed oils or ice cubes. 

Heat can be relaxing and ease performance anxiety as well as promote circulation while temperature contrasts can spike sensitivity and arousal, making the experience more enjoyable. Heightened stimulation can lead to stronger erections. And, this can often be used with little planning. 

Experiment with edging

Edging is the practice of engaging in sexual stimulation to the point of nearly climaxing, stopping, and starting again. Not only does it allow men to gain better control over their arousal levels, they can learn to manage their excitement. The repeated cycles of arousal can promote better circulation. You can experiment and try various masturbation tips to work on edging solo, too.

Have black coffee before sex 

Opposite to alcohol, coffee, and more specifically caffeine, is a stimulant. It can boost mood and alertness, reducing anxiety and improving focus during sexual activity, and more importantly, it can increase blood flow throughout the body. Some studies even suggest that caffeine may have a positive effect on testosterone levels.


Check testosterone levels & consider supplements for longer erections

 

In addition to regular checkups for your general health overall, getting a blood test and talking to your doctor about any challenges you may be having will afford some clarity. Hopefully, you can find a plan of action in terms of some of the things mentioned above, but there are other options.

 

Testosterone production tends to dip as you age, and it’s essential in arousal and maintaining erections. Rather than just taking whatever supplements you think you need, the blood test results can help you choose specific harder erection supplements to work with whatever is going on inside your body. A customized approach to what supplements to take will yield much better physical results.

Find a partner who is the perfect sexual match for you

man and woman on date outside watching sunset  

There’s nothing to be ashamed about if you’re having a hard time getting it up and keeping it up in bed. You have plenty of options to give yourself a boost and make long-term changes to give you better erections. Better erections will give you a better sex life. Find a partner for your improved, vigorous sex life on Instabang.com.

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