Struggling between the sheets? Experts say sleep quality may very well be where the blame lies.
A recent Stanford University study uncovered a possible link between erectile dysfunction and insomnia — saying that 58% of men affected by lack of shuteye were also battling repeated failure to launch.
The research was published this month within the journal European Urology Focus. The study worked with 539,109 men who were diagnosed with insomnia, 356,575 of which were treated medically.
“Men diagnosed with insomnia only were found to have the next risk of developing ED,” the authors wrote.
Even worse, those that were treated for insomnia were also more often treated for erectile dysfunction — suggesting that insomnia treatments may exacerbate ED.
ED affects 30 million American men. The excitement-killing condition is often related to age, certain medications, diseases, psychological issues or being obese or smoking.
Meanwhile, one in three adults worldwide experience insomnia, often brought on by stress, medications, medical conditions or intake of caffeine, alcohol or nicotine.
Insomnia can have countless detrimental effects, including the next risk of accidents resulting from slow response time, mental health disorders, hypertension or heart disease.
Experts have touted various sleep methods and foods to catch some z’s, warning against junk food, chocolate, cheese, curry and ice cream.
Meanwhile, bananas, cherries, tomatoes, walnuts and oats have been boasted by sleep gurus as slumber-promoting bites.
This month, one snooze-savvy TikToker shared his secret to shut-eye: A WWII-era military sleep tactic.
The content creator encouraged viewers to “imagine a scanner happening your entire body, starting on the very top.”
“Chill out every muscle in your face first, including your cheeks and your tongue,” he advised. “Unclench your jaw and take slow, deep breaths.”
While continuing to take deep breaths, he instructed eager sleepers to ascertain each muscle within the body relaxing.
“Now that you simply’ve let go of tension in your body, it’s time to do the identical together with your mind,” continued the user, who admitted he normally falls asleep before he gets to relaxing his legs.