Smoking is bad for your sexual health

By John Scott

Thanks to the graphic photographs that have been added to cigarette packets in many parts of the world, it’s impossible for smokers to avoid understanding that smoking causes cancer. Yet the tobacco industry continues to sell high volumes of cigarettes and other products that allow people to smoke or consume nicotine. Indeed, a recent case in the US has found that the marketing used by companies to suggest that their products are somehow safer is seriously dishonest if not fraudulent. Curiously, little attention has been paid to this case. Once people are addicted to the nicotine, they seem to care very little about what happens to their health. Everything is sacrificed for the pleasure of the drug once it hits the brain. Yet, cancer is only one of the worries that affects smokers. An equally important side effect of nicotine is that it’s a vasoconstrictor, i.e. it causes blood vessels to constrict. This forces the heart to pump harder and pushes up the blood pressure. If people smoke more than 20 cigarettes a day, there is a serious risk this will develop into arteriosclerosis, a permanent hardening of the arteries, and ultimately lead to heart disease.

The main physical cause of erectile dysfunction is the arteries leading into the penis do not dilate or, having dilated, then constrict before sexual activity is over. Because nicotine constricts the arteries, smokers are significantly more likely to suffer from erectile dysfunction than men who have never smoked. There is, however, some moderately good news. If you are not a heavy smoker and you quit while reasonably young, the walls of your arteries will slowly begin to resume normal activity. But if you delay quitting until arteriosclerosis has set in, there is no remedy. The erectile dysfunction is likely to be permanent even if you quit. There is further news that, depending on your point of view, may be bad. The longer you smoke, the greater the chance the nicotine will reduce the level of sperm you produce. Thus, even if you do manage ejaculation, you may not become a father. As an aside, the risk of infertility is significantly greater if you smoke cannabis.

The drugs like cialis used to treat erectile dysfunction are vasodilators, i.e. they encourage the walls of your arteries to dilate. If the walls have been damaged by smoking, the drugs will not work well or at all. This should all be news encouraging you never to smoke or, if you have the habit, to quit immediately. The risks to your health are not worth the short-term pleasure you get from the nicotine. This does not deny the difficulty many have. Nicotine is addictive and it can be hard to break the dependence. Indeed, many manage to give up for a few weeks and then lapse. There are products to help you quit and counseling can help support you through the worst of the withdrawal symptoms. If you find yourself craving, think of the potential loss of sex as the price you may pay for lighting the next cigarette. Cialis is good and will keep you going for a while but, in the end, impotence will catch you out (assuming the cancer does not get you first).

For other highly informative insights on numerous topics from John Scott visit http://www.36hour-strong.com/articles/smoking.html. John Scott is a professional journalist with 15 years of experience delivering news to the public.

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