How To Maintain an Erection

Because an erection requires healthy blood flow, any diet that's not good for your heart is not going to be good for getting hard. Any diets that are high in fatty and highly processed foods are going to be bad for heart disease and for maintaining an erection.

So what’s the best diet to keep blood flow strong? It turns out that men who eat a traditional Mediterranean diet have been scientifically linked to lower levels of erectile dysfunction. Foods that help you stay erect from a Mediterranean diet include:

• fruit
• egetables
• whole grains
• nuts

As well as a moderate intake of:

• fish
• olive oil
• wine

These foods will help you get harder erections in the long run by helping keep your heart, veins and arteries healthy.

As well as changes to your lifestyle, spicing up your sexual routine and trying new things can stimulate stronger and maintain longer erections.

The most important thing here is increasing arousal, so we suggest trying out whatever appeals to you or your partner the most from:

Trying out new exciting positions to liven things up

This can create new sensations your penis may find extra stimulating. Try putting your partner's legs on your shoulders for deeper entry or doggy style with your partner's legs pressed firmly together to make things even tighter.

New sexual acts like anal sex, pegging or double penetration

It may be just the thing you need to get truly aroused. Try and keep an open mind about new sensations and go slowly, with lots of anal lube if you’ve not explored this area before.

Roleplaying new scenarios

If you’re into it, roleplay can help you get out of your own head and give you some much-needed psychological stimulation. Try submissive and dominant roles like a secretary and a boss or something novel like strangers in a bar if you need a spark of the unknown.

If you are trying anything out of the ordinary with a partner, make sure you talk to them so they know why you want to try out new things. Talking to a partner can also help relieve anxiety around sexual performance and reframe it as sexual exploration.

Psychologically it’s important you aren’t just chasing an erection but exploring new ways to stimulate yourself and your lover.

Taking the pressure off your shoulders may just help increase pressure somewhere else…

Kegel exercises can help increase penile blood flow as these muscles around the pelvis prevent blood from flowing out of an erect penis. They’re also the muscles which support an erection and generally improve blood flow around the groin.

As we get older and all our muscles weaken, it’s a good idea to bring some Kegel exercises into our routine to experiment with how to maintain an erection.

One exercise you can try discreetly whilst sitting is trying to squeeze the muscles in your penis like you’re trying to stop weeing in the middle of a flow. Hold it for up to 5 seconds, let go then repeat up to 8 times.

If the exercises cause any pain whatsoever - go and see a doctor.

Penis pumps can help you get a harder erection that lasts longer.

It works by putting the cylinder of the pump around your penis, creating an airtight seal against your pubic bone, and gently sucking the air out around your shaft.

This vacuum increases penile blood flow. You can watch your cock grow inside the cylinder, and even pop on a cock ring to help keep an erection once you’re ready to use it. (Though don’t leave a ring on or use a pump for longer than 30 minutes.)

If you’ve never used a penis pump before, check out our beginner's guide.

There’s a hell of a lot of evidence that supports a link between regular exercise and better erections.

In particular cardio exercises like running, swimming and dancing that get your heart thumping and blood pumping can be good for improving the quality of your erections.

You don’t have to go all out if it's not for you though. Even half an hour of walking a day can reduce erectile dysfunction.

Maintaining a healthy weight also has benefits when it comes to erections, so following a Mediterranean diet and regular exercise will help you in that area as well.

Be mindful of activities like cycling or horse riding that will put pressure on the area between your scrotum and anus. It’s where lots of blood vessels that take blood to the penis are.

So though a 20-minute occasional ride is unlikely to do any damage, if cycling is a regular habit and you’re worried about maintaining erections, you may want to find a new sport.

Stress and anxiety are some of the most common causes of struggling to maintain an erection.

Stress boosts adrenaline, a hormone that makes your blood vessels contract. So maintaining an erection is trickier when you’re stressed.

The problem is stress often leads to more stress, especially with sexual performance anxiety. This can create a self-fulfilling prophecy, especially when words like impotency or sexual dysfunction start coming to mind.

Talking to a trusted partner, professional or friend can help normalise these experiences and break the cycle. Other techniques we’ve mentioned, like changes to diet and exercise, can also help to reduce stress.

Consider mindfulness techniques like yoga or meditation, as well as being more mindful during the sexual activity itself. Rather than focusing on getting and maintaining a rock-hard erection, focus on the sensations you’re experiencing or giving to a partner.

Smoking is another thing that constricts blood vessels and reduces blood flow to the penis. Smoking can also weaken your heart and make your blood thicker, all of which make erections harder to get and maintain.

So consider quitting smoking… or at least limiting the amount you smoke each day.