Remember how Mary in the movie, ‘Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind’ quipped, “Adults are like this mess of sadness and phobias”? In the context of our everyday rat race, that doesn’t sound too far-fetched, right? The constant struggle to be better than your peers, appease those around you and their mounting expectations, and the fear of losing out in the bid can all pile up into a situation of acute stress and anxiety. While chasing our goals, we often tend to push our boundaries while ignoring the toll it takes on our mental health. A direct consequence of this phenomenon can be felt in our sex lives in the form of premature ejaculation.
Premature ejaculation is essentially climaxing before you intend to, often within a couple of minutes of penetration. Now that appears to be a real killjoy, isn’t it? It not only takes away from the pleasures of those intimate moments but may also adversely impact your confidence and sense of self-worth. In certain occasions, premature ejaculation can become the cause of discord between couples, even leading to separation.
How does anxiety affect the occurrence of premature ejaculation?
Most men dread the words “premature ejaculation” and often experience spells of anxiety due to its occurrence. Now here’s the thing. Anxiety and premature ejaculation are connected in a vicious cycle where one not only causes the other but also is a direct effect of the other. But, you need not despair yet. Stress and anxiety-induced PE is a fairly common phenomenon.
According to the National Centre for Biotechnological Information, one in every three men experiences premature ejaculation during stressful conditions, especially if one is on medication for anxiety. While it is a rather woeful ailment, it is neither irreversible nor uncurable. Timely support from an expert can not only abate the side effects of anti-anxiety medicines like premature ejaculation but also soothe your mental health afflictions. The key is to not bottle in your feelings. Men often feel a sense of shame to open up about such sensitive issues and in the course, exacerbate their conditions.
Let’s get some facts about the dynamics between anxiety and premature ejaculation right!
Certain palliative drugs for anxiety can cause chemical overhaul in your brains thus leading to premature ejaculation
What we commonly perceive as sex drive is actually a healthy balance of chemicals like serotonin, dopamine and norepinephrine. Common anti-anxiety medicines, especially SSRIs or selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, enhance the level of serotonin in our brains and upset the normal levels of dopamine and norepinephrine. As a result, our capacity for sexual arousal gets significantly hampered. This is the most common cause of premature ejaculation.
Altering your regular anti-anxiety medicines with lesser side effects can help. Ideally, replacing the SSRIs with milder medication like Viibryd and Wellbutrin can mitigate the incidence of premature ejaculation. Alternatively, incrementing the doses SSRIs with specific categorizes medicines like fluoxetine, paroxetine and escitalopram can deter premature ejaculation. Certain specialists also recommend the intake of drugs like Viagra and dapoxetine to boost your sexual performance. The right combination and dosage of medication can go a long way in securing long-lasting and passionate moments of intimacy.
Instituting lifestyle changes is necessary to avoid premature ejaculation
It is medically proven that 60% of the complaints of premature ejaculation are concurrent with times of stress. Taking breaks from toxic and hectic work hours and workspaces can improve your sexual wellbeing immensely.
Simple and undaunting lifestyle changes like engaging in a fitness regime, opting for healthier diet plans and making time for yourself for leisure can usher substantially reduce both premature ejaculations as well as accord some respite from anxiety and stress.
