Is Poor Circulation Affecting Your Sex Life?

Blood flow is one of the bodily functions you tend to be blissfully unaware of until it begins to let you down. How much extra blood does your penis need for an erection you may wonder. Surely everything can’t be down to blood flow.

How Much Blood is Needed for an Erection?

The amount varies but on average it is thought to be 130ml and this is a very small percentage of the 4,500 – 5,600ml of blood circulating through the body of an adult male. Because an erection requires a relatively modest amount of blood, there is no need for an increase in blood supply within the body. It’s a case of existing blood being redirected to supply the sponge-like tissue in the penis, and this means that correspondingly less blood is available to be directed to other parts of the body.

How Does the Circulatory System Work?

Your heart and blood vessels make up your circulatory system and their function is to carry oxygen and nutrients to every cell in your body. Blood vessels are comprised of veins and arteries; veins carry blood to the heart, whilst arteries carry it away. The map of your circulatory system is likened to a tree with the trunk representing the aorta (main artery). Other main arteries lead from the aorta and these flow into other smaller blood vessels. The smaller arteries lead into a network of tiny blood vessels called capillaries.

Your body has two circulatory systems, the ‘systemic’ and the ‘pulmonary’ systems, both of which are connected but each has its own function. The systemic circulation feeds organs, cells and tissue with blood, and the pulmonary system supplies our bloodstream with fresh oxygen as we breathe. As all this is happening, carbon dioxide is being eliminated.

Symptoms of Circulatory Problems

The most overt tell-tale signs of a struggling circulation are sensations in the body, often in the places where the blood flow is sluggish, and these sensations can range from a slight tingling to real pain. Sometimes it may feel like an irritating stinging feeling, or it can be a feeling of numbness. Throbbing is another sensation reported by many people and there can also be real pain at the location of the problem. Many people experience cramp, and this is often in the muscles adjacent to blood vessels with a poor blood flow.
One of the most common manifestations of a sluggish circulation for men is erectile dysfunction (ED) but this could have other causes so it’s important to get medical verification that blood flow is indeed the culprit. You may like to read more about ED on our blog.

Lack of feeling in the legs and feet is also a common symptom of impaired circulation. It may be due to regularly sitting a position that puts pressure on the nerves or in a way that slightly restricts blood flow (such as with one leg crossed over the other). However, if the sensation lasts or frequently recurs it could be a sign of an underlying medical condition so a visit to the GP is advisable to rule out such conditions as MS, diabetes, neuropathy, peripheral artery disease or fibromyalgia.

What Causes Poor Circulation?

There are several reasons why blood flow can become inefficient:

• Blood Clots
  • These can crop up anywhere within the circulatory system and where they settle there will be a blockage to blood flow. Often, they develop in legs and sometimes arms but it is when they are in the lungs or brain that they can be life threatening and need emergency surgery.
• High Cholesterol
  • Too much cholesterol in the bloodstream causes the blood to be thick and slows down the flow. It can also cause numbness, and tingling sensations.
• Varicose Veins
  • When the valves that control blood flow fail, blood builds up causing the vein to enlarge upstream of the valve. The damaged vein struggles to keep blood flowing freely so circulation is hampered.
• Peripheral Artery Disease (PAD)
  • This has the effect of narrowing blood vessels, making it harder for blood to flow freely. PAD is linked to high cholesterol when fatty deposits line artery walls, causing them to be narrowed. This leads to impaired blood flow.
• Diabetes
  • Circulatory problems are one of the common side effects for those with diabetes and this causes frequent cramps and numbness in the extremities.
• Overweight
  • Being overweight puts undue pressure on the circulatory system, particularly in situations where long periods of either sitting or standing are involved.

How to Improve Your Circulation

Finding a way of managing your circulatory problem is dependent upon the underlying cause. If you have established that your problem is due to a medical condition, your doctor will be able to discuss with you what changes you need to make to help you manage the treatment.

If lifestyle factors are responsible for your restricted blood flow, then there is much you can do to help yourself to fix it. Your doctor may suggest a few lifestyle changes and you can achieve great results in some of the areas that are responsible for many of the main causes of a sluggish circulatory system, namely:

• Blood Pressure
• Cholesterol Control
• Diet
• Exercise

Blood Pressure Monitoring

Having high blood pressure without knowing about it is a very common thing but over time this can damage the cells of the artery lining and lead to the artery walls losing their elasticity. Dietary fats in the blood can cling to the roughened walls of the arteries, narrowing them and restricting the flow. This will cause a rise in blood pressure, but you may not be aware of it. It is important to keep track of your blood pressure on a regular basis to protect yourself from cardiovascular problems. Once spotted it is entirely possible to correct high blood pressure and this can be done both with lifestyle correction and with medication.

Reducing alcohol, giving up smoking, shedding excess weight and stepping up physical activity are all things you can do to help keep your blood pressure at a healthy level.
Reducing salt from your diet can help greatly. When added to foods during the cooking process and at the table, salt contributes to raising blood pressure. It can take a few weeks to re-adjust your taste buds to having less salt but if you do it over a two-week period where you gradually reduce the amount used, you will begin to find the less salty food is just as palatable but in a different way – you’ll begin to taste the food rather than the salt. Many processed foods have a high percentage of salt so checking labels becomes necessary for a while. After a few weeks you will know which foods are a dangerous choice for your circulatory health without having to read the small print. Alternatively, you can stop buying processed items and just eat natural foods.

Lowering Your Cholesterol – Naturally

Sometimes it’s important to have cholesterol-lowering medication, especially when you have dangerously high levels of cholesterol or suffer from coronary artery disease but if you need to lower your cholesterol count to support your general as well as sexual health, there is much you can do without necessarily having to take medication. Here are some proven methods:

Dietary Changes

A 2018 study found that following a Mediterranean diet achieved lower ED symptoms compared with a typical western diet which contains foods higher in fat and sugar. A useful tip when changing how you eat is to focus on the outer edges of the supermarket. This is where all the natural, fresh food is stored. If you avoid the central aisles, you will be less tempted to add processed items to your shopping trolley.

Fats

Replace saturated fats with polyunsaturated or monounsaturated fats. Olive oil and nut or seed oils are good choices. When eating meats, cut off any visible fat, preferably before cooking as it’s much more tempting to eat it once it’s been cooked. Take the skin off chicken, turkey, and duck before eating because almost all the fat is in, or just under, the skin. Avoid oils like coconut and palm oil and limit hard cheeses to just a small amount. Processed meats such as salami and other cured or smoked meats are also very high in saturated fats so are best avoided. There are certain fats that are good for you such as those in avocados, and oily fish.

Plant-Based Foods

Boost your intake of heart-healthy vegetables, and fruit. Add legumes such as peas, beans, and lentils. There are a good range of vitamins in plant-based foods that will help support your immune system as well as providing you with those essential nutrients for overall health. Tomatoes are a good choice and interestingly, when they are cooked or in their concentrated form such as puree or passata, they are even better. This is due to a vitamin called selenium which supports prostate health.

Dietary Fibre

Dietary fibre is the carbohydrate element in plants. Your body is not able to digest fibre, so it is one carb that is non-fattening, but is vital to the function of your digestive system as well as for helping to control cholesterol levels and blood sugar. There are two types of fibre, soluble and insoluble and both are essential to overall health.

Soluble fibre is found in oats, flax seeds, lentils, peas, beans, citrus fruits, apples, avocados, potatoes, and sweet potatoes. All vegetables contain soluble fibre, but brussels sprouts win the contest for fibre density. Soluble fibre also draws water into the digestive system, and this helps you to feel full and helps alleviate constipation. It also lowers cholesterol by binding to it in the small intestine, preventing it from entering the bloodstream.

Flax seeds are another excellent source of soluble fibre. They also contain a plant-derived omega-3 fatty acid called alpha linolenic acid. It’s necessary to grind the seeds before eating or buy them ready milled. In their milled state they need to be kept in a sealed container in the fridge. Sprinkle about one tablespoon over your porridge or muesli and you will increase your fibre by 3.5 grams. Flax seeds also provide extra protein.

Insoluble fibre is found in wholemeal bread, brown rice, wholemeal pasta, whole grain cereals (the kind that are not over processed), seeds such as pumpkin, and the skins of fruit and vegetables. Insoluble fibre helps your digestive process by keeping things moving through the gut and this helps to prevent inflammatory bowel conditions such as diverticulitis.

A tip when increasing the fibre in your diet is to drink extra water. This helps the fibre to form a gel and is a great aid to digestion.

Oats - Oats are a best friend when caring for your blood vessels. They contain a particular kind of fibre known as beta glucan which helps lower and control cholesterol. The findings of a randomised controlled trial show that 3 grams of oat beta glucan each day can significantly lower your cholesterol and reduce risk of heart disease. So, if you make porridge using 100 grams (dry weight) of oats each day, you are getting 10 grams of dietary fibre. This comprises 5.8 grams of insoluble and 4.2 grams of soluble - 3.6 of which is beta glucan.

Essential Fatty Acids

Omega 3 comprising EPA and DHA are long-chain omega 3 polyunsaturated fatty acids found in fish, particularly oily fish such as salmon and anchovies. It is also found in shellfish, and certain algae. It is known to protect the blood vessels from disease as well as benefitting various aspects of the cardiovascular function, particularly peripheral artery disease. Omega 3 is an anticoagulant and has been linked positively to supporting weight management. EFAs also help lower triglycerides which are fats that enter the blood after a meal. This helps the circulation and makes the formation of blood clots less likely to occur.

If you are looking to boost your intake there are plenty of Omega 3 supplements available. Our vegan omega 3 capsules are sourced from algae and are a fantastic alternative to fish oils.

Physical Activity to Help Circulation

The best kinds of physical exercises to boost your circulation are those that make you feel a little out of breath. Some of the most well-known types of activity of this kind are brisk walking, jogging, swimming, rowing, and ball sports, including tennis. Cycling is also a good form of exercise, but it may not be a great choice for anyone with prostate problems as the shape of the saddle can aggravate the prostate gland. In terms of ED, a recent review conducted by the University of Edinburgh stated that there was a significant relationship between cycling-induced perineal compression and the development of ED. The conclusion was that the fitness gained from cycling made it well worth investigating the type of saddles now available with a more prostate-friendly design.

A 2018 study concluded that spells of supervised training of 40 minutes of moderate to vigorous aerobic exercise four times a week, which amounted to 160 minutes weekly, for a period of six months, successfully decreased erectile problems, particularly in men whose ED had been caused by physical inactivity, obesity, hypertension, metabolic syndrome and/or cardiovascular diseases.

Try to factor in a couple of sessions each week of muscle-strengthening activities such as weight training and yoga. Pilates is an excellent form of exercise for building core strength and along the same lines as Pilates is a highly effective exercise technique known as Kegels. The purpose of Kegels is to work the muscles of the pelvic floor and strengthen the bulbocavernosus muscle which is the muscle that allows the penis to fill with blood during an erection. It also controls the pumping function during ejaculation and the emptying of the urethra following urination. By exercising that muscle, you will see longer lasting and more satisfying erection. By practicing Kegels every day, several times a day, you will notice improvements in ED. It can be done anywhere, either sitting, standing, or lying down.

To learn to do the exercises you first need to locate the bulbocavernosus muscle. The most effective method is to halt the flow several times during urination and the muscle needed to do this is the one you will be working to achieve the Kegels exercise. You need to ensure you are not clenching the buttocks or stomach instead as this won’t work.

Clench the bulbocavernosus muscle and hold for three seconds. Release and repeat three to five times. Do this again at least three times during the day. As the muscle strengthens you can increase from three seconds to five. The aim is to hold the muscle for at least ten seconds, five separate times, at least three times each day. This will then give you a very good chance of seeing positive results. This isn’t a quick fix; it will take about four to six weeks to start to get results, so you need to be conscientious in doing the exercise each day and be patient.

Natural Supplements to Help Circulation

Many people choose the take the natural approach to boosting their circulation and helping with ED. We offer high quality, evidence-based supplements that can improve and support the circulation when used alongside a healthy diet and regular exercise:

• Saffron Extract has been used for hundreds of years in Ayurvedic medicine to support men’s health. It has been the subject of a clinical trial with positive results for its beneficial effect in cases of ED.
• Maritime Pine Bark is known for its power to strengthen blood vessels and increase blood flow through the largest arteries to the smallest capillaries. It improves cardiovascular health and increases circulation, supports healthy blood pressure levels. It is also heralded for its ability to support cognitive function, improve the delivery of oxygen to cells and reduce leg and ankle swelling.
• L-Citrulline is used for raising nitric oxide levels in the blood. This has the effect of relaxing hardened artery walls which in turn lowers blood pressure and increases blood flow throughout the whole body.
• GT6 Powder is designed to increase circulation and boost nitric oxide production with an emphasis on helping alleviate the frustration of ED. As well as stimulating blood flow, GT6 protects blood vessels from the damage that can occur from normal ageing. The two natural ingredients in GT6 are L-citrulline and French maritime pine bark.
• Korean Red Ginseng has been the subject of a study using digital infrared thermal imaging and Doppler sonography to check both the efficacy and safety of the substance. The randomized, double blind, placebo controlled clinical trial concluded that digital infrared thermal imaging showed that the Korean red ginseng safely improves blood circulation in the human body.

Professional Advice and Support

If you are concerned about issues relating to ED there are organisations who can offer advice and support:

Relate offer sex therapy with no charge.

Find private counsellors or sex therapists through British Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy

Advice and support is offered by the Sexual Advice Association

If you would like to discuss any aspect of using natural supplements, or would find advice helpful, please feel free to contact us on 01297 553932.