It is believed that many men are familiar with the erection of the penis, but do not know what causes it or the advantages and disadvantages of having an erection.
Many people may have experienced a situation where suddenly their penis becomes erect. But don’t panic, because it is natural. When your nervous system is stimulated to create sexual arousal, your penis will become erect.
However, if you feel that your penis remains erect continuously for up to 4 hours without any physical or mental stimulation, it may be because your penis is in a state of priapism, which requires prompt medical attention. If left untreated, it can lead to erectile dysfunction. Today, we have gathered important information about penile erection that men should know for safe sex and good penile health.
Penile erection is a physiological phenomenon where the penis becomes hard, filled with blood, and enlarged. It is the result of a complex interaction between the mind, nervous system, vascular system, and endocrine system. It usually occurs with sexual arousal but can actually happen at any time.
How does an erection occur?
Sexual arousal causes the penis to become erect to allow penetration into the female vagina. The tip of the penis is a concentration of nerves sensitive to sexual stimulation, comparable to the clitoris in females. Penile erection results from stimulation or touch and the brain’s imagination and thoughts.
Stimuli trigger the brain to send signals through the spinal nerves. These signals stimulate the release of chemicals that cause blood vessels to send blood to the penis. This results in the release of nitric oxide, which relaxes the smooth muscles of the corpora cavernosa, allowing more blood to flow into the area, causing the penis to become erect.
What are the advantages and disadvantages of penile erection?
1. Your penis is in a state of priapism
This is a painful and potentially dangerous medical condition where the erect penis does not return to a flaccid state. Priapism lasting longer than 4 hours without any physical or mental stimulation is a medical emergency. The exact cause is unknown but may involve complex neurological and vascular factors. Immediate medical treatment is necessary to prevent erectile dysfunction.
There are 3 types of priapism
- Ischemic type (Ischemic priapism or Low flow priapism) is the most common type, accounting for about 95% of all priapism cases. It occurs when the veins in the penile tissue remain dilated and cannot contract normally. If priapism lasts more than 24 hours, there is a high risk of tissue death and permanent fibrosis, leading to erectile dysfunction in up to 90% of cases. This type causes severe pain and requires immediate hospital treatment.
- Non-ischemic type (Nonischemic priapism or High flow priapism) is less common, about 5%. It results from arterial injury in the penile tissue, such as an arterial aneurysm rupture or trauma from cycling or surgery. This type involves blood pooling from arteries but does not affect normal blood flow or cause tissue ischemia or fibrosis.
- Recurrent ischemic type (Recurrent ischemic priapism or Recurrent priapism) is rare but often seen in individuals with a genetic history of sickle cell disease. It is caused by abnormal red blood cell clumping that blocks veins in the penile tissue, leading to repeated episodes of ischemic priapism.
This condition is less severe, causing less pain and shorter duration of priapism, usually less than 3 hours. It often occurs during sleep and may precede severe ischemic priapism in about 30% of patients.
2. Beware that your penis can break
Some may not know that the penis can break because it has no bones. This injury can occur during vigorous sexual activity or masturbation, causing the blood-filled penis to turn purple and break. Recovery can take up to 6 weeks before the penis returns to normal function.
3. Avoid frequent stimulation of erections unless necessary
Studies have found that the more frequently a man induces an erection, the higher the chance that the penis will fail to become erect when needed for sexual intercourse. Therefore, men should reduce this behavior to avoid problems when the penis is needed.
4. Penis length
Men who want to know their true penis length should measure it when erect from the lower abdomen to the tip of the penis. This will give the actual size. A study published in the Journal of Sexual Medicine found the average erect penis length to be 5.6 inches based on a survey of 1,661 men in the United States.
5. Men can ejaculate multiple times without fatigue
In 1995, Rutgers University in the United States conducted research on male ejaculation and found that men can ejaculate up to 6 times within 36 minutes without feeling tired at all.
6. Smaller penises expand more than larger ones
Believe it or not, research published on the American Psychological Association website shows that smaller penises can expand up to 86 percent when fully erect, while larger penises expand only about 47 percent.
