THE ERECTION: NERVES

Posted by admin on March 26, 2009 under Men's Health-Erectile Dysfunction | Be the First to Comment

During erection, the body’s nervous system is the central computer that tells the arteries when to open up and increase blood flow into the penis. It also controls ejaculation. But the nervous system doesn’t just give orders to open and close. It also sends messages from the penis to the brain. A man becoming aroused has his nervous system operating in full gear. The taste of his lover’s mouth, the touch of her hand, the sound of her voice, the smell and sight of her body all send messages to the brain, which then orders the arteries to send more blood to the penis. And the sensations of pleasure in his penis and throughout his body are transmitted through the nervous system to the brain.

Your emotions and your state of mind affect your physical ability to get an erection. Here’s where the nervous system plays such an important role. There are two parts to the unconscious (or autonomic) nervous system which control erections: the parasympathetic network, which relaxes you, and the sympathetic system, which puts your whole body on alert.

During erection, the parasympathetic nervous system is in full gear, sending messages to the arteries and sinuses to expand and let more blood into the penis. The parasympathetic nervous system also plays a crucial role in food digestion and in relaxation.

In contrast, the sympathetic nervous system is the uptight partner in this operation. These nerves tell the arteries and sinuses in the penis to constrict and decrease blood flow. They go into full gear when you are anxious or tense, shifting blood away from your penis and digestive system into your muscles. Therefore, a man who is tense and anxious might be physically unable to get an erection because the overactivity of his sympathetic nervous system is clamping down on the blood flow into his penis.

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