Calling the brain your largest sex organ may sound cheesy, but it's completely true. Sexual arousal starts in the brain, which sends signals to the rest of your body (particularly your genitals), triggering sexual response. But what happens next? Why do anxiety, stress and alcohol act as such a boner killer, and what can you do to improve your sexual responsiveness ?

1. AROUSAL AND
THE BRAIN
The limbic system (which includes
the amygdala, hippocampus and
limbic lobe) is primarily
responsible for the feelings of
pleasure and euphoria sex induces.
Nitrogen oxide is released in
the smooth muscle cells of the
penis, starting a chain reaction
which decreases Ca2+ (which is
essential for muscle
contraction). This allows the
smooth muscle of the penis to
relax, letting blood flow in to
induce an erection.
Gonadotropin-releasing
hormone is secreted by
the hypothalamus and
travels to the anterior
pituitary, which releases
hormones to stimulate
the production of
testosterone, the key
sex hormone.
As men age, it generally takes
longer to achieve an erection.
A man's testosterone levels
begin to progressively decrease
around his mid-twenties,
meaning you may require more
intense stimulation in order to
become erect. You may also
have "softer" erections, due to
decreased muscle tension.
Men and women’s
brains work very
similarly when it
comes to sex.
The same key
neurological areas light
up, and brain patterns
during orgasm are the
same.
Changes in estrogen levels
following menopause may
make it harder for a woman to
become lubricated as she ages.
The width and length of the
vagina does not expand as
much, meaning it may be
harder to accommodate
penetration.
SEX ON THE
BRAIN
THAT SINKING FEELING
Alcohol is famous for lowering inhibitions and
increasing desire, so why the “brewer’s droop”?
Calling the brain your largest sex organ may sound
cheesy, but it’s completely true. Sexual arousal starts in
the brain, which sends signals to the rest of your body
(particularly your genitals), triggering sexual response.
But what happens next? Why do anxiety, stress and
alcohol act as such a boner killer, and what can you do to
improve your sexual responsiveness?
There are three different types of erections: psychogenic (provoked by visual or
auditory stimulation, or fantasy), reflexogenic (caused by tactile stimulation of the
penis), and nocturnal erections (which occur during sleep). What role does the
brain play in causing an erection?
There's no doubt about it, desire is a surprisingly delicate thing, and requires remarkable synchronicity
between the brain and body. Keep fit, stay focused and let nature take its course!
During arousal, blood flows to the penis, causing it to
stiffen. As the spongy tissue fills with blood, pressure is
put on the veins inside the penis, preventing blood from
flowing out again.
Alcohol is a depressant, and causes blood vessels to
dilate, including in the penis. This means that blood
vessels stay open, blood flows back out of the penis and
the penis can’t stay hard.
Alcohol is a depressant, and causes blood
vessels to dilate, including in the penis. This
means that blood vessels stay open, blood flows
back out of the penis and the penis can’t stay
hard.
It also paralyses the nerve endings,
desensitising them to stimuli. So
even though the desire is there (and
maybe even enhanced) mentally,
the body is unable to perform.
When an individual is confronted with a
stressor, a complex tidal wave of
hormones are released, and the adrenal
glands release cortisol, the ‘stress
hormone’.
Cortisol diminishes testosterone in the body
– as testosterone increases, cortisol
decreases, and vice versa. Testosterone is key
in male sexual response, and low testosterone
is synonymous with sexual dysfunction.
The resulting melting pot of distraction from
stimuli, lowered sexual desire and inhibited
sexual capacity is disastrous for the libido. Stress
can lead to a vicious cycle of erectile dysfunction,
where fear of experiencing ED creates more stress
and provokes a reoccurrence.
OVERTHINKING THINGS...
Not all stress is bad stress. Short-term stress is thought to
confer health benefits such as improved immune system on
the body, and sexual arousal itself is a kind of “good stress”,
which the body then resolves through orgasm.
Bad stress is long-term, on-going stress, and this kind of
stress damages both your health and your sex life. Normally,
during orgasm, your brain shuts down areas relating to
stress and fear so that you can focus on the task at hand –
but when you’re stressed, your brain can shut out sexual
stimuli in order to focus on resolving your stress instead.
Keeping fit and trim doesn’t just
make you more attractive to
potential partners, it makes your
erections firmer, too. Being
overweight contributes to low
testosterone and high blood
pressure, which also causes
damages the blood vessels in the
penis.
Just because you're older, doesn't
mean you don't still need to wrap
it - according to the Center for
Disease Control, syphilis amongst
seniors is up 52% from 2007, and
chlamydia is up 28%.
A study from the University of
Nottingham of 400 men found
that men in their 50s who
masturbated or had sex 10 times
a month or more enjoyed a
small protective effect against
prostate cancer, while younger
men who were more sexually
active (20+ a month), were
more likely to have the cancer.
DID YOU KNOW ?
www.wellmanclinic.org
Arousal causes the cerebral cortex
to stimulate testosterone
production through a complex
chain of events called the
hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal
axis.