It’s normally for your sexual urges to ebb and flow throughout your lifetime. Your libido, or sex drive, is usually highest in your teens and early adult years before decreasing as you age. However, a severe loss of libido in your 30’s and 40’s is unusual.

Loss of libido can be the result of psychological problems, health conditions, or other external factors. If you’re struggling to get into the mood, Pharmacy Planet can help by providing information and advice about how to treat a low sex drive.

Low Sex Drive vs Erectile Dysfunction

Libido is a term that describes a person’s sex drive. It’s influenced by several factors, including hormones, learned behaviours, brain function, and physical and emotional states. Libido levels can vary from person to person, and over time, with there being no “right” amount of libido.

Sometimes, libido is confused with sexuality and impotence. In psychology, libido is described as a component of the “life instinct” or biological urge to have sex. A person’s sexuality is made up of their likes, dislikes, preferences and sexual behaviours.

Impotence, or erectile dysfunction (ED), is the inability to have an erection suitable for sexual activity. It’s normal for men to occasional have trouble getting and keeping an erection, but men who have ED consistently struggle with erections. A loss of libido can sometimes accompany this condition, making both worse.

Low Sex Drive Causes

• Physical Activity: Too little or too much exercise can also be responsible for low libido in men. Not getting enough exercise can lead to a whole host of health problems that not only have the potential for serious complications but can also affect sexual desire. It’s important to get enough physical activity to stay healthy, but getting too much can also impact libido. Try to find a balance between inactivity and intense sessions of physical activity.
• Alcohol: Drinking alcohol heavily can decrease testosterone production and impact how well your body responds to sexual stimulation. The longer you regularly consume large quantities of alcohol, the more your sex drive will decrease. You should refrain from drinking more than one or two alcoholic beverages each day to improve your libido and overall health.
• Smoking: In addition to being linked to erectile dysfunction (ED), smoking cigarettes can reduce testosterone levels. Cigarettes increase carbon monoxide within the body which has several detrimental health effects, including stalling testosterone production.
• Drugs: Illicit and illegal drugs can have a similar effect on your body and sex drive as alcohol. Studies have shown that opiates especially reduce the amount of testosterone your body produces.
• Mental Health: Stress, anxiety, and depression can make it difficult to enjoy activities you once did, including sex. It’s important to address mental health issues as soon as possible to improve your quality of life, but some antidepressants have loss of libido as a side effect. If you are experiencing a low sex drive and think it may be due to your medication, speak to your GP to discuss alternative treatment options.
• Medical Conditions: Feeling significantly unwell can make it difficult to get into the mood. Some conditions can even alter how much testosterone you produce, such as cardiovascular disease, obesity, high cholesterol, and diabetes.
• Medical Treatments: Some medications have been linked to erectile dysfunction and/or low testosterone levels. These include blood pressure medications, beta blockers, chemotherapy, certain cancer treatments, seizure medications, and anabolic steroids. If you think that your medication is causing your loss of libido, speak to your GP before you stop taking it. Ceasing prescribed medications can have adverse health effects.
• Sleep disorders: Sleep apnoea is a condition where your breathing stops and starts while you’re sleeping. It’s more common in obese and overweight people, but non-obese men with sleep apnoea have been found to experience lower testosterone levels. It is thought that lack of sleep can cause up to a 15% decrease in testosterone levels.
• Restless Leg Syndrome: RLS is an uncontrollable urge to move or twitch your legs. Men who have been diagnosed with restless leg syndrome have a higher rate of erectile dysfunction and impotence. This in turn can cause a loss of libido.
• Ageing: Testosterone and hormone levels fluctuate throughout your life. Testosterone is highest in the late teens and early 20’s, before naturally decreasing as you age.

Low Sex Drive Treatment

How you treat a lowered sex drive will depend on its underlying cause(s). If it’s linked to medical or mental health problems, treating those problems with a GP or other healthcare professional can help. For medication related loss of libido, a change in medication may be able to rectify the problem.

If you’re worried about your sex drive, or lack of it, make an appointment with your GP so you can discover what it is causing it.

ED Treatment for Men

Many of the factors causing a loss of libido can also cause erectile dysfunction. Getting treatment for any underlying conditions can help you achieve stronger erections.

There are also several medications you can take to effectively treat ED. ED medications have been around for decades and have helped countless men regain control of their sex lives. Most ED treatments work by increasing blood flow to the penis so that men can achieve and sustain an erection long enough for sexual activity.

Erectile dysfunction medication works best when taken at least an hour before you plan to have sex. For maximum effect, avoid alcohol and heavy meals before taking it. You will also need to be sexually stimulated for them to work as they will not create erections on their own.

At Pharmacy Planet, you can find several effective ED medications like Levitra and Cialis/Tadalafil. If you want to treat your ED quickly and conveniently, simply fill out a short online assessment. Once reviewed and approved, our prescribers will have your prescription shipped discretely right to you doorstep.

Explore our website today to buy ED medication Levitra and Cialis/Tadalafil online in the UK at affordable prices.