Have you ever wondered how long can the average man stay erect? well, the answer is that the average erection lasts from a few minutes to about half an hour. Men have approximately five erections a night when they’re sleeping, each lasting for about 25-35 minutes.
Do you wonder what are the different things which affect erection? In this article, we will discuss some of those things like age, healthy diet, sleep etc.
1. How an Erection Happens?
Erection occurs when a male is sexually aroused and this is commonly referred to as a “boner” or “wood”. The blood vessels in the penis relax and open up letting the blood fill them. Erection is created when blood is trapped under high pressure. An erection requires your heart, lungs, hormones, blood vessels, nerves and mood to work together.
The incongruence between them might cause erectile dysfunction. The level of arousal along with other factors will tell how long can the average man stay erect.
1.1 The Biology Behind Erection
There is an increase in the blood flow inside the tiny blood vessels of the penis making these vessels dilate. It happens when a man is sexually aroused because of mental and sensory stimulation. During sexual arousal, nerves send signals to the penis causing the muscle of the corpus cavernosum to relax, allowing blood to fill in the open spaces. Pressure is created in the corpus cavernosum, making the penis erect (expand).
An erect penis is ready for sexual activity such as penetrative sex or masturbation. The erection defines how long can the average man stay erect. During the sexual act, the man reaches the orgasmic stage after which ejaculation takes place. After ejaculation, the extra blood drains away and the penis reverts to the normal flaccid state.
After the climax, the penis goes through a refractory period, before it can get hard again.
Ejaculation: it is controlled by Central Nervous System (CNS), when there is sexual stimulation due to sexual arousal, the penis gets hard or erect, which is necessary for ejaculation to happen. When a man reaches a certain level of excitement during orgasm, the climax happens which causes semen to eject through the penis. This process of ejection of semen through the penis is called ejaculation.
i. The 3 Stages of Erection:
These stages of erection are crucial to calculate the time and how long can the average man stay erect.
a. Flaccid State
The state when a penis is resting. According to a study, the average length of a flaccid penis is about 3.61 inches and the average length of an erected penis is about 5.16 inches.
A flaccid penis can change its size temporarily due to external factors such as temperature. For example, a flaccid penis gets small temporarily due to cold weather, this happens automatically to protect the penis.
When a flaccid penis is pulled slightly or stretched, it can predict the length of the erect penis.
b. The Swollen Penis
It is midway through a penis to get erect. At this stage, the penis starts to swell due to the change in blood flow in the blood vessels of the penis due to sexual stimulation that causes the brain and nerves to send signals to the penis to do so.
c. Erect Penis
At this stage, the penis becomes fully erect as visual, touch, or imaginary simulation continues. The CNS continues to send signals to increase the blood flow in the tiny blood vessels of the penis and restricts the blood flow from it. There is no average duration of erection but to give an approx duration, a study conducted showed that the average erection starts from when a penis enters a vagina during sexual intercourse till the penis ejaculates semen varies from less than a minute to 44 minutes, with a median of 5 minutes.
ii. Erections Can Be Categorised Into 3 Types
These different types of erection have different answers for the same individual when asked how long can the average man stay erect.
a. Reflexive Erections
Reflexive erections happen with the direct stimulus touch made to the penis or other erotic or erogenous areas of the body. It can occur involuntarily too without any sexual or stimulating thoughts.
b. Psychogenic Erections
Psychogenic erections occur due to mental stimulation, it does not require a direct touch of the penis. It can occur while reading an erotic novel or imagining sexual fantasies or remembering a sexual memory.
c. Nocturnal Erections
Nocturnal erections happen due to hormonal changes during the night or physical stimulation from contact with bed sheets. An average man has approximately 5 erections each night, it happens due to the activation of various areas of the brain during REM (rapid eye movement) sleep. This type of erection can be reflexive as well.
Some men can maintain an erection even after orgasm. Also, an average man can increase the time of their erect penis by increasing the time of foreplay (> 15 minutes) with their partner, by this, the penis gets the time to be fully erect.
Research reports that most men have an orgasm within 7.6 minutes.
check out: How Does Marijuana Affect Hormones in Men?
2. Factors Affecting Erection
An erection is a complex process that includes hormones, nerves and physical and psychological health. And these all together play a role in answering how long can the average man stay erect. The balance between these is required for a healthy sex life. An imbalance in these results in various erection problems such as erectile dysfunction, and premature ejaculation.
Some of the factors that affect erections are:
2.1 Alcohol
The procedure of testosterone- testicles, brain and liver gets damaged due to high consumption of alcohol or overuse of alcohol. The heavier the consumption of alcohol and the longer the period the more impact it’ll have on the sexual health of a person.
Illicit drugs are also one of the factors that increase the risk of getting sexual disorders mostly erectile dysfunction. ED and decade sexual desire was seen mostly in heroin abusers.
2.2 Exercise and Nutrition
A healthy lifestyle will reduce the chances of getting erectile dysfunction, although, not all nutrients have health benefits for the body, especially in sexual health. Animal fats in beef and dairy increase the chances of erectile dysfunction complications. Extra fat can contribute to the risk of impacting erection.
2.3 Blood Pressure and Use of Prescription Medications
High blood pressure contributes to blood vessel damage and it damages the blood vessels of the penis as well which are necessary for an erection. Many recreational drugs can impair a man’s erection by affecting their sexual arousal and sexual performance.
Other psychological factors that affect erections are:
- Being fatigue
- Distraction
- Self-conscious
- Being uncomfortable with a partner.
We got to know how long can the average man stay erect, but due to these factors that might turn into symptoms, certain dysfunctions can occur that obstruct one’s sexual health.
3. Sexual Dysfunction
Sexual dysfunction occurs in men of all ages but mostly occurs in old age. The most common problems related to sexual dysfunctions are erectile dysfunction and premature ejaculation.
3.1 Erectile Dysfunction
Also known as impotence, it is the difficulty in keeping an erection enough for sexual intercourse. The symptoms include:
- Trouble getting an erection,
- Trouble keeping an erection and
- Reduced sexual desire.
Erectile dysfunction occurs frequently, it reduces a person’s self-confidence and contributes to relationship problems, also the time to see a doctor. Sometimes a combination of physical and mental problems causes erectile dysfunction.
It’s a common belief that too much masturbation causes erectile dysfunction. ED is caused when a person is not able to maintain an erection and masturbation does not directly cause ED.
3.2 Premature Ejaculation
Most men get an orgasm earlier than they want but it doesn’t come under PE. It is considered a disorder only when the semen is ejected sooner from the penis in the majority of the sexual activity sessions, the average duration of time of ejaculation in men with this problem is 15 seconds. The symptoms are
- Always or nearly ejaculating within 3-5 minutes of penetration
- Not able to do the edging.
- Feels destressed and tends to avoid sexual activity
Erectile dysfunction and premature ejaculation are related somehow. Being anxious about keeping the penis erect forms a habit of rushing to ejaculate. Underlying health conditions also contribute to sexual dysfunctions.
There are treatments for ED( erectile dysfunction) and PE( premature ejaculation), few treatments for ED are oral medications, penile injections, penile implants and shock wave therapy.
Treatment for PE includes counselling, medications, behavioural techniques and also the use of condoms. condoms can reduce the sensitivity of the penis during penetrative sex.
4. Let’s Recall…
- From this article, you must have understood what happens and what all factors affect how long can the average man stay erect. The average erection is from a minute to half an hour.
- An erected penis is necessary for sexual intercourse; a penis becomes erect due to sexual stimuli that cause arousal that increases the blood flow in the blood vessels. It also increases the blood flow in the blood vessels of the penis with the help of the corpus cavernosum, which helps to fill the blood in spaces to make the penis erect.
- Due to certain factors, a man can have different sexual disorders, such as erectile dysfunction or premature ejaculation. These two are the most common. Their symptoms overlap each other and usually the common factor that produces these disorders are anxiety and low self-confidence.
Hope this article cleared your doubt about how long can the average man stay erect!
Last Updated on by somya909
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