Erectile dysfunction has a higher prevalence in elderly men, but that doesn’t mean that young men are immune to it. In fact, there are many young men who aren’t even in their 40s yet but are already impotent.

Erectile dysfunction in young men is so common, urologists have identified several characteristics that are common among these men.

Here are 6 common characteristics of young men aged 16-35 years old who are already struggling with erection issues.

1. Psychiatric Diagnosis

When an otherwise healthy young man presents himself to a urologist to complain about erection problems, doctors usually look for underlying psychiatric disorders. That’s because psychiatric disorders are actually one of the most common causes of impotence in young men.

Mental health disorders like anxiety and depression can make you impotent even if you’re just 20 years old. Bipolar disorder and PTSD are also common psychiatric disorders that can cause erection problems in young men. In truth, regardless of your age, if you have any of these psychiatric disorders, your sexual function will most likely be negatively affected.

Performance anxiety is another mental health problem that can also cause erectile dysfunction. The more anxious you are about pleasing your partner or about the size or appearance of your sex organ, the more likely you’ll lose your ability to achieve penile tumescence.

Performance anxiety is quite common in young men, especially those who are still in teens or early 20s. Sexual inexperience, low self-esteem, and poor genital self-image may contribute to performance anxiety.

2. No History of Hypertension or Diabetes

Young men with erectile dysfunction don’t usually have diabetes or hypertension. In older men, however, these two medical conditions are common causes of arteriogenic erectile dysfunction. Elderly men with high blood pressure or diabetes often have damaged blood vessels which prevent them from being able to achieve erections.

However, this is not the case for young impotent men. Even if a man in his 20s or early 30s has diabetes or hypertension, it’s unlikely that the disease has already progressed enough to cause blood vessel damage.

Thus, urologists observed that neither diabetes nor hypertension is a common cause of erectile dysfunction in young men. Hyperlipidemia and neurologic injuries are also uncommon in impotent men aged 16-35 years.

3. Pelvic or Genital Pain

What’s common among young men with erectile dysfunction is that their sexual problem is often accompanied by pelvic or genital pain affecting their testicles, penis, or perineum.

When you feel pain in your genital area, it’s usually caused by an inflammation or an infection. For young men with erectile problems, such painful inflammations are typically associated with a sexually transmitted infection.

4. Insomnia or Sleep Deprivation

Another characteristic that’s common among young men with erectile dysfunction is that they usually lack sleep. This can be due to sleep disorders like insomnia or sleep deprivation because of their job or lifestyle.

Young men with sleep apnea, for example, are at higher risks of developing erectile dysfunction than men their age who don’t have any sleep disorders. Sleep apnea prevents you from being able to sleep for long hours without any interruptions. That’s because when you have sleep apnea, your breathing stops and starts and this interrupts your sleep.

The reason why young men with insomnia or who are sleep deprived often complain of erectile problems is that lack of sleep causes their testosterone levels to decline. In men, peak testosterone production and release happen during sleep.

Thus, if you’re not sleeping at all, your body won’t produce or release sufficient amounts of testosterone. And you need testosterone in order for you to normally function sexually and to be able to achieve penile tumescence.

5. High-Stress Jobs

Young men who are struggling with erectile issues often have high-stress jobs. When you’re extremely stressed, it can interfere with both your hormonal and mental health. Since your erection is quite sensitive to significant changes in hormonal levels in your body, when your stress levels are abnormally high, you will most likely suffer erection problems.

In addition, elevated stress levels can also cause abnormally low testosterone levels and a loss of libido. That’s because when you’re highly stressed, your cortisol levels become elevated. Cortisol is a hormone that has inhibitory effects on the actions of testosterone.

When high levels of stress are accompanied by a lack of sleep, then that combination will surely lead to negative effects on your erectile function.

6. Relationship Concerns

Among healthy young men who are burdened with impotence, relationship problems are a common contributing factor to erectile dysfunction. The good news is that when relationship concerns are the ones that are causing erection problems, erectile dysfunction is usually just situational and not permanent.

This means that you’re unable to get an erection only in certain situations, but that your penile anatomy actually works just fine in other situations. Circumstances that may cause situational erectile dysfunction may vary from person to person.

For example, you may find it hard to achieve an erection when your partner, whom you suspect is cheating on you, wants to have sex with you. Fatigue and substance abuse can also cause situational erectile dysfunction.

Fears about getting your partner pregnant can also prevent you from being able to perform sexually. Such fears can also cause other sexual problems like delayed ejaculation. On the other hand, trying to conceive through scheduled obligatory sex can also lead to various sexual dysfunctions.

Improving Your Erections

For young men in need of an erection boost, an all-natural male sex enhancement supplement can help you solve your sexual problem. It is packed with natural ingredients that are known to treat erectile dysfunction.

If your impotence is due to stress, anxiety, or fatigue, this contains maca and Tongkat Ali, which can energize you and help improve your stress levels. If your sexual problem is due to low testosterone levels, it has several herbal ingredients that can boost your testosterone production.

You will find Tribulus terrestris, Butea superba, damiana, horny goat weed, and muira puama in these supplements. All these herbs are known to have potent aphrodisiac effects. Horny goat weed and Tribulus terrestris are also excellent testosterone and erection boosters.