(Article medically reviewed by Dr. Zac Hyde M.D)
Very little research has been done on stress hormones and penile atrophy in human subjects.
But there’s plenty of data out there if you’re willing to read between the lines.
For example…
Unlike testosterone and other sex hormones, cortisol does not decline with age.
As a matter of fact, it, along with its stress hormone traveling buddy adrenaline, very often increase as a man ages.
And the increase in these two stress hormones are the primary drivers behind many age related diseases.
Such as hypertension, elevated blood sugar levels and low testosterone, three conditions that all contribute to penile atrophy.
Elevated stress hormones have also been linked to infertility, erectile dysfunction and testicular atrophy.
So once you take all this in…
It’s becomes pretty clear that raging stress hormones are going to have a negative impact on a mans penis and his overall health.
So it would be wise to take steps to reduce the stress in your life, for the health of your mind, your body and your penis.
Now here’s David with more detail on this subject.
Stress Hormones and Penile Atrophy
Most of us know that stress is a killer. But very few have made the connection between stress hormones and penile atrophy.
And though we all experience stress to some degree, some of us expose ourselves to so much stress…
That we end up doing incalculable damage to our bodies and minds (source).
Among the areas most affected by stress are our digestive systems, immune systems, hearts, and minds.
But there’s a lot more too stress than that because consistent exposure can wreak havoc on your sexual health.
It can also negatively affect your career.
In this article, we’ll briefly discuss this, as well as the link between stress hormones and penile atrophy.
After we’re done, you’ll never look at stress, sex, and success the same again.
How Stress Affects the Body
Stress is to your body what a big algae bloom would be to your pool.
Once it gets into your system, it immediately starts moving around, gunking up the works and knocking things out of balance.
Also like a pool, our bodies are an ecosystem that can be easily damaged by such an imbalance.
So once one problem sets it, it causes a chain reaction that negatively impacts the next, then the next, and so on.
All of these problems are the result of cortisol, a hormone released by our bodies during stressful times.
Originally designed to give us the surge of energy and intelligence we needed to escape rampaging woolly mammoths…
Cortisol is now a frequent response to things like blown deadlines, arguments with spouses and traffic jams.
You see, our bodies don’t know the difference between a life-threatening situation and a minor inconvenience, it just responds with cortisol out of instinct.
Cortisol Strains Your Sex Life
According to a variety of studies performed by the American Psychological Association…
Elevated cortisol levels result in our testosterone levels going down (source).
This causes our testosterone-producing Leydig Cells to become overwhelmed, allowing everything from sperm production and semen quality to ejaculation volume to plummet.
Indeed, one study from Columbia University fund that increased stress levels can drastically affect fertility.
This is complicated by the fact that we can actually become addicted to the rush of cortisol and adrenaline our body gives us during “fight or flight” situations.
In fact, if we experience it often enough, we might actually start to prefer this state of mind and body.
This can basically torpedo our sex drive, while causing physical issues like high blood pressure, which can reduce blood flow to your penis, resulting in chronic ED.
This brings us to a debilitating condition known as penile atrophy, which stems from prolonged disuse of the sexual organs and chronically low T levels.
You see, once we stop having regular erections, the usually soft tissues of our penises start to harden.
Simultaneously, our corpora cavernosa, the chamber-like vessels that expand with blood when we get an erection, begin to reduce in size.
This makes getting an erection even more difficult, but it also causes the penis to physically shrink.
If we had more testosterone in our systems, it might be able to repair these damaged tissues.
But with cortisol running the show inside of our stressed-out bodies, our penile tissues are all but assured to suffer atrophy.
Stress is No “Recipe for Success”
If you’re stressing yourself out in hopes that you’ll someday become upper management or CEO, you might want to rethink your strategy.
According to a Harvard study on Testosterone, Stress, and executive success, men with high T levels and low cortisol levels are far more likely to attain top tier leadership positions.
As cortisol rose and testosterone fell, however, many men started to display tendences that made them less likely to ascend the ranks.
So if you’re curious about how to get ahead at work, you might want to teach yourself to relax and let your naturally alpha characteristics show through.
How to Stamp out Stress
Now, you have to be a stress addict to suffer from elevated cortisol levels.
After all, our modern lives are full of tons of unique stressors, all of which can trick our bodies into flooding our systems with testosterone-killing hormones.
Fortunately, you can take steps right now to reduce the effects of stress and regain your T levels at the same time.
Be More Active – Regular physical activity is a great way to reduce cortisol levels while also reversing its ill effects.
From running to swimming to biking and more, you can literally melt stress away with a proper exercise routine.
You’ll also want to introduce weight training to your efforts, as this is key to elevating your testosterone levels.
I prefer HIIT, or high-intensity interval training, which has been well proven to provide a big T boost to men of all ages.
Eat Healthier (and Manlier) – If you think that eating healthy is all about raw veggies and quinoa, you can rest easy.
Sure, you need to be eating veggies and fruits, but you also want to make sure you’re getting plenty of high-quality protein.
After all, studies show that a protein-rich diet doesn’t just contribute to our overall health, but can also optimize our testosterone levels.
As an added bonus, an increased protein intake will help you build lean muscle and shed unwanted fat.
More Sex and More Sleep – If you’re looking to have a healthy sex life well into your Golden Years, you need to start taking a “use it, or lose it” approach to sexual health.
By having more sex, you can lower your cortisol levels while giving a work out to your blood vessels and tissues.
Just don’t let those increased rolls in the hay keep you from getting plenty of sleep. You should be aiming for between 7 and 9 hours a night if you want to keep stress at bay.
Get Outside – A study out of Japan reintroduced the medical world to the importance of spending time outdoors (source).
In the study, subjects who walked in the woods for about 15 minutes per day saw a reduction in their pulse rate, blood pressure, and cortisol levels.
Similarly, it’s been reported that 30 minutes of full body sunlight can reduce your cortisol levels by as much as 40%
Stress Hormones and Penile Atrophy – Conclusion
It’s hard to overstate how terrible stress (and the cortisol that results from it) is for your body.
However, succumbing to stress on a regular basis might also be hurting your career and your sex life.
So, if you’re living what you’d describe as a “high-stress lifestyle,” it’s time to kick that extra cortisol to the curb and let your inner man back out.
