High blood pressure? Don't avoid sex!

Of course we all know that eating right and exercising are good for us. But do you know that a healthy diet and regular physical activity are directly related to your ability to have normal sexual function?

If youve got high blood pressure, should you avoid sex? Youll probably be happy to hear: to the contrary! It can be healthy for people with hypertension, as high blood pressure is called medically. Intercourse does boost blood pressure somewhat, but only momentarily. It doesnt affect the underlying basis of hypertension.

Orgasm usually produces relaxation, a release of nervous and musculor tension. Avoiding sex because of fear that it might affect you adversely doesnt make sense, because sexual activity has no connection with the mechanisms that cause elevated blood pressure.

Many other studies have shown that exercise fights depression, which also has a major impact on sexual function. With a leaner, toned body and a better sense of well-being and self-esteem, you're more likely to feel sexually attractive and have normal erections.

Some drugs prescribed to control hypertension, may curb the sex drive and may cause impotency. This side effect can often be handled by reducing the dosage of the drug, or by switching to different drug. For those men who are hypertensive, Viagra and other drugs to treat erectile dysfunction might not be safe. Speak with your doctor.

A medication that causes impotence should never by simply abandoned without being replaced. To do so would be dangerous. A patient should insist on a full and frank discussion about possible side effects with his doctor. Sexual counseling is a vital adjunct in treating the high blood pressure sufferer.

You should already know that smoking cigarettes is not part of a healthy lifestyle. Now you can count erectile dysfunction among the many ill effects of smoking.

A large study showed a link between smoking and a negative impact on erectile function. The major impact that smoking has on sexual function comes from the damage it does to blood vessels.

An earlier study, published in the Journal of Urology, showed that many smokers being treated for high blood pressure were totally unable to get erections -- 20% of smoking men compared with about 9% of nonsmokers.