Viagra (Sildenafil) is a drug that is capable of reducing pressure on the walls of blood vessels. Thus, it also allows blood to flow faster to particular parts of the body. This feature of Viagra has made it an incredibly popular and effective option of treating erectile dysfunction. The main component of Viagra is called sildenafil. It is available not only as a branded product, but also as a generic pharmaceutical.
What Happens When a Man Takes a Viagra Pill?
So how exactly does sildenafil contribute to a hard and controllable erection? To understand that, one would have to know about the complicated chain of events within a man’s body that leads to an erection. First of all, the brain has to perceive some signals from certain nerve endings, that will inform it that the man is being sexually stimulated. It can come from touching, seeing or even thinking. After that, the brain has to interpret the message correctly and send a signal to the penis to become erect as a natural response to sexual stimulators. This triggers production of nitric oxide in the penis. The nitric oxide is responsible for causing another chemical reaction: an enzyme will turn guanosine triphosphate into cyclic guanosine monophosphate. The latter, in its turn, makes the muscles inside the penis relax, so that blood can flow in and make it erect. Cyclic guanosine monophosphate is then converted back into guanosine triphosphate by another enzyme called phosphodiesterase type 5 (PDE5).
The lack of ability to produce and maintain an erection is often caused by insufficient amounts of nitric oxide (NO), which is the initial component of the whole chain. The organisms of men who suffer from ED are incapable of producing large amounts of the chemical, so the process of accumulating enough nitric oxide for a hard and stable erection takes considerably longer in this category of men than in men who experience no erectile difficulties. As a result, the following reactions occur at a slower rate as well. There is no way for the body to accumulate enough cyclic guanosine monophosphate, as it is quickly converted back into the inactive guanosine triphosphate. Consequently, the man cannot achieve an erection due to insufficient amounts of necessary chemicals in his body.
Viagra contains sildenafil, which works as a powerful and selective inhibitor of PDE5. It blocks the final reaction of the chain, thus allowing enough cyclic guanosine monophosphate to be produced. It causes the muscles in the penis to relax, which reduces the pressure on the blood vessels, finally enabling an erection.
Why Does Viagra Fail to Work Sometimes?
It is clear from the previous paragraphs that the chain of events that occur inside a man’s organism before an erection can happen is highly complicated. It may be provisionally divided into two phases. During the first one, the action takes place on a neurological level, as the signals are being transmitted between the brain and the rest of the body. The second phase involves chemical reactions, and it is only at this phase that sildenafil enters the chain. Consequently, it is not enough to simply take a Viagra pill and wait for its effect. It is the “duty” of the man to make sure that the first phase runs smoothly as well. You can’t just take a pill, sit in front of the TV, watch the news and expect Viagra to work. It simply won’t be able to act, because the chemicals that require its effect won’t be produced at all. So, if you want to benefit from the effects of sildenafil, you will have to do part of the job on your own and make sure that you are exposed to some sexual stimulators. It is the response of your brain to them that sets the whole mechanism into action and allows Viagra to fulfil its purpose.
There might be another reason for Viagra failures. In some men, the production of nitric oxide is so low that even with the PDE5 enzyme blocked, a sufficient amount of NO cannot be accumulated. According to a recent study, by the time a man is forty, his body loses up to 50 percent of its ability to generate nitric oxide, as compared to when he was twenty. As a result, the organism can only count on one half of the amount of chemical that it could use earlier. This is a natural consequence of growing older, but it is possible to prevent the production of nitric oxide from sinking so fast by having a healthy diet with plenty of fruit and vegetables. Be sure to eat spinach and drink beetroot juice, as they contain nitrates that can be converted to nitrites and then to nitric oxide by the body. A healthy lifestyle is highly beneficial to the organism as well, ensuring that more NO can be produced in the long run.
Read also: Canadian Health&Care Mall: Why Viagra (Sildenafil) Could Be a Bad Choice
It is never too late to start leading a healthier life. However, if you find that your poor lifestyle choices have already had an impact on your erectile function, and you don’t want to wait until the balance of nitric oxide in your body is restored to sufficient levels, there is another solution available. You can take special medications that are designed to help your body convert nitrites into nitric oxide more efficiently. Combined with a healthy diet and regular exercise, these medications can help you get back on track in very little time.
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