Dear Aunt Silvia, I am a young married man and a father of one. It’s almost a year now since I was diagnosed with hypertension and diabetes type 2. However, I am a very worried man because my friends have told me that diabetes can cause impotence, though I have been on regular medication ever since, how true is it?John. Dear John, It’s not only diabetes which can cause impotence. Let your friends not scare you. Any physical or emotional stress or illness can cause a decrease in your libido (sex drive). These can also cause impotence, the inability to maintain a useful erection. It is possible to have a normal libido and be impotent, although the inability to perform certainly can affect one’s desire for sex. Though diabetes can cause impotence due to changes in the nerves and blood vessels, there are many other causes. These include medications, hormone problems, psychological problems, prostate surgery. etc. Before you get scared of becoming impotent there are a few tips that I would like to share with you. First and foremost, if you are a smoker, I advise you to immediately quit smoking. If you drink you need to cut the booze and concentrate more on eating healthy foods. Also, do some exercise; it does wonders for the body, even for just a few times a week. Men who exercise at least three to five hours weekly cut their risk of having erection problems by up to 30%. Try and keep stress at bay- it is commonly blamed for most cases of impotence, so managing it is essential to overcoming the condition. It’s not the easiest thing to do, but there are ways, and it’s up to you to seek out what works for you. Last but not least try and get some good sleep. Ideally, eight hours of sleep should do it. Get a whole lot less shut-eye and your body will be stressed out, and all that stress will soon take its toll on your sex life. Try and improve you lifestyle for the better and the results will be good in the long run. Remember to include your spouse in all these activities so that she can know what is happening in your life and maybe also to prepare her physiologically for any eventuality. Ends
