First of all, a little reminder before diving into the maze of this phenomenon: always keep in mind that everything is as much a matter of psychology as of physics . Erectile dysfunction is therefore not a cataclysm and it is perfectly repairable .
There are several types of erection that we have classified into 3 categories: voluntary erections , reflex erections (those in the morning and which reveal no sexual stimulation) and nocturnal erections . In fact, men experience between 4 and 6 each night . If morning and/or nighttime erections are preserved but you suffer from erectile dysfunction, the most likely cause is psychological . Otherwise, the causes would rather be mechanical or organic .
Well and to put it simply: how does an erection actually happen? Everything starts from the brain which, like a philharmonic orchestra at least in theory, triggers this phenomenon of erection that we have considered for too long as essentially mechanical. In the gradual arrival of pleasure, in the very real practice of “chamber sport”, the reality can turn out to be very different, even painful. The mechanism of erection is not as well oiled as one might imagine. Let's discover together the different phases of the phenomenon of male erection.
The different phases of erection
1. The rest phase. It's routine, the penis is at rest and in a state called flaccid. Your weapon of pleasure and love is, however, well and truly ready to draw at the first alert. Unemployed when it is not in demand, the penis is always under permanent control of the brain via the sympathetic nervous system.
2. The excitement phase. Touch your penis a bit, move it a little more and you will immediately know who you are dealing with. As a preview of a life-size erection, simple physical or visually erotic stimulation sets in motion his work. This touch beforehand is much more than a gesture of tenderness made in intimacy, it is a very strong message sent immediately to the brain via the spinal cord, it is a real round trip ticket penis-brain and vice versa , the beginnings of a more intense physical and psychic pleasure. The excitement then causes a relaxation of the muscle fibers surrounding the cavities of the erectile cavernous bodies.
3. The tumescent phase. From this relaxation due to excitement, the penile arteries open and the corpora cavernosa fill with blood. The volume of the penis will then increase and it is the release of nitric oxide which is one of the main mediators at the origin of the erection: we are there in the pure chemistry of the body with this accumulation of cyclic guanosine monosphate ( cGMP) in both corpora cavernosa of the penis. It is the latter which triggers the relaxation of the smooth musculature of the penile arteries and of the intra-cavernous tissue with a result that lives up to expectations: the penis fills up with blood and takes on an astonishing rigidity. The order given upstream by the brain to the excitatory nerves of the penis becomes reality.
4. The stiffness phase. In these so promising moments of intense excitement and erection, all that is erectile in the man's body is set in motion: alone at the controls, the penis suddenly becomes the pilot. of the five senses. Rigidity to the max of its capacities, it's a party for the penis. The blood pressure intensifies in the erectile bodies and it becomes trapped inside and hardens the penis until it sometimes doubles in size and volume. In this phase, it naturally fills with blood. This interaction between endocrine, psychological, neurological and vascular factors is incredibly complex and erection is only the first step in the pleasures of sex. The erection can last, on average, about thirty minutes. However, this varies from person to person. The rigidity, on the other hand, must be greater than 500g to guarantee penetration.
The sexual reaction of the penis so well stimulated is not long in coming: it is the immediate physical response to the excitatory signals in direct connection with the nervous system. Throughout this long moment of excitement and erection, in an internal and external environment that is more or less favorable depending on the circumstances, the rise in power of the penis in its progressive erection as well as its relatively slow release which follows ejaculation are unfortunately subject to contradictory influences which also all come from the brain; these are interactions that turn out to be uncontrollable or, let's say, difficult to master in their entirety. The erection is therefore in itself a whole history of sex and it is as much physical as psychic . Simple in theory, the mechanism of erection is much more complex in its execution and its 4 essential phases are far from being the gentle waves of a long river that would like to be calm.
The penis at rest obviously gives no worries, pleasantly solicited, it grows and grows, and it swells to play the matadors of love. After the effort, the comfort, after the pleasure of ejaculation and orgasm, gives way to the rest of the warrior: this is the phase of detumescence , the last stage of the mechanism of erection. Here are words a bit learned and complicated to understand to define what is scientifically the erection of the penis: tumescence and turgidity (swelling of the tissues) in opposition to detumescence (decrease in volume of the tissues). In our eyes, these technical notions are a little too barbaric in their definition for such a natural phenomenon of a penis coming out of its shell to play fireworks.