Sitting down for prolonged periods of time can cause men to develop erectile dysfunction, an medical expert has warned.
Most people know that sitting at your desk without a break for hours on end is not great for the body - sometimes leading to back pain, for instance.
Less well known is its impact on a man’s penis - but Dr Mark Rowe said it can be a contributory factor to erectile dysfunction.
“There’s nothing wrong with sitting down - it’s prolonged sitting,” he told Moncreiff.
“Generally, prolonged sitting is defined as sitting down for longer than nine hours a day.
“When you’re sitting for those prolonged periods of time, you’re reducing the circulation to your pelvic area, to your pelvic muscles, to your penis.”
Exercise - even in short little bursts - can be rejuvenating for the body.
Similarly, a lack of exercise can have a profoundly negative impact on a person’s mental and physical health.
“When you’re sitting down for a prolonged period of time, you’re marinating in that stress hormone cortisol and that makes us feel more sluggish,” Dr Rowe said.
“That can dip our mood, reducing our ability to recharge from stress and perhaps increase the tendency towards feeling more anxious.
“Even increasing your risk of developing depression.”
'A very early warning sign'
Dr Rowe said erectile dysfunction might also be a symptom of another more serious condition.
“If you’re a man and you’re developing difficulty in terms of erectile dysfunction, it’s very important not just to go online and buy viagra or whatever,” he said.
“Go to your doctor and get this checked out properly because it maybe a very early warning sign that things aren’t altogether as good as they should be under the bonnet as it were.
“It could be an early sign of heart disease, an early sign of other metabolic abnormalities like Type 2 diabetes, raised cholesterol, raised blood fat.”
The HSE describes erectile dysfunction as “very common” - especially among men over 40 - and usually something that is “nothing to worry about”.
It suggests someone with the condition book an appointment with their GP to discuss the issue.
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Main image: A man sitting with his head down on desk. Picture by: Alamy.com
