Men should have erections regularly to keep their penis in great shape. That’s the verdict of scientists.
“If a man does not have regular
erection, the penis may shrink,” says an Associate Professor and
Residency Programme Director of the Urology Division at Southern
Illinois University’s School of Medicine, Dr. Tobias Köhler.
Köhler notes that the male sex organ consists of smooth muscles that need to be periodically supplied with oxygen-rich blood.
“The rush of blood that engorges the
penis during erection is necessary to keep it healthy and prevent the
tissues from losing elasticity. Without regular erections, the penis can
shrink by one or two centimetres,” the urologist warns.
He explains that a healthy man should
expect to have erections up to three or five times per night; warning
that men who don’t wake up with an erection should see the doctor.
He says when a man regularly has
erections while asleep, it indicates that the blood-flow to the penis is
normal, as this is absolutely necessary if a man must be able to
maintain erection when he is ready for sex.
“Your penis is a ‘use it or lose it’
organ.’ Frequent erections — say, multiple times a night — keep your
penile tissue soft and stretchy.
“They also prompt the smooth muscle in your penis to relax, which allows the blood to rush in and get you hard.
“It’s important this happens often,
because the stretchiness of your penis decreases if the smooth muscles
stay contracted for too long.
“Without a regular, relaxing-contracting workout, the length of your erect penis may actually shorten,” Köhler warns.
