5 Habits that harm the penis (including wrong masturbation)

The penis is an important organ in a man's body that must be kept clean and healthy. However, even though you feel that you have taken good care of penis health, in fact there are still habits that you do everyday that can threaten and harm the penis, you know. Anything?

1. Masturbate using soap or body lotion

Masturbation or masturbation is one of the ways men usually do to channel their sexual desire alone. Unfortunately, there are still many men who masturbate using bath soap or lotion on their penis. It aims to smooth the skin of the penis and hands, so that masturbation runs "smoothly".

According to Joshua Zeichner, M.D., director of cosmetic research in the dermatology department at Mount Sinai Hospital, masturbating using lotion or soap is dangerous.

Soaps and lotions should be used for body parts such as the skin of the hands, feet and body. Meanwhile, if you use it on the penis, which has a sensitive skin surface, it can cause irritation and blisters on the skin of the penis shaft. Moreover, if lotions and soap get into or hit the urinary opening, this can cause stinging and infection afterwards.

Sex experts recommend using lubrication fluids or sex lubricants to facilitate your masturbation activity. Using special sex lubricants will not irritate the skin of the penis because the ingredients are safe for use on the genitals. In addition, there are already many choices of water-based sex lubricants, so they are not sticky. Some are even equipped with certain aroma features that add to their own sensation.

2. Masturbate using saliva

Apart from using lotions and soap, there are still many men who use saliva or saliva to masturbate. Even though it's safe to use saliva, there are still dangers stored in it.

The reason is, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, saliva can contain the herpes simplex virus, and if this is the case, it will be dangerous to contract genitalia. This condition usually occurs if you first have herpes on the lips or in the mouth, and the virus can spread to the genitals where your saliva is affected.

3. Smoking and drinking alcoholic beverages

Even cigarette advertisements have warned against the dangers of impotence. Smoking can damage the lining of your blood vessels, which can affect the smooth muscles in the penis and prevent blood from flowing. In fact, men who smoke have a 51% chance of experiencing impotence compared to nonsmokers.

Then, there have also been many studies that link excessive alcohol consumption in men with fertility. Alcohol has a direct impact on the cells that produce the hormone testosterone, so that it can cause testosterone levels to decrease in the blood. In fact, the hormone testosterone plays an important role in reproduction, for example to achieve a penile erection and increase sexual arousal.

4. Often cycling

Cycling is a healthy activity. However, cycling can also cause you to have difficulty getting an erection. Past research found 1,700 men who cycled more than 3 hours a week had a higher risk of developing impotence than those who rarely cycled.

Further research from the University of California, San Diego reveals the possibility that bicycle seats are one of the causes of difficult erections. A hard bicycle saddle can put pressure on the perineum (the area between the anus and testicles), thus putting pressure on the arteries and nerves needed for sexual function.

The solution is to use a soft pedal sitting bicycle and do other alternate sports besides cycling, such as swimming or jogging.

5. Often stay up late

Not a few men sleep late at night for various reasons, either because of the demands of work, because hanging out with friends, or because they relax watching television at home. It turns out that this can reduce male fertility by reducing the number of sperm produced.

Research reported by Live Science found that people with the least amount of sleep experienced a 25 percent decrease in sperm count. The fewer the number of sperm cells that are released, the less they manage to survive until they reach the egg in the female reproductive organ.