Can erectile dysfunction be reversed?

Monday, March 3, 2025

Experiencing occasional erection difficulties can be worrying, but it's important to know that many men face this issue. While your erectile dysfunction (ED) may be caused by health conditions that need treatment, in many cases, it can be improved—or even reversed—by making lifestyle changes (1).

How do you reverse erectile dysfunction? Here, we’ll give you five changes to help you get your erections back and make you feel more confident in the bedroom. We’ll also walk you through the current ED treatments that can lend some extra support during this time.

What can cause erectile dysfunction?

ED occurs when there's difficulty achieving or maintaining an erection sufficient for sexual activity. While it becomes more common with age, it's not an inevitable part of ageing and can be influenced by various factors, including:

Cardiovascular (health) issues
Diabetes
High cholesterol
High blood pressure
Obesity, or being overweight
Smoking
Excessive alcohol consumption
Stress, anxiety, or depression

Can erectile dysfunction be reversed with lifestyle changes?

Making positive lifestyle adjustments can significantly impact erectile health, and for some men, these changes are enough to reverse erectile dysfunction completely. Here are five key changes you might want to consider for stronger erections:

1. Get your heart health checked

Healthy blood flow is crucial for strong erections, as they’re caused by increased blood flow to the penis. Therefore, your heart health and your erections are closely linked. ED can be an early warning sign of high blood pressure or high cholesterol, which can restrict blood flow to the penis.

Plenty of research backs this up. A huge meta-analysis study that looked at over 10,000 cases of erectile dysfunction found high blood pressure puts you at higher risk for ED (2). Likewise, several studies found that the higher your total cholesterol levels, the more likely you are to experience erectile dysfunction, especially if you have higher levels of “bad” (LDL) cholesterol (3-4).

A simple check-up with your GP or pharmacist can assess your blood pressure, cholesterol, and blood sugar levels. If you feel uncomfortable mentioning ED, that’s okay—you don’t have to. But getting these tests done can benefit your overall health, including your erections.

2. Exercise regularly

Physical activity can improve your heart health, and you now know just how important that is to getting and maintaining erections (5). And the benefits of exercise don’t stop there. Regular exercise improves circulation, increases testosterone, and reduces stress, all of which play a role in normal and healthy erectile function (6-8).

According to research, the best type of physical activity you can do to reverse erectile dysfunction is aerobic exercise (such as running, swimming, or cycling) (9). Even something as simple as increasing your walking pace to a brisk walk could protect you against erectile dysfunction (10).

3. Eat a healthy, balanced diet

Eating a balanced diet can boost your overall health and improve your erections. Diets rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean proteins, and healthy fats support heart health, reduce inflammation, and improve blood flow, which is key to getting strong erections.

The Mediterranean diet, particularly, has been linked to better erectile function in men (11-12). Eating a low-fat diet and avoiding too much red and processed meat (beef, lamb, bacon, ham, salami, etc.) have also been shown to help erections (11-12). When combined with regular physical activity, the benefits of a healthy diet on ED are even stronger (11).

4. Quit smoking and cut back on alcohol

If you’re a smoker, think about quitting, as you’re automatically at higher risk for ED and well as other health problems (13). Smoking damages blood vessels and reduces nitric oxide levels—both crucial for erections (14). Studies suggest that stopping smoking can improve erectile function within 18 months (15).

Alcohol is yet another risk factor for ED (13, 16). Excessive alcohol intake can lower testosterone and damage your blood vessels over the long term, affecting your erections (16-17). While moderate drinking (such as red wine in the Mediterranean diet) may have some cardiovascular benefits (18), cutting back on your alcohol consumption is another thing you can do to reverse ED.

5. Manage stress and improve sleep

Psychological factors like stress and anxiety can contribute to ED (19). You may have a diagnosable mental health condition like anxiety, be facing a lot of stress at work or in your personal life, or even feel stressed about sex itself and struggle with sexual performance anxiety. These can all cause ED.

But regardless of what is making you stressed, research shows that psychological interventions like CBT can help reverse erectile dysfunction (20). If you don’t want to try therapy, you can try lowering your stress levels by meditating and being more mindful. Exercising regularly, cutting back on alcohol, and taking some time for yourself can also help you relieve stress (21).

Stress and sleep are also closely intertwined, so it should be no surprise that quality sleep can help you get stronger erections. In fact, there are plenty of studies that show men with sleep apnea are at a much higher risk of ED (22). Prioritising quality sleep and aiming to get at least 8 hours a night could help you reverse your erectile dysfunction.

Do I need erectile dysfunction medication?

You might want to try reversing ED by making lifestyle changes first. But if these changes don’t work right away (or if you need a confidence boost while making those changes), ED treatments can help.

Viagra (sildenafil) is the go-to treatment for erectile dysfunction that most people have heard of, available in the UK with a prescription. But there are many alternatives to Viagra, including other prescription ED pills, over-the-counter erectile dysfunction tablets, and even topical gels.

Here is a list of all your options in the UK:

Viagra – Prescription-only sildenafil available in 25mg, 50mg or 100mg doses.
Generic sildenafil – The non-branded and cheaper version of Viagra.
Viagra Connect – Over-the-counter sildenafil, only available as a 50mg sildenafil dose.
Eropid – Another brand of non-prescription sildenafil 50mg.
Cialis -- Prescription-only ED tablet containing another active drug, tadalafil.
Generic tadalafil – The non-branded and cheaper version of Cialis.
Cialis Together – Over-the-counter tadalafil 10mg available without a prescription.
Spedra – Prescription-only ED tablets containing a drug called avanafil.
Exoron gel – Over-the-counter topical ED cream applied to the head of the penis.

All these treatments improve blood flow to the penis and can be used while working on longer-term health changes. And just because you need them now doesn’t mean you’ll always need them. Many men find they can stop taking them once they improve their diet, exercise more regularly, improve their sleep, and adopt healthier lifestyle habits.

However, while lifestyle changes help many men, they aren’t always enough to reverse ED; it depends on the underlying cause. Specific medical treatments will be needed if your ED is caused by a condition such as diabetes, low testosterone, or neurological conditions.

Where can I get erectile dysfunction treatments?

We know that talking to a doctor about erectile issues can be uncomfortable. At Oxford Online Pharmacy, we offer discreet online prescription services for sildenafil, tadalafil, and Viagra Connect.

Remember, taking ED medication doesn’t mean you’ll need it forever—it can provide a confidence boost while working on lifestyle changes. But if lifestyle adjustments aren’t enough, these treatments can be a safe and effective option to keep you enjoying sex.

You can learn more about erectile dysfunction here or browse our ED treatments and start your online consultation with the online doctors today.