An erection is attained when the penile turns hard after the increase in the blood flow through the penile arteries. The blood supply inside the arteries gets increased when the person gets sexually aroused.

After entering the penile, the blood gets trapped under excessive pressure to sustain the erection. Some males are capable of maintaining an erection for a few minutes only. While in some, the erections last for up to a few hours. 

The duration of erection differs from person to person. Men may even experience changes in their ability to sustain erections and their lasting time. Various factors affect the physiology of erections.    

What impacts erection quality?    

The quality and duration of erections depend on overall health. The erection function happens due to the combination of physiological as well as psychological processes. Psychological factors such as stress, anxiety, performance anxiety, depression, fear, trauma, etc. can interfere with sexual arousal.  

Physiological factors like chronic health conditions affect the vascular system function. The illnesses that most affect vascular function include high blood pressure, high cholesterol, heart disease, obesity, atherosclerosis, and cardiovascular disorder.   

What triggers erections?

It all begins in the brain. When the individual gets sexually stimulated, they become sexually aroused. The brain transmits signals to the penile through nerves to indicate sexual arousal.   

In response to arousal, the nerves of the penile enhance the release of nitric oxide (NO) in the walls of the penile blood vessels. NO is a vasodilator chemical that expands the blood vessels and increases blood flow to the penile.  

Those facing troubles while getting or sustaining erections can overcome such difficulties with ED medicines like Filagra CT 100. These medicines help manage moderate to severe forms of impotence issues.

How erections are attained physiologically?

Erections are triggered when the blood supply to the penile gets enhanced after sexual arousal. In response to arousal, the blood vessels of the penile expand and allow more blood flow inside them. The blood enters inside the erectile tissues and fills them.  

For an optimal erection response, the blood flow inside the penile must increase. If the blood vessels remain narrow and constricted, this will limit the blood flow inside. As the blood vessels dilate, they allow more blood flow inside.  

The penile blood vessels expand as a response to sacral parasympathetic nerves. These nerves trigger the release of a neurotransmitter chemical known as nitric oxide (NO) in the endothelial walls of the penile blood vessels. NO enhances the relaxation of the blood vessels and expands them to boost blood flow to the penile. 

The penile loses flaccidity when the blood vessels trap the blood inside under high pressure. This keeps the penile erect for longer. After attaining peak pleasure or orgasm, the penile becomes flaccid again as it returns to its original shape and size.

For how long does the penile continue to remain erect?

The duration of erections varies from person to person. The erection response in every individual depends on various factors like age, general health, hormonal imbalances, health conditions, and lifestyle. These factors majorly influence sexual function.   

The penile can stay erect for anywhere from a few minutes to a few hours. There is no set average time for the duration of erections. However, as per some research, for the vast majority, the duration of erection is about seven minutes.

Most men have an average time of seven minutes before they have an orgasm or ejaculate. The erections go away after ejaculation.  

Factors that affect erections and their duration

Vascular disorders

The health of the blood vessels and their function are affected due to some health conditions like high blood pressure, high cholesterol, atherosclerosis, and diabetes. Besides, vascular function also gets impaired because of chronic smoking and tobacco usage.

Psychogenic factors

Mental health concerns such as stress, anxiety, performance anxiety, depression, etc. can influence the function of neurotransmitters that regulate sexual arousal. These factors distract the person from getting sexually aroused and as a result, they struggle to get and sustain firmer erections.  

Neurological disorders

The brain sends signals to the nerves of the penile to conduct vasodilation in the penile to trigger erection. The erection function is affected when these nerves get damaged. This usually happens because of several factors like diabetes (neuropathy), stroke, genetic disorders, infections, lifestyle, injury, etc.  

Surgery  

After undergoing some surgical procedures, one might develop erectile dysfunction symptoms temporarily or permanently. This happens when the surgery is performed especially on the organs of the reproductive system.

Medicinal side effects  

Certain medicines can affect the erection function. The quality and how long the erection lasts will also be impacted by the medicinal side effects.