How Long Does Temporary ED Last?

Every guy can experience erectile dysfunction (ED) from time to time. From the college student who’s had too much to drink to the stressed-out young professional who can’t stop thinking about work, temporary erectile dysfunction is a common if not normal part of life — assuming it’s just temporary.

One “failure to launch” can send any guy spiraling into internet medical searches. If you’ve been looking up things like “Is ED permanent? How long does ED last? Can stress cause temporary erectile dysfunction?,” you may have been relieved to find out that it could be nothing.

But here’s the expert take: you still shouldn’t ignore it. Erectile function and sexual health in general are not things that should come and go. So while your penile performance may be temporarily off due to a night of excessive alcohol consumption, it also could be the first sign of a growing problem related to hormone imbalances, low testosterone levels, or other health issues.

Ahead, we’ll dive into the causes of temporary ED, how long it lasts, and the many treatments out there to help you get back to doing your thing in the bedroom.

Erectile dysfunction is when you can’t get or keep an erection long enough for satisfactory sex. You might be unable to get an erection at any time, or just sometimes.

While ED can be a long-term health issue, you can also experience situational ED or temporary ED in the short-term:

• Situational erectile dysfunction is ED that happens in certain situations. For example, perhaps you can’t get or maintain an erection when you try to have sex with your partner, but you have no problem when masturbating alone.

• Temporary ED, on the other hand, can happen in any situation. You may develop temporary ED when you’re stressed and slammed at work, if you take up smoking, or if you don’t get much exercise. Luckily, a few lifestyle tweaks could fix the issue.

ED also can be a sign of an underlying health issue. But when you’re battling ED, it’s hard to know if it’s temporary or not, so it’s worth speaking to a healthcare provider to determine the cause.

There are many causes of erectile dysfunction. And to make things more complicated, erection problems — especially the temporary ones — can be caused by multiple things at once. 

Here are the most common causes of ED.

Psychological Causes 

Temporary ED can be caused by a range of emotional and psychological factors. These include:

• Fear of sexual failure, or sexual performance anxiety 

• Guilt about sexual performance or sexual activities 

• Low self-esteem

• Anxiety

• Depression 

• Stress, both from ED itself and due to day-to-day life

It’s easy to get in your head when you have ED. Unfortunately, that stress and anxiety won’t do you any favors — many psychological causes of ED can make ED worse, creating a vicious circle of more stress, and more ED. 

Explore this topic further in our guide to the common psychological causes of ED.

Lifestyle Causes

Unhealthy lifestyle factors can contribute to temporary ED as well, such as:

• Drinking too much alcohol. Ever heard of “whiskey dick?” It’s a real condition, more formally known as alcohol-induced ED.Among those with alcohol dependence, 72 percent have one or more sexual dysfunction problems, with premature ejaculation, low sexual desire, and ED among the most common.

• Smoking. Smoking and ED are also tied.While a smoking habit can tank your sex life in the long run, even a one-off cigarette could lead to ED. So if you’ve just started smoking, it could be behind your temporary ED. One small study gave 20 young men without ED either gum containing the same amount of nicotine as a cigarette or a placebo of nicotine-free gum about 40 minutes before watching an erotic film. The men who got nicotine had a 23 percent reduction in physiological sexual arousal.

• Taking drugs. Illegal drugs may physically stop you from getting an erection, and they might also affect you emotionally by stopping you from feeling aroused. Even drugs like marijuana may cause ED. A 2019 systematic review and meta-analysis found that ED is twice as high in marijuana users compared to controls. Marijuana may improve sexual function in some men though, so more research is needed. 

• Not being physically active. Physical inactivity is bad for your weight, blood flow, and overall health. When you exercise, you increase blood flow to your penis, which is great news for your sex life. Research has found that aerobic exercise can treat ED in people with arteriogenic ED (ED caused by insufficient arterial blood supply). But it’s unclear if exercise could help people with ED caused by medication side effects or psychological issues like performance anxiety.

• Being overweight. Carrying excess weight is a risk factor for ED because it can cause various health conditions, such as diabetes and high blood pressure, that lead to ED. Plus, being overweight or obese may affect your body image, which can add to ED issues.

• Watching too much porn. According to one review, porn can change your brain’s motivational system, making it harder for you to perform without this type of sexual stimulation. You might become conditioned to what you’re watching and need more and more exciting material to get aroused. If you can get and keep an erection when masturbating with porn,  but you struggle to without it or with a partner,  this could be the reason for your temporary ED.

Medications 

If you’ve just started taking medication, check the side effects. You might find sexual dysfunction is listed.

Medications that cause ED can include:

• Blood pressure medications 

• Antiandrogens (for prostate cancer therapy) 

• Antidepressants 

• Tranquilizers or prescription sedatives 

• Appetite suppressants 

• Ulcer medicines 

On antibiotics? Don’t panic. There’s not much evidence linking antibiotics and ED, so they’re most likely not to blame.

Health Conditions 

ED can be caused by an underlying health condition, such as: 

• Type 2 diabetes

• Heart disease and blood vessel disease

• Hypertension (also known as high blood pressure)

• Chronic kidney disease 

• Multiple sclerosis 

• Atherosclerosis (clogged arteries)

• Peyronie’s disease 

• Injury from prostate cancer treatments 

• Surgery for bladder cancer 

• Injury to erectile tissue or to the penis, spinal cord, prostate, bladder, or pelvis

• Neurological problems, like injuries that cause damage to the nervous system, diabetic neuropathy (diabetes-induced nerve damage), or epilepsy

Reach out to a healthcare provider to get screened for underlying conditions that may relate to sexual function issues.

There’s no set time for how long ED lasts. How long you experience erectile dysfunction symptoms will depend on what’s causing them, your lifestyle, and your body.  

If your temporary ED is caused by one too many drinks, sobering up can fix the issue. If it’s caused by medication, switching meds may make a difference. But if you need to lose weight, that is obviously a longer journey.

As one example, working out for 160 minutes a week for six months has been shown to decrease ED caused by obesity, physical inactivity, high blood pressure, metabolic syndrome, and cardiovascular diseases.

A healthcare provider might be able to offer personalized insight into when you can expect your ED to improve.

The good news about temporary ED is that you can treat it. The first step is getting medical advice. Reach out to your primary care provider or a urologist, or book an online medical consultation with a licensed healthcare provider.

A healthcare provider will probably start by asking a few questions about your medical and sexual history. This could include questions about your symptoms, lifestyle habits, and any medications you take. They may also run medical tests, such as a physical exam or blood tests. 

All of this information will help your provider figure out the underlying cause of your ED so you can get the best treatment plan to fix it.

Here are the treatment options for temporary ED they might suggest. 

ED Medications 

Phosphodiesterase 5 inhibitors (or PDE5 inhibitors) are the first-line treatment for ED. These oral medications work by dilating blood vessels in your penis, helping you to get and maintain an erection.

FDA-approved PDE5 inhibitors include: 

• Sildenafil (generic for Viagra^®) 

• Tadalafil (generic for Cialis^®) 

• Avanafil (generic for Stendra^®) 

• Vardenafil (generic for Levitra^®) 

Another option is our Hims hard mints. These chewable ED meds contain the active ingredients in the erectile dysfunction drugs Cialis, Levitra, and Staxyn^®. 

ED meds aren’t available over the counter, so you’ll need to speak with a healthcare provider to get a prescription. 

Want to learn more? Our guide to PDE5 inhibitors covers everything you need to know about these ED drugs.

Therapy for Psychological ED 

If you’re coping with what you think are psychological causes of ED, psychotherapy can help. A licensed therapist can help you work through chronic stress, anxiety, or depression, then teach you techniques to cope with these problems. 

Meanwhile, if you’re dealing with feelings of guilt, performance anxiety, or relationship problems, sex therapy can help to improve these issues specifically. 

Habits and Lifestyle Changes for ED 

Your ED might be a result of unhealthy habits, in which case a few lifestyle tweaks could fix the problem. Even if your ED is caused by something else, it’s still worth taking a look at your lifestyle to make sure nothing else gets in the way of sexual function.

Here are some lifestyle changes you can make to improve ED: 

• Cut down on alcohol consumption. The CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) recommends men stick to two drinks or fewer a day. Drink more than this? Consider cutting down to decrease alcohol’s sexual side effects. Start by swapping one or two alcoholic drinks for soft drinks, or alternating between alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks.

• Do more aerobic exercise and physical activity. Add more cardio to your routine with activities like running, swimming, or cycling. One paper concluded that men with ED should do 40 minutes of moderate to vigorous aerobic exercise four times a week. The win-win here is that exercise can help reduce stress, keep your weight in check, and improve overall mental health — all of which can elevate your performance in the bedroom.

• Watch less porn. If you can’t get an erection without porn, you may have porn-induced ED. Try putting the habit on pause to see if that helps.  

• Quit smoking. If you’re a smoker, take steps to quit. Try nicotine products like gum, patches, or sprays, and avoid triggers that make you want to smoke, like drinking alcohol.

• Lose weight. Getting down to a healthy weight can increase your testosterone levels, boost your self-esteem, and help prevent medical conditions that can turn temporary ED into a long-term problem. Focus on eating a healthy diet, exercising, and getting eight hours of shut-eye. Talk to a healthcare provider if you need to lose a lot of weight —  they can recommend the best ways to do it.

• Reduce stress. Stress can cause ED, but ED can also be stressful. In any case, it’s worth trying to keep your stress levels low. To do so, get out in nature, spend time with friends, make time for a relaxing hobby, and get enough sleep. Also consider reaching out for help from family, friends, or a therapist if you need more support with your mental health.

Want more tips on how to treat ED? We’ve covered natural ways to maintain an erection in our blog.

Erectile dysfunction is never something a man wants to experience — even when it’s a temporary problem. Wondering if your temporary ED is  a sign of existing men’s health issues in need of a proper medical treatment? Here are the key takeaways:

• ED has many, many causes. The causes of ED include everything from stress and performance anxiety to diabetes and alcohol. Temporary ED is usually caused by an unhealthy lifestyle.

• Temporary ED is reversible. We can’t tell you how long your temporary ED will last, but we can say that — in most cases — it’s reversible 

• Lots of ED treatment options are available. You can address ED by cutting down on stress and drinking, losing weight, trying therapy, and taking an ED medication, such as Viagra or Cialis.

Whether you’ve been hit with sudden ED, seemingly out of nowhere, or ED is an issue that comes and goes for you, it’s best to discuss it with a healthcare provider.

They can make sure nothing more serious is at play and recommend the best erectile dysfunction treatments to get you back in the game.