puberty – Hello Doctor

Are random erections normal?

January 13th, 2020 by Content Editor

An erection happens when blood flows into your penis faster than it flows out. This is what makes the spongy tissue in your penis swell. Erections can happen at any point in your life (even when you’re a baby). But you start getting erections more often during puberty.

According to The Sexual Medicine Society of North America, the average man has about 11 erections each day and several more at night.

A healthy male will typically experience 3 to 5 erections while asleep, each lasting 25 to 35 minutes. They usually happen when you’re sexually aroused but can also happen without any sexual stimulation.

Are random erections normal? They are indeed. Waking up to a random erection is common. This is known as nocturnal penile tumescence, sometimes called “morning wood”.
It’s also common to get erections during the night when you’re sleeping and when you first wake up.

Causes for erections

Because an erection is most commonly triggered by arousing thoughts, sights, or feelings of something or someone who is sexually exciting; the brain sends signals that widen the arteries connected to the penis, allowing more blood to enter.

The veins that usually carry this blood back to the rest of the body shrink. This results in the penis swelling and stiffening, which then forms an erection.

Erections that happen without sexual stimulation can have several causes. While the involvement of testosterone in random erections remains unclear, levels of hormones fluctuate throughout the day, particularly testosterone, which is a common cause of random erections.

Normal erections

The cause of night-time erections isn’t fully understood. But studies suggest that they are closely associated with the phase of sleep known as rapid eye movement (REM). This is when you tend to dream.

Many conditions can affect your erectile functioning, like stress, exhaustion, illness, medication, drugs and alcohol, smoking, hormones, ageing and nerve damage.

You’ll notice that as you get older, the nerves in your penis may get less sensitive. This can cause trouble with arousal as well as orgasm. This occurs due to a drop in testosterone that happens as you age.

Erectile dysfunction (ED) can be a symptom of an underlying issue like blocked blood vessels, heart disease, high cholesterol, or high blood pressure.

You may be more likely to experience ED if you:

Have high blood pressure.
Are overweight
Have high cholesterol levels
Have diabetes
Suffer from depression

When to see a doctor

The only symptom of an erection problem is being unable to get and keep an erection that is firm enough to have sex. See a doctor to discover more about your health and understand if there are any underlying issues.

Your doctor can find out if you have an erection problem by asking questions about your health and doing a physical exam. Healthy lifestyle changes are recommended, alongside medication.

Reference:

Bedwetting teenager? Here’s what you can do

May 12th, 2019 by Content Editor

Wetting the bed is expected amongst young children. When you’re a child, you’re still learning to listen to your body when it comes to visiting the toilet. But you grow out of this, right?

As kids grow older and their bodies develop, messages between the bladder and brain become clearer, allowing the child to wake up when their bladder is full. The majority of children master bladder control by the age of 5, but for others, this can take a lot longer.

If your teen has this problem, they’re not alone. Bedwetting can be common amongst teenagers and it happens for several reasons.

Reasons for bedwetting:

A small bladder

If you have a small bladder, it may not be able to hold much urine. This can cause bedwetting.

Your genes 

If you or your partner were prone to bedwetting as a child, there’s a good chance your child will become a bedwetter. If both of you were bedwetters, it’s even more likely.

Stress 

Some experts believe that stressful events could lead to bedwetting. These events may include changing schools, moving to a new city, parents going through a divorce etc.

Your diet 

Some foods that are high in salt. Drinking too much fluid before bed can also cause bedwetting.

Unusual sleep patterns

Many teens ignore bedtimes or don’t get enough sleep every night. This makes them likely to want to take naps and sleep late on weekends, causing an erratic sleeping pattern. This kind of sleep pattern can interfere with the brain’s normal sleep-wake cycles which tell you when you need the toilet.

Medical issues 

If your child has a medical condition like a urinary tract infection (UTI), a symptom could be bedwetting. Other conditions include diabetes and constipation.

Help your child beat bedwetting

Encourage your teen to use the toilet before bed so he can empty his bladder. An empty bladder means he’s less likely to wet the bed.
Limit drinks before bedtime.
Talk to your doctor about your child’s bedwetting. He may suggest medication or other solutions. Some treatments work by decreasing the amount of urine released from the kidneys or increasing how much urine the bladder can hold. Always ask your doctor about any risks of taking medication before giving it to your teen.
Try a bedwetting alarm. Bedwetting alarms have a moisture sensor that makes a buzzing or beeping sound to wake your teen if it senses your child is about to wet the bed.

Good to know 

Bedwetting can cause embarrassment and self-esteem issues, particularly in teens. If bedwetting affects your child’s social life (e.g. prevents him from attending sleepovers), then you may need to take him to a therapist. Talk to your doctor who can refer you to one.

If your child is experiencing ongoing bedwetting after you’ve tried different treatment options, it might be a medical condition. See your doctor immediately in that case.

References:

Still going through puberty in your 20s?

July 29th, 2017 by The Hello Doctor Team

Going through puberty and getting older is a completely natural process, but your hormones can do some weird things when you least expect it!

Your hormones are your body’s special chemical messengers that control most of your major bodily functions. They can affect reproduction, emotions, mood, and even your skin.

1. Skin issues

Your start a new job, move, get married, and have kids. Each of these milestones comes with its own levels of stress. These changes affect your mental health and wellbeing, and your skin. Here’s how:

Stress levels influence your hormone levels, which may induce acne and trigger psoriasis.
Lack of sleep leads to premature ageing of the skin.
Bad eating habits mean you miss out on essential fats and vitamins that are needed for your skin to function at its optimal level.
Excessive drinking causes dehydration, draining all the fluids out of the skin. As a result, premature wrinkles begin to emerge.

When to see your doctor:

If your face becomes red after eating spicy foods or sipping hot drinks, you may have the first stages of acne rosacea; a chronic inflammation.
If your skin becomes inflamed or unusual acne shows up after eating, you may be allergic to something in your diet.
If you have red, itchy and scaly skin, you may have psoriasis or eczema.

2. Mood swings

Hormones are responsible for keeping your emotions and moods in check. When you add work and social life pressures into an already busy life, your hormones can go into overdrive!

When to see your doctor:

If you have severely unstable mood swings, your doctor could recommend hormone replacement therapy.
If you have severe period pains, and it affects your mood, your doctor could prescribe an oral contraceptive.
If you can’t explain or control your moods and hormone replacement therapy doesn’t work, tell your doctor.

3. Period pandemonium

For the most part, getting your period every month can take a toll on your emotional and physical strength, not to mention the stress that comes with an unpredictable cycle! In your teens, your cycle was probably all over the place. As you get older and reach adult life – your 20s – your period becomes more consistent.

However, the symptoms that you experience around your periods, including PMS may become worse as you get older. Often the cramps are more intense, and your breasts are sorer. This has a lot to do with your choice of birth control at this stage of your life, which may bring on its own side-effects.

When to see your doctor:

If you’ve skipped a period and are sexually active, you could be pregnant.
If you’ve skipped three periods in a row and pregnancy tests are negative.
If your period cramps affect your daily functioning; this could be a sign of fibroids or endometriosis.

Foods to combat hormone imbalance:

Coconut oil: contains lauric acid, a substance that helps the skin heal.
Avocados: contains lauric acid which is beneficial when it comes to hormone production.
Oatmeal and bran: swap out gluten products for products high in fibre to assist in your hormone imbalance.
Raw carrots: has a unique fibre that will detox excess oestrogen from your body.
Raw vegetables: better than cooked vegetables to get the most nutrients from them.