Expert reveals one everyday habit which could be silently 'shrinking your penis'

In your late teens and early 20s you can pick up a lot of bad habits, but you likely wouldn’t consider that one of them could be impacting your little man downstairs.

Wanting your penis to be in the best shape possible is a pretty normal thing, yet many people are unaware of the many ways they can be harming their manhood.

Well, experts have revealed that a very popular habit could be increasing a person’s risk of developing erectile dysfunction and also reducing the size of their erections.

Just so we are all on the same page, erectile dysfunction (ED) can often be referred to as impotence and is described as the constant inability to achieve or maintain an erection during sex.

ED can be caused by a range of things, both physical and psychological and there remain loads of treatments available.

But like many things, reducing your risk of having to deal with the sexual disorder might be beneficial rather than treating it.

A lot of things can cause erectile dysfunction but one habit might be increasing the risk(Getty Stock Image)

If you want to reduce your risk guys, you might want to give up smoking cigarettes.

That’s right, experts have noted in a peer-reviewed Healthline report that there have been multiple studies over the years that suggests men who smoke have a greater risk of developing ED than those who don’t. Vaping has also been found to have similar effects.

While the disorder is common amongst older men, it can occur at any age and according to the Journal of Sexual Medicine, erectile dysfunction affects as much as 26 percent of men under the age of 40.

So how does smoking impact you and your Johnson.

While the risks of smoking and the damage it can do to your heart, lungs, kidneys and brains is commonly well known and understood how it impacts your erectile health is less spoken about.

Cigarettes risk erectile health due to how the chemicals within them effect the blood vessels in the penis.

Smoking may be negatively impacting erectile health due to how it impacts the body (Getty Stock Image)

According to the Healthline report: “An erection results when the arteries in the penis expand and fill with blood after receiving signals from nerves in the penis. The nerves respond to sexual arousal signals from the brain.

“Even if the nervous system is operating well, an erection might not be physically possible if the blood vessels are unhealthy due to smoking.”

Verywell Health also writes: "Smoking also causes the narrowing of blood vessels throughout the body.

"Even if you don't have erectile dysfunction, the narrowing can make it harder for the spongy interior of the penis to fill with blood during an erection, making erections look smaller."

Ultimately, less blood going to the penis means you might struggle to rise to the occasion but it is important to note other factors like overall health, age and psychological well being can also play a role.

With that said, due to the multiple negative impacts of smoking, your penis might thank you for giving it up and reducing the risk anyway.