07 Common Causes of Sexual Performance Anxiety and How to Overcome It Fast

Sexual Performance Anxiety – Sex should be enjoyable; unfortunately, performance anxiety may make it rather boring. Millions of people struggle with sexual performance anxiety. According to study, 9% to 25% of males and 6% to 16% of women suffer from this anxiety. If you want to put the glitter back in your love relationship, find out why you may be experiencing sexual performance anxiety and receive some techniques to help you relax.

What is Sexual Performance Anxiety?

Sexual performance anxiety or SPA is a sort of performance anxiety that is specifically associated with sexual engagement. A person with this problem frequently struggles with the worry of being unable to perform before or during sexual activity. Anxiety over sex, especially among males, is “a thing.” If you feel scared, worried, or uncomfortable before, during, or after sex, you may suffer from sexual performance anxiety.

Sexual Performance Anxiety Official Fact

Sexual performance anxiety may afflict men of any age or background. This condition can be draining on your emotions and lead to typical sexual dysfunction problems such as Erectile Dysfunction (ED) and Premature Ejaculation. If ignored, Anxiety related to sexual performance can result in more sexual dysfunctions and a decrease in interest in sex and sexual activities.

Symptoms of Sexual Performance Anxiety

Sexual performance anxiety, like other types of performance anxiety, may have an impact on both your mind and body. People suffering with sexual performance anxiety are so preoccupied with sex-related problems, negative thoughts, or fears that they find it difficult to engage in sexual activity. These unpleasant thoughts or concerns might occur before or during intercourse.

As a result, you may be unable to sustain an erection, climax, or ejaculate. You might entirely lose the urge to have sex. You may also have physical signs of anxiety, such as elevated heart rate, nausea, and shaking.

Symptoms of sexual performance anxiety in men include:

Inability to orgasm during sex
Premature ejaculation
Delayed ejaculation
Erectile dysfunction

Symptoms of sexual performance anxiety in females might include

Inability to orgasm during sex
Vaginal dryness
Painful sex

Other symptoms of sexual performance anxiety are as follows

Inability to get an erection sometimes (but not always) when you want to have sex
Ability to get an erection but unable to maintain it
Inability to ever get an erection
Negative thoughts before and during sex
Fear when thinking about sex
Fear before or during sex
Less interest in sex
Increased heart rate
Upset stomach
Sweating

Causes of Sexual Performance Anxiety

When you are worried, your body undergoes particular changes that may have an impact on sexual performance. Anxiety often causes an increase in hormones such as norepinephrine and cortisol. A rise in these hormone levels raises your blood pressure, which may reduce blood flow to your private part (penis), preventing you from achieving or maintaining an erection.

Sexual performance anxiety does not have a single reason. It is usually caused by a variety of biological and psychological variables, such as:

07 common causes of sexual performance anxiety

Having body image and self-esteem issues: People who are particularly worried about their height, weight, or the look of specific body parts may suffer sexual performance anxiety when engaging in sexual activities.
Feeling emotionally disconnected from your partner: Sometimes SPA is caused by emotional troubles you may be experiencing with your partner.
Dealing with mental health conditions: Depression and generalised anxiety disorder can also increase sexual performance anxiety.
A lack of sexual experience: When they first start having sex, those who have never had sex before may have some performance anxiety.
Feeling stressed: Stress affects our sexual lives among other aspects of our lives. SPA can occasionally be brought on by workplace stress or other circumstances.
Previous negative sexual experiences/trauma: Having gone through poor sexual experiences in the past, whether with your present or a prior partner, might cause sexual performance anxiety.
Over Consuming pornographic content: This might sometimes give you an incorrect impression of what sex should look and feel like. According to research, pornography contributes to the development of sexual dysfunction.

Sexual performance anxiety may sometimes feed on itself, creating an unhappy cycle. It begins with a person feeling apprehensive before sex, which impairs their performance, and then becomes even more anxious the next time they participate in sexual activity since they failed to perform the previous time.

How Does Sexual Performance Anxiety Affect Relationships?

Sexual performance anxiety may ruin love relationships by preventing them from having sex. According to studies, couples that participate in more sexual activity have more connections and have a lower divorce rate.

Being unable to have or enjoy sex might make couples feel less connected and intimate. As a result, your spouse may believe you’re avoiding intimacy because you don’t want or care for them. People with sexual performance anxiety may become wary of their partners, disrupting trust and intimacy.

Treatment for Sexual Performance Anxiety

Treatment for anxiety related to sexual performance frequently targets the underlying reason. Generally speaking, treating the symptoms might include both medicine and psychotherapy.

Psychotherapy: Cognitive-behavioral therapy is occasionally used to manage sexual performance anxiety.
Medication: Patients with SPA may be prescribed erectile dysfunction medications such as Viagra and Cialis.

More study is needed to develop effective therapy for sexual performance anxiety. Cognitive-behavioural therapy and medication are among the most successful treatments for sexual performance anxiety. Buspirone, bupropion, and trazodone have all showed promise in treating symptoms of this sort of performance anxiety.

How to Cope With Sexual Performance Anxiety

The first step in dealing with sexual performance anxiety is to let go of any shame you may feel about not having an ideal sex life. In some cases, sexual performance anxiety fades with time, particularly when dealing with a new sexual partner or resolving a relationship issue with your spouse.

People who have sexual performance anxiety frequently believe that they are inadequate or incapable of satisfying their relationships. Focusing on your pleasure and that of your partner, rather than how well you perform, can help you overcome your nervousness.

Here are some other suggestions to help you overcome sexual performance anxiety:

How to cope with sexual performance anxiety?

Meditate: Meditation is frequently suggested for dealing with any type of performance anxiety.
Masturbate: Spend some time with yourself to better understand your personal requirements.
Get out of your head: When you’re having sex, try to enjoy the motions rather than stressing about what may go wrong.
Accept that sex isn’t always perfect: Some days, you may not feel like having sex. This is most certainly not related to your physical abilities.
Slow down and take your time: You may not have spent enough time participating in foreplay for yourself or your spouse.
Remove stress from your life: One of the contributing factors of sexual performance anxiety is stress from other aspects of your life, such as economics or job. Meditation, exercise, and getting enough sleep can all help you manage stress.
Speak with a therapist: Speaking with a sexuality counsellor may help you identify the source of your sexual performance anxiety.

Conclusion

Sexual performance anxiety impairs sexual performance before and during intercourse. This sort of performance anxiety may prevent you from having sex, being aroused, or climaxing. Males who experience sexual performance anxiety frequently suffer from erectile dysfunction.

If you or your partner are feeling sexual performance anxiety, open conversation and contact a healthcare practitioner, such as a qualified sex therapist, can be beneficial. Cognitive behavioural treatment, couples therapy, and medication may also be helpful.

Some Additional Doubts

Questions: How common is performance anxiety in men?
Answer: According to research, around 9% to 25% of males feel sexual performance anxiety.

Questions: Why does my boyfriend get performance anxiety?
Answer: Performance anxiety is typically caused by negative ideas about one’s ability to perform during intercourse. Insecurity, traumatic experiences in the past, and poor body image can all play a part.

Questions: Is there a pill for sexual performance anxiety?
Answer: These prescription drugs are PDE5 inhibitors. They can alleviate sexual anxiety symptoms and boost men’s confidence who are concerned about their sexual performance.

Questions: Does Viagra help with performance anxiety?
Answer: Additionally, being aware of Viagra’s availability can aid to lower anxiety and increase confidence, both of which can help you get over performance anxiety. It is crucial to understand that Viagra is not a treatment for erectile dysfunction or performance anxiety.

Questions: Can performance anxiety be cured?
Answer: Although it is hard to completely eliminate performance anxiety, there are several things you can do to manage your emotions and lessen worry.

Reference Links

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31447414
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/335353664_Sexual_Performance_Anxiety
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S2050052119300745
https://psycnet.apa.org/doiLanding?doi=10.1037%2F1072-5245.12.4.379
https://academic.oup.com/smr/article-abstract/8/2/183/6880285?redirectedFrom=PDF