High Blood Pressure and Sex
In April 2010, Brazilian Health Minister Jose Gomes Temporao urged his fellow citizens to have more sex, saying its an important form of exercise. The idea was to help prevent chronic diseases such as high blood pressure, diabetes and high cholesterol.
According to experts, patients with high blood pressure should also talk about sexual activity during doctor visits. The feared heart attack during sex is considered very rare (under 1 percent). The Deutsche Ärztezeitung reports on this topic in detail:
They say that the physical exertion of sex is not considered dangerous for people whose hypertension is well controlledpossibly with medication. If in doubt, a cardiac stress test should be performed.
A recent study published in the journal Biological Psychology showed that regular sex can even lower blood pressure. Participants who reported having a satisfying sex life had lower blood pressure under stress than those who were less sexually active or not sexually active at all. The study also found a difference between sex with a partner and masturbation: sex with a partner lowered blood pressure more than masturbation.
Erectile Dysfunction (Erection Problems)
Erectile dysfunction caused by high blood pressure is common in people with hypertension. Medication is often blamed for it. However, recent findings suggest that most blood pressure drugs do not threaten male potency. Rather, overall health is usually responsible for a decline in sexual performance. Many people with high blood pressure also have other problems such as high cholesterol, diabetes and/or overweight. In these cases, erectile dysfunction should be understood as a component of the metabolic syndrome. In the HOPE-3 study, neither blood pressure medication nor cholesterol-lowering drugs led to a higher rate of new erectile problems than the placebo group. Unfortunately, lowering cholesterol and blood pressure with medication did not prevent the condition from occurring.
In such cases, doctors can prescribe medications for erectile dysfunction (PDE-5 inhibitors, such as Viagra). They are usually easy to take. One exception is the simultaneous use of nitrates. The two types of drugs are incompatible because combining them could lead to serious adverse events. Some other cardiovascular conditions also rule out taking Viagra or other PDE-5 inhibitors.
Sources
- http://www.medizinfo.de/urologie/erektile_dysfunktion/pde5-hemmer.shtml
- http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0301051105000736#
- http://drwerner.webseiten.cc/fileadmin/Dokumente/PDF-Dokumente/HOPE3.pdf
- https://www.aerztezeitung.de/medizin/krankheiten/herzkreislauf/herzinsuffizienz/article/802808/neun-sextipps-herzkranke.html
This article comes from BloodPressureDB – the leading app since 2011 that helps hundreds of thousands of people monitor their blood pressure every day.
Our content is based on carefully researched, evidence-based information and is continuously updated (as of 02/2026).
Author Sabine Croci is a certified medical assistant with many years of experience in internal medicine and cardiology practices as well as in outpatient care. Since 2015 she has led the editorial team at BloodPressureDB. With additional qualifications as a paramedic, first responder, and training in various therapy and emergency areas, she provides well-founded, practical, and reliably reviewed information.
Author Sabine Croci is a certified medical assistant with many years of experience in internal medicine and cardiology practices as well as in outpatient care. Since 2015 she has led the editorial team at BloodPressureDB. With additional qualifications as a paramedic, first responder, and training in various therapy and emergency areas, she provides well-founded, practical, and reliably reviewed information.
Related articles:
