Arousal Health Dictionary

The rigid state of the PENIS when it responds to sexual stimulus. An erection is necessary for e?ective penetration of the VAGINA. As a result of sexual arousal, the three cylinders of erectile tissue in the penis become engorged with blood, lengthening, raising and hardening the penis. Muscles surrounding the blood vessels contract and retain the blood in the penis. Erections also occur during sleep and in young boys. Inability to have or maintain an erection is one cause of IMPOTENCE (see also SILDENAFIL CITRATE).... erection

Mental arousal that the individual may ?nd enjoyable or unpleasant. The three components are subjective, physiological and behavioural. The instinctive fear and ?ee response in animals comprises physiological reaction – raised heart rate, pallor and sweating – to an unpleasant event or stimulus. The loving relationship between mother and child is another wellrecognised emotional event. If this emotional bond is absent or inadequate, the child may suffer emotional deprivation, which can be the trigger for behavioural problems ranging from attention-craving to aggression. Emotional problems are common in human society, covering a wide spectrum of psychological disturbances. Upbringing, relationships or psychiatric illnesses such as anxiety and DEPRESSION may all contribute to the development of emotional problems (see MENTAL ILLNESS).... emotion

A term to describe those parts of the body – for example, the mouth, breasts and genitals – which, when stimulated, result in the individual’s sexual arousal.... erogenous

The emotional nature and characteristics of sexual arousal. This may occur as a result of visual, auditory or physical stimuli and also as a result of sexually oriented memories or imaginings.... eroticism

Inadequate sexual response may be due to a lack of sexual desire (LIBIDO) or to an inadequate performance; or it may be that there is a lack of satisfaction or ORGASM. Lack of sexual desire may be due to any generalised illness or endocrine disorder, or to the taking of drugs that antagonise endocrine function (see ENDOCRINE GLANDS). Disorders of performance in men can occur during arousal, penetration and EJACULATION. In the female, DYSPAREUNIA and VAGINISMUS are the main disorders of performance. DIABETES MELLITUS can cause a neuropathy which results in loss of erection. IMPOTENCE can follow nerve damage from operations on the PROSTATE GLAND and lower bowel, and can be the result of neurological diseases affecting the autonomic system (see NERVOUS SYSTEM). Disorders of satisfaction include, in men, impotence, emission without forceful ejaculation and pleasureless ejaculation. In women such disorders range from the absence of the congestive genital response to absence of orgasm. Erectile dysfunction in men can sometimes be treated with SILDENAFIL CITRATE (Viagra®), a drug that recent research suggests may also be helpful to women with reduced libido and/or inability to achieve orgasm.

Sexual dysfunction may be due to physical or psychiatric disease, or it may be the result of the administration of drugs. The main group of drugs likely to cause sexual problems are the ANTICONVULSANTS, the ANTIHYPERTENSIVE DRUGS, and drugs such as metoclopramide that induce HYPERPROLACTINAEMIA. The benzodiazepine TRANQUILLISERS can reduce libido and cause failure of erection. Tricyclic ANTIDEPRESSANT DRUGS may cause failure of erection and clomipramine may delay or abolish ejaculation by blockade of alpha-adrenergic receptors. The MONOAMINE OXIDASE INHIBITORS (MAOIS) often inhibit ejaculation. The PHENOTHIAZINES reduce sexual desire and arousal and may cause di?culty in maintaining an erection. The antihypertensive drug, methyldopa, causes impotence in over 20 per cent of patients on large doses. The beta-adrenoceptorblockers and the DIURETICS can also cause impotence. The main psychiatric causes of sexual dysfunction include stress, depression and guilt.... sexual dysfunction

A sleep apnoea is conventionally de?ned as the cessation of breathing for ten seconds or more. Apnoeas, which affect around 5 per cent of adults and are markedly more common in men, may occur as frequently as 400 times per night. They can be due to a failure of the physiological drive to breathe (central sleep apnoeas) but much more often are due to a transient obstruction of the airway between the level of the soft PALATE and the LARYNX (obstructive sleep apnoeas) when the airway dilator muscles over-relax. Any factor such as alcohol or sedative drugs that accentuates this, or that makes the airway narrower (such as obesity or large TONSILS), will tend to cause sleep apnoeas.

Vigorous respiratory movements are made to overcome the obstruction during each apnoea. These are associated with snoring and snorting noises. The apnoea ends with a mini-arousal from sleep. As a result, sleep becomes fragmented and sleep deprivation, manifested as sleepiness during the day, is common. This may result in accidents – for instance, at work or while driving – and sleep apnoea is also linked with an increased risk of STROKE, heart attacks and HYPERTENSION.

The diagnosis of sleep apnoea has recently been facilitated by linking specially designed software with ELECTROCARDIOGRAPHY performed during sleep, with minimal disturbance of the subject.

Initial treatment is directed at correcting the cause (e.g. obesity), but if the apnoeas persist or are severe a nasal mask and pump which introduces air under slight pressure into the upper airway (continuous positive airway pressure, CPAP) is almost invariably e?ective.... sleep apnoeas

A pair of oval, peasized glands whose ducts open into the vulva (the folds of flesh that surround the opening of the vagina). During sexual arousal, these glands secrete a fluid to lubricate the vulval region. Infection of the glands causes bartholinitis.... bartholin’s glands

Reliance on special objects in order to achieve sexual arousal. The objects need not have an obvious sexual meaning; they may include shoes, rubber or leather garments, and parts of the body, such as the feet or ears.

Fetishism usually has no obvious cause.

According to psychoanalysts, the origin may be a childhood fixation of sexual interest upon some aspect of the mother’s appearance.

Treatment is necessary only if the behaviour is causing distress or persistent criminal acts.... fetishism

Arousal of the sympathetic part of the autonomic nervous system in response to fear but which also occurs in anxiety disorders. Adrenaline (epinephrine), noradrenaline (norepinephrine), and other hormones are released from the adrenal glands and nervous system, leading to a raised heart-rate, pupil dilation, and increased blood flow to the muscles. These effects make the body more efficient in either fighting or fleeing the apparent danger.... fight-or-flight response

A sexual deviation in which an individual rubs against another person in order to achieve sexual arousal.... frottage

A disorder, occurring mainly in children, that consists of abrupt arousals from sleep in a terrified state. Night terror (also called sleep terror) usually starts between the ages of 4 and 7, gradually disappearing in early adolescence.

Episodes occur during (nonrapid eye movement) sleep, usually half an hour to 3 and a half hours after falling asleep. Sufferers wake up screaming in a semiconscious state and remain frightened for some minutes. They do not recognize familiar faces or surroundings, and usually cannot be comforted. The sufferer gradually falls back to sleep and has no memory of the event the following day.

Night terror in children has no serious significance, but, in adults, is likely to be associated with an anxiety disorder.... night terror

Inability to achieve orgasm during sexual activity. It may be due to inhibited sexual desire (see sexual desire, inhibited) or inability to become aroused or maintain arousal (see frigidity; impotence). In men, there may be a problem achieving orgasm despite normal arousal (see ejaculation, disorders of). The problem is common in women; some may achieve orgasm through masturbation but not during sexual intercourse. Sometimes it is due to pain during intercourse (see intercourse, painful).

For both sexes, contributory factors include problems with technique or in the relationship, unfamiliarity with sexual responses, psychological problems (such as anxiety, early sexual trauma, or inhibitions), and fear of pregnancy.

Sex therapy, relationship counselling, and psychotherapy are sometimes helpful.... orgasm, lack of

Persistent, painful erection of the penis without sexual arousal. Priapism occurs when blood does not drain from the spongy tissue of the penis, thus keeping the penis erect. This may be caused by clotting in the blood vessels due to a blood disorder or as a result of treatment for impotence. Urgent treatment is needed in order to avoid permanent damage. The treatment may involve withdrawal of blood from the penis with a needle.... priapism

The observation, on a regular basis, of unsuspecting people who may be naked, getting undressed, or engaged in sexual activity, in order to achieve sexual arousal.... voyeurism