Blood flow woes, erectile dysfunction

In reality, low testosterone isn’t the usual cause of erectile dysfunction; restricted blood flow is. The solution for most guys lies in treating the underlying health issues that reduce blood flow, such as obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease and high blood pressure.

A new study, using data from the European Male Ageing Study, shows how important it is to address those problems: Over about 12 years of follow-up, men with normal total testosterone levels and erectile dysfunction were at a 51 percent increased risk of death compared with men without ED.

Fortunately improving your lifestyle can normalize blood pressure, glucose levels, weight, your lousy LDL cholesterol and can ease or reverse Type 2 diabetes. That can make your blood flow better. So, adopt and stick to a life-changing nutrition and exercise regimen. Ask your doc if it’s safe for you to take meds that enhance genital blood flow, like Viagra. But don’t rely on them. The smart solution is to upgrade your cardiovascular health.

In the dark about weight loss?

Katy Perry has nyctophobia — fear of the dark. The singer-songwriter says she often sleeps with the lights on because “a lot of evil things go on in the dark.”

It turns out, when it comes to bedtime, a lot of things that are evil (for your health) go on in the light! When you disrupt your sleep-wake cycle — you should be awake when the sun is shining, asleep when it’s dark (emphasis on dark) — you set yourself up for depression, diabetes and an increased risk for some cancers.

If that isn’t enough reason go over to the dark side (of the bedroom), here’s another: Researchers from the

National Institutes of Health say sleeping with a nightlight on or having light coming into the bedroom from another room or outdoors can pack on pounds. When they asked more than 43,000 women ages 35 to 74 about their nighttime light habits, they discovered that over the five-and-a-half years of the study, those who slept with the TV on or light in the room were 17 percent more likely to have gained 11 or more pounds! It seems changes to your metabolism are the cause.

But, if you can’t relax enough to dive into darkness …

Try 10 minutes of mindful meditation before bedtime.

Install a dim, red-light nightlight.

Invest in a full-coverage eye shade that creates a blackout (but you will know the room has light in it).

Email questions for Mehmet Oz and Mike Roizen to youdocsdaily@sharecare. com.