By now, every guy knows that smoking cigarettes is bad for his health, but even with this information, plenty of people still light up every day. Why is that? Well, cigarettes are highly addictive, for one thing. While the lungs take on the brunt of the damage from smoking, the entire body is impacted - even the penis. Whether a guy is trying to stop, thinking about stopping, or has no interest in being a quitter, he might find motivation in knowing that cigarettes - and other types of legal and illegal smoking - can actually hurt his sex life! If that doesn’t make a guy want to quit, maybe nothing will. Here are just some of the ways cigs impact sex and why kicking the habit is important to maintaining penis health.

1) Bad breath: On a purely superficial level, smoking gives a guy bad breath. Even a careful combination of teeth brushing, gum chewing and mouthwash doesn’t kill the bad breath of a person who smokes regularly, which certainly makes for an unappealing make-out session. Who wants to suck on an ashtray?

2) Turn off to non-smokers: Smoking can be a deal breaker for some women; simply put, they won’t date a smoker. The dating pool can be shallow enough in some areas; why let more water out by eliminating girls who are totally turned off by a smoking habit? Even if a non-smoker does date a smoker, it can often make certain parts of the relationship difficult, as she probably doesn’t want him smoking in her house and gets tired of waiting around for him to have a quick smoke every time they plan to go somewhere.

3) Decreased sex drive: Yup, that’s right, even if smoking doesn’t kill a guy, it might just kill his libido. Studies show that a man who smokes has sex half as many times per month as those who are non-smokers. It seems the chemicals in cigarettes actually make a man lethargic to the point where he doesn’t even feel like getting busy.

4) Problems getting it up: Cigarettes drastically impact the cardiovascular system and reduce the heart’s ability to efficiently pump blood. What does that mean? It means the heart has to work harder to get the blood to the penis, and sometimes there’s just nothing the old ticker can do. The chemicals and stimulants in cigarettes also release adrenaline, which restricts the flow of the blood to the penis. The result? Weaker erections that aren’t going to last as long as those of a non-smoker. Fact: smoking is one of the biggest risk factors connected with erectile dysfunction.

5) Increased chance of infertility: Men hoping to father a child better ditch the smokes and ditch them fast. Smoking men tend to have a lower sperm count, and the sperm they do have are more likely to be abnormally shaped and have motility problems, making it more difficult for them to get someone pregnant.

Keeping the Penis Healthy

Stopping smoking is just one of many things a man can do to improve and maintain the health of his penis - and his sex life. Increasing cardiovascular exercise will keep the heart pumping strong and improve circulation to the nether regions, improving his erectile response time and strength. Of course, eating right, getting enough sleep and downing enough water every day are also important to the overall maintenance of the body, which by default keeps the penis healthy as well. Finally, using a daily penis vitamin cream (health professionals recommend Man 1 Man Oil) helps to deliver the exact penis nutrients a guy needs, directly where they are needed. By applying the nutrients topically to the penis skin, they are quickly absorbed for maximum effectiveness.