Men plagued by problems in the bedroom might be tempted to turn to medication or mindfulness to improve their sex lives.
But simply hitting the gym can help you last longer, chaps.
That’s according to a new study, which found that just seven minutes of high intensity interval training (HIIT) per day helped reduce premature ejaculation symptoms in less than two weeks.
The condition is one of the most common sexual dysfunctions among men and is characterised by the inability to delay ejaculation during sex, often occurring after minimal sexual stimulation.
This issue can prevent their female partners from achieving orgasm – leading to frustration and dissatisfaction in the bedroom as well as heightened anxiety and depression.
A new study found that just seven minutes of high intensity interval training (HIIT) per day helped reduce premature ejaculation symptoms in less than two weeks
Researchers from East China Normal University found it could help men after just 12 days of exercise
Treatment can include using thick condoms or having counselling sessions. Some turn to medication such as Viagra or antidepressants, but these can come with side effects.
To find if anything else could help, researchers from East China Normal University recruited 76 men aged 18 to 34 for a study.
Each participant was required to have a stable female partner who they had sex with at least once a week.
They were randomly assigned to one of three groups. The first practiced HIIT for seven minutes each day over two weeks, which consisted of alternating between short bursts of intense exercise and periods of rest.
The second performed slow breathing exercises for the same duration, while the third ‘control’ group took part in normal breathing exercises.
All participants completed several questionnaires throughout the study.
Analysis revealed that premature ejaculation symptoms decreased in the HIIT group and in the normal breathing group, but not in the slow breathing group.
However, by day 12 and above, symptoms were lower in the HIIT group compared to the normal breathing group.
Writing in the International Journal of Clinical and Health Psychology, the team said: ‘Compared to the control group, the efficacy of two weeks of HIIT exercise in mitigating premature ejaculation symptoms suggests its potential as a novel treatment.’
Further analysis revealed that attention regulation scores improved across all three groups.
This suggests that whatever the intervention, simply focusing on the exercises or breathing might enhance men’s ability to regulate their attention – a skill that also appeared to be linked to enhanced control over ejaculation.
The researchers cautioned that it is unclear whether these benefits are sustained over a longer period, and that their study sample was limited to younger men.
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