Last Updated on 29th November 2023 by Charlie Walsh
Gentlemen, it’s that time of year where the excuse of “It’s just cold in here!” goes from a silly way to buy your member time to grow and turns into a real problem regarding performance known as ‘winter penis’.
Nearly everyone is searching for a partner to ride out the winter months with, cozied up in front of the fireplace. That being said, you should be prepared for some changes to your body as the temperature drops.
Don’t worry, while it’s never fun to lose any amount of size down there, in this case it’s only temporary. Just as the clouds clear after a snowstorm, so too will your seasonal shrinkage once the weather warms back up.
Adjusting to a smaller size, less erections and a harder time reaching orgasm can help you and your partners from setting lofty expectations for the night. Try planning different activities in the bedroom or spend more time focusing on them instead to take the pressure off of yourself.
‘Tis the Season of Giving After All
No one is going to complain about getting extra attention in the bedroom, unless you’re doing it wrong. If you need some extra time to warm up and get the blood flowing, spend it getting other juices flowing that way everyone’s on the same page and ready for the action.
A gift that we can give you is the knowledge to understand what exactly is going on down there and why you suddenly feel there was once more than what you currently see. The changes aren’t due to some seasonal solstice or angry winter penis Santa punishing those who have been bad. It’s a physical reaction to the dropping temperatures.
Think of it less as a hibernation and more as getting caught in the cold without a jacket. Annabelle Knight, Lovehoney’s resident expert on anything sex and relationship related, advises that it’s not just length impacted by the cold.
“Men can expect their penis to shrivel by up to 50% in length and 20% to 30% in girth when the weather gets chilly.
The body is programmed to preserve heat and energy. So in the cold, it funnels its resources into maintaining blood flow to the middle of your body, where your vital organs are.”
Annabel Knight – Lovehoney
Now, we understand just how vital of an organ the penis can be for some of us, but in this case vital is referring to what’s needed to keep you alive. The blood flow in your body begins to ‘turtle’ to your torso, leaving the extremities to deal with the cold on their own.
Redirecting the blood flow redirects the warmth, explaining why some subtle adjustments in placement happen along with shrinkage.
The Changes Aren’t Actually a Setback
Stepping into a cold pool for the first time tends to come with two things, a gasp as the cold water hits your body and an instant retreat of your testicles to warmer shores in your body. Many think that this happens because the skin gets cold and seems harder, but it’s actually a reaction by the body to keep the testes warm.
For your testicles to fulfill their purpose and produce sperm, the environment has to be just right which includes being safe, comfortable and at the correct temperature.
Just like using a laptop for hours on end can heat up your crotch to dangerous levels, exposing your lads to anything under 60°F is just as concerning. Rather than wait for you to return to warmer weather, the scrotum will take the initiative and shrink to get as close to the body as possible.
The common factor here is how the body reacts to various temperatures with each area behaving differently. Annabelle goes on to explain how the penis in particular handles the change in climate.
“The cold desensitizes the penis. It makes it slightly less responsive to stimulation. There is some truth in that old adage about killing an erection by having a cold shower.
Cooling induces increased smooth muscle activity in the penis. The smooth muscle surrounds the blood vessels in the penis that direct an erection. During increased activity, it squeezes the blood vessels closed, stopping blood from entering.”
Doing the deed in the dead of winter isn’t off the table though, especially if the table is your preferred stage to perform on. When it’s too cold, or hot, the natural reaction is to try to figure out how to stop feeling uncomfortable which distracts from the sex itself.
It’s not just cruise control once things get going either. One side of common factors in erectile dysfunction, ED, and the related symptoms is psychological. Worrying about warming up quick enough or being able to stay warm only contributes to lack of performance.
Winter Penis Can Be Beat
And we mean that in every way possible. Thankfully winter penis is a simple problem with a simple solution, turn up the heat!
Don’t go turning your bedroom into a sauna, just make sure that the temperature inside is more hospitable than the sheer cold outside.
From there you should be looking to increase how much time is spent on the approach before attempting a final landing. Volunteer the partner with the warmest hands to kick things off and you’ll see your true size and shape returning once again.
What about exciting and impulsive sex that can’t wait for the room to warm up? Blankets. Cozy, cozy blankets. It’s hard to find a better option to get hot and bothered beneath when the goal is to literally get hot with the bothered being a natural side effect.
“But what if I’m in a blanket-less house with no central heat and my partner’s fine but I’m freezing?” Well my hypothetical friend, you have the option to explore one of the most divisive topics amongst men AND women, socks during sex.
That’s right, the classic argument of sexy vs. comfy actually has some science behind it. Our hands and feet tend to get the coldest as they are the furthest away from our torso when the floodgates are lowered and all blood is returned to sender.
In steps socks, keeping your feet warm and also warming the blood that passes through the feet the longer you have them on.
Now before you go and try to maximize this tactic with sex mittens for toasty fingers, think about what your hands are typically doing during sex and how warm they tend to stay. Some may even argue that gloves in bed, as sexy as we’re sure they can be, are more of a deal breaker than socks.
If you’re able to beat the cold and make it through the winter, you’ll be back to rocking your full potential all day before you know it. For those needing a little extra help or have trouble getting too hot when trying to warm up, it’s recommended to explore ED medication or the use of penis pumps to promote circulation.
When you know exactly what’s wrong, winter penis is nothing more than the perfect excuse to take your time no matter how cold it is.
