History Main / TheLoinsSleepTonight

* A woman notices her elderly husband chatting up a young woman at a party. She goes up behind him and says "Dear, ''do'' leave the poor girl alone, imagine her disappointment if she happened to say yes!"

* ''Fanfic/TheBoltChronicles'': Bolt is unable to perform sexually in “The Wind” after eating uncooked bread dough, which releases copious amounts of alcohol into his stomach.

* A whole episode of ''Series/MamasFamily'' centers around [[TheDitz Vint's]] temporary inability to get it up, which his wife Naomi calls in to talk to Joyce Brothers about when she's featured on a local talk show. Naturally, everyone in town sees it, and {{hilarity ensues}}. According to Dorothy Lyman, the episode was supposed to include a scene that didn't make it past the censors, wherein a [[DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything limp piece of asparagus]] reminds Naomi of her and Vint's problem, causing her to cry.

The DistaffCounterpart to this trope (in which a female character is incapable of getting properly lubricated and/or [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vaginismus sufficiently "relaxed"]]) is not unheard of but, as the above description suggests, the male version is infinitely more common in fiction. There's an additional DoubleStandard in that male examples are almost invariably played for comedy with the man being the butt of the joke: female examples either tend to attribute the character's lack of lubrication to her partner's sexual inadequacy or unattractiveness, or to [[BrokenBird deep-seated psychological issues]] or [[RapeAsBackstory traumatic sexual experiences]].

Named as a [[JustForPun pun]] for a song [[note]]"The Lion Sleeps Tonight"[[/note]] that has ''absolutely nothing'' to do with impotence, but the DoubleEntendre is too good to pass up.

* Happens in ''[[ComicBook/GreenArrow The Rise of Arsenal #3]]'' when Roy Harper, who's strung out on drugs and grieving for his daughter, [[https://2.bp.blogspot.com/nTyPp-0gVsNQkbP8431OEwlzpTWcDxPRJA9e_LrxCvUe-MdXMHNIKT2vA52DLhNBTt6WtLCBlqdT=s0 can't get it up to have hate sex with Cheshire]]. He then goes out to beat up some druggies with a dead cat. At least one fan has since gone on to coin the nickname of ''The Inability To Rise Of Arsenal'' for the series in the wake of this incident.

* ''Film/TheAssignment2016'': After his involuntary surgery, Frank tries to have sex with his girlfriend (having been made physically female). However, he isn't able to feel anything, and consults a doctor who says sensation won't come back for around six months.

* In the film adaptation of Creator/StephenKing's ''Autopsy Room Four'', a man finds himself on an autopsy table after being paralysed by a snake bite and presumed dead, but is saved from being cut open when the doctors notice he has a RagingStiffie. A flashback shows the protagonist feeling down because he can't perform his wife due to a war injury. When they embrace at the end of the movie, she's quite impressed with his 'response'.
* ''Film/TheAvengers2012'': When Loki tries to mind control Tony Stark with his staff, its fails because of the metal generator in his chest. Tony puts on a look of mock-sympathy, and starts talking about "performance issues" in a way clearly meant to refer to erectile dysfunction.

-->"When I say impotent, I don't mean merely limp. Disagreeable as it may be for a woman, a man may lust for other things, something less transient than an erection, some sense of permanent worth. That's what medicine was to me, my reason for being. When I was 34, Miss Drummond, I presented a paper before the annual convention of the Society of Clinical Investigation that pioneered the whole goddamn field of lmmunology. A breakthrough! I'm in all the textbooks. I happen to be an eminent man, Miss Drummond. You know something else? I don't give a goddamn. When I say impotent I mean I've lost even my desire to work. That's a hell of a lot more primal passion than sex. I've lost my reason for being. My purpose. The only thing I ever truly loved. It is all rubbish, isn't it? Transplants, antibodies, we manufacture genes, we can produce birth ectogenetically, we can practically clone people like carrots, and half the kids in this ghetto haven't even been inoculated for polio! We have established the most enormous medical entity ever conceived and people are sicker than ever! We cure nothing! We heal nothing! The whole goddamn wretched world is strangulating in front of our eyes. That's what I mean when I say impotent."

* In ''Literature/BloodRites'', novice porno actor Bobby reacts badly to [[Literature/TheDresdenFiles Harry's]] joke about being hired as a stunt man for Arturo's latest skin flick. Jake explains that it's because "stunt man" in the porn industry means an understudy ''penis'', used in cases when this trope strikes the intended actor.

* In ''Literature/{{Kanokon}}'', Kota Oyamada had this problem at one time. His girlfriend(s?) were worked up trying to fix this. Apparently, it was a problem with pent up [[{{youkai}} youki]] that didn't come out from... the pipe and was instead released as sort of an aura outside. The ironic part? That aura downright '''seduced''' every female around him.

* ''Literature/MyDarkVanessa'': The last time Vanessa and Strane tried to have sex, she was 27. He kept going soft, because she was too old for him. Since then, all their interactions have been over the phone.

* The eunuch Bagoas in Creator/MaryRenault's ''Literature/ThePersianBoy'' reflects on how his former lover/owner King Darius reacted to this trope as opposed to how his present lover, Alexander the Great, takes occasional impotence. Darius would become upset and send for a sexual expert like Bagoas to 'make things right'. Alexander just takes it as a sign he needs a good nights sleep.

* The impotence of the main character of Ousmane Sembène's novel ''Literature/{{Xala}}'' is used a metaphor to satirise the similarly impotent, inept and corrupt élites of post-colonial Africa.

* ''Series/AllInTheFamily'': Mike is studying for major college exams and is also having problems getting it up in bed with his wife Gloria. She suspects it's just because he is worrying over whether he will pass his exams but he isn't so sure. Mike's Father-in-law Archie, without telling Mike, goes to a black neighbor, Henry Jefferson, for advice on the problem as he's heard that BlackIsBiggerInBed. Henry, however informs him that it's a stereotype and that he doesn't have any answers for Mike either. Fortunately for Mike, he does pass his exams, causing his performance in bed to return to normal and proving Gloria right.

* On ''Series/DrQuinnMedicineWoman'', as Horace and Myra prepare to consummate their marriage, only to be disrupted by the shivaree (a 1870s custom common in the West that consisted of family and friends noisily serenading the newlyweds). The next morning, an irritated Horace snaps at Loren, Jake, and the Reverend, telling them "thanks to you, I [[UnusualEuphemism lost the mood]]." We get the standard "it happens to every guy" speech from the Reverend, who assures him, "All men lose the mood sometimes", but true to form, they all -- including the Reverend -- vehemently deny ever doing so themselves.

* ''Series/HouseOfTheDragon'' has a {{zigzagging|Trope}} example in Daemon. It's implied he struggles with {{Anorgasmia}} (or delayed ejaculation), but in its social framing it's more this trope than that one. It's not that Daemon can ''never'' perform, but that his body is connected to his emotional state, particularly his InferioritySuperiorityComplex. Daemon's sexuality is deeply rooted to his emotions, and if he's feeling bad or worrying about something else, he can't do it. He has to feel good about himself before he can perform.

-->'''Harry''' : '''Hell no!'''

-->'''Eleanor''': "Now honey, what happened last night is not that impo'tant (Roc storms out of the room) I mean imPORtant! IMPORTANT!"
* A ''Series/SaturdayNightLive'' skit had a commercial actor being subjected to relentless verbal abuse regarding this while filming an ad for an erectile dysfunction medication. Adding to his humiliation, his girlfriend is brought to the set to complain about it too. The poor guy finally breaks down in tears after the fed-up woman leaves, at which point, it's revealed that the commercial he's filming is for. . . Tootsie Rolls?

* ''Series/{{Scrubs}}'' has the episode "My Monster," in which J.D. finds out on a date with The Gift Shop Girl that his "peep was on the fritz." Another episode subverts this trope. It opens with Turk and Carla about to get it on, then the camera moves to the side...then back, to see them both laying in bed looking distraught, and Turk says, "That's never happened to me before." Later, as each is talking about what went wrong to their friends, it's revealed that Turk was fine, but ''Carla'' couldn't have an orgasm.

* Burt has this long-term at the start of ''Series/{{Soap}}'' because he feels guilty over murdering his wife's first husband. They eventually see a psychiatrist to help him and he confesses about the murder; the doctor says that, given the circumstances, it was actually self-defensive. This relieves Burt of his guilt and he's cured.

* Music/ElvisCostello's "Mystery Dance" is a 50s-type rock and roll number about a pair of virgins who want to have sex but don't know how to satisfy each other.

* In the ''WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy'' episode "Big Man on Hippocampus," Peter gets amnesia, and acts like a bachelor. Lois eventually leaves him, and almost has sex with Quagmire; however, when she says she trusts him, he gets impotent from guilt and tries to "resuscitate" himself with increasingly drastic measures.

* ''WesternAnimation/ProducingParker'': in the episode "In Dee Block", Simon is grabbed by some female inmates and dragged to their cells from some (not completely unwilling) sex. As a BrickJoke near the end of the episode, we see that it ended with a naked, embarrassed Simon sitting on a bunk as the three women glare at him with impatience and disappointment.

** This happens to Gerland and Sheila; unfortunately, Kyle overhears their argument about the issue, decides he wanted to help them make up, [[HilarityEnsues and things sort of snowball from there]].

* In ''Manga/CellsAtWorkCodeBlack'', the first host suffers from erectile dysfunction, having to take Sildenafil/Viagra to achieve an erection and ejaculate. Since this manga shows it from the perspective of the host's cells, it's a straight-up ExistentialHorror, as it means the host can't fulfill the ultimate goal of any life form -- that is, reproduce.

* [[TheCasanova Brandon]] from ''Film/{{Shame}}'' is another tragic example. Usually performing very well with AnythingThatMoves, he can't get it up with the woman he's emotionally invested in.

Can be TruthInTelevision (and there are usually other ways to get the job done). One of the leading causes is the classic [[PerformanceAnxiety panic attack]], which causes an adrenaline rush and in turn diverts blood flow away from the genitals -- quite a lot of blood heads downward to facilitate sexual activity, yet much more blood is diverted back upwards when adrenaline is involved, mostly so that your essential organs can function at their best. Other common causes of erectile dysfunction include age (it's four times more common among men in their 60s than those in their 40s), poor cardiovascular health, stress, smoking, and excessive alcohol consumption.

* Music/NinjaSexParty's "The Mystic Crystal", Danny and Brian must pass by the Cliffs of Erectile Dysfunction on their journey to save the princess and defeat the evil necromancer (LetsPlay/{{Markiplier}}). "Now Brian has erectile dysfunction (only Brian, though)." The words "[[NotMakingThisUpDisclaimer This Really Happened]]" then appear on the screen.

* The {{hermaphrodite}} protagonist of ''Manga/BokuNoFutatsuNoTsubasa'' once tries to have sex with a boy she likes. He can't get it up. She then does it with the local [[TheCasanova Casanova]], who is [[AnythingThatMoves apparently indifferent to her… peculiarities]], but in the end, decides that she likes girls better, anyway.

* In ''Literature/{{Kanokon}}'', Kota Oyamada had this problem at one time. His girlfriend(s?) were worked up trying to fix this. Apparently, it was a problem with pent up [[{{youkai}} youki]] that didn't come out from... the pipe and was instead released as sort of an aura outside. The ironic part? That aura downright '''seduced''' every female around him.

* Rudeus in ''Literature/MushokuTenseiJoblessReincarnation'' has a more extreme version of this after [[spoiler:Eris]] [[NotStayingForBreakfast leaves after sleeping with him]]. His "illness" not only means he can't perform with two separate women but also that he didn't have an erection at all for three ''years''. He only overcomes it thanks to [[spoiler:Sylphy, booze, and generous use of an aphrodisiac]]. This is not played for comedy, as it originates from an emotionally traumatic event and only compounds his feelings of inadequacy.
* In the ''Manga/SeraphOfTheEnd'' Light Novel ''The Story of Vampire Mikaela'', the [[UsefulNotes/KnightsTemplar Templars]] repeatedly make jokes about this towards each other.

* Also a staple in ''ComicBook/RedEars''.

* In ''Film/AnimalHouse'':

* Happens to a supporting character in the film ''Film/{{Mannequin}}''.

* In the 2006 ''[[Film/BBCSweeneyTodd Sweeney Todd]]'' film Sweeney, due to his Tragic Backstory (read: MadonnaWhoreComplex resulting from the death of his mother) has, shall we say, issues with his sexuality.

* A very popular trope in libertine poetry of the English Restoration.

* In ''[[Literature/NightWatchSeries Last Watch]]'' an Uzbek [[DifferentlyPoweredIndividual Other]] named Afandi (who is over 300 years old but a very weak mage) curses [[spoiler:Edgar]] to have this happen to him the next 77 times he lies with a woman. Anton notes that this is a very Eastern thing to do.

* Also taken seriously in ''Literature/TheMerlinTrilogy'' where Uther's self-image and self-confidence are almost fatally undermined by his erectile failure.

* [[SoapOpera Soaps]] like to trot this one out whenever any of their male characters is temporarily paralyzed -- the man will inevitably express his fear that he won't be able to perform again, even if he does regain the use of his legs. It's also been done in more dramatic fashion.
* Briefly appears, in feminine version, for Liz Lemon's dating problems in ''Series/ThirtyRock''.

* ''Series/{{ER}}'''s Mark Greene has a bout of this after being beaten up.

* One episode of ''Series/That70sShow'' had this happen to Kelso. When confessing the problem to his friends:
-->'''[[TheDitz Kelso]]:''' Guys...I'm [[{{Malaproper}} omnipotent.]]
* A ''Series/SaturdayNightLive'' skit had a commercial actor being subjected to relentless verbal abuse regarding this while filming an ad for an erectile dysfunction medication. Adding to his humiliation, his girlfriend is brought to the set to complain about it too. The poor guy finally breaks down in tears after the fed-up woman leaves, at which point, it's revealed that the commercial he's filming is for. . . Tootsie Rolls?
--> '''Announcer''': "When life's screwed up like this, reach for a Tootsie Roll!"

* This happens to Geoffrey in Season 3 of ''Series/SlingsAndArrows''.

* ''Series/{{Ozark}}'': This happens to Ben with Ruth as a result of his medication.
* ''Series/AllInTheFamily'': Mike is studying for major college exams and is also having problems getting it up in bed with his wife Gloria. She suspects it's just because he is worrying over whether he will pass his exams but he isn't so sure. Mike's Father-in-law Archie, without telling Mike, goes to a black neighbor, Henry Jefferson, for advice on the problem as he's heard that BlackIsBiggerInBed. Henry, however informs him that it's a stereotype and that he doesn't have any answers for Mike either. Fortunately for Mike, he does pass his exams, causing his performance in bed to return to normal and proving Gloria right.

* ''Manga/GirlFriends'': Akko's night with some random drunk guy after a party, where they didn't go all the way because he couldn't get an erection. She omits this detail when she tells the story because he begged her to keep it a secret, which results in everyone including Mari not realizing that Akko is actually still a virgin.

* ''Series/AllIntheFamily'': Mike is studying for major college exams and is also having problems getting it up in bed with his wife Gloria. She suspects it's just because he is worrying over whether he will pass his exams but he isn't so sure. Mike's Father-in-law Archie, without telling Mike, goes to a black neighbor Henry Jefferson for advice on the problem as he's heard that BlackIsBiggerinBed. Henry, however informs him that it's a stereotype and that he doesn't have any answers for mike either. Fortunately for Mike, he does pass his exams, causing his performance in bed returns to normal and proving Gloria right.

* In ''LightNovel/{{Kanokon}}'', Kota Oyamada had this problem at one time. His girlfriend(s?) were worked up trying to fix this. Apparently, it was a problem with pent up [[{{youkai}} youki]] that didn't come out from... the pipe and was instead released as sort of an aura outside. The ironic part? That aura downright '''seduced''' every female around him.

* Rudeus in ''LightNovel/MushokuTenseiJoblessReincarnation'' has a more extreme version of this after [[spoiler:Eris]] [[NotStayingForBreakfast leaves after sleeping with him]]. His "illness" not only means he can't perform with two separate women but also that he didn't have an erection at all for three ''years''. He only overcomes it thanks to [[spoiler:Sylphy, booze, and generous use of an aphrodisiac]]. This is not played for comedy, as it originates from an emotionally traumatic event and only compounds his feelings of inadequacy.

* In ''LightNovel/SoICantPlayH'', Lisara has to periodically drain Ryousuke's energy to stay in the human world. He learns that every time this happens, he has to wait a while before he can get it up. This is what upsets him the most, not the pain or potentially dying.