How sleep impacts your sex drive
We're not getting enough sleep, and it is having a serious impact on our sex lives.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 1 in 3 people in the United States is sleep-deprived. With anxiety, long work hours and childcare demands increasing, especially during the Covid-19 pandemic, there feels like fewer hours in the day to sleep.
Meanwhile, busy minds and shiny gadgets often have us tossing and turning throughout the night. While grade school health lessons taught us that poor sleep negatively impacts our physical and mental health, science also confirms that a lack of ZZZs contributes to low sex drive.
Below, find out how sleep deprivation is impacting your sex drive and what you and your partner(s) can do about it.
How does sleep affect your sex life?
The National Sleep Foundation has found that adults typically need between seven and nine hours of sleep each night. However, polls and studies both show that the average person gets less than seven hours of shut-eye every night. With so many exhausted sexually active people, let’s start with the most obvious reason sleep impacts sex drive: we’re too tired to get busy with gettin’ busy.
In fact, a study by Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists found that the No. 1 reason people or couples report losing interest in sex is because they are worn out by the day. Conversely, a study conducted at the University of Michigan Medical School found that the longer people sleep, the more rested they feel and interested they are in sex.
But there are other physical and cognitive reasons why sleep deprivation leads to low sex drive. When our bodies are so tired due to a lack of sufficient sleep, our brains suppress the production of sex hormones like estrogen and testosterone. Instead, it produces more cortisol, a stress hormone that leads to decreased sex drive, erectile dysfunction and infertility. Sound familiar?
Who is more likely to have sleep deprivation?
Insomnia and other sleep disorders are more likely among people who are pregnant, recently had a baby or are experiencing menopause. This sleep deprivation leads to exhaustion, stress or depression, which decreases sex drive among parents, women and people with vaginas.
How can you improve sleep to boost sex drive?
Sleep scientists agree that the bedroom should be for sleep and sex only. As such, it's advised to leave work, TV time and gadgets outside of the room you sleep in. If that's not possible, experts recommend turning off your electronics—including your TV, laptop and cell phone—one to three hours before your bedtime.
On that, if you don't already have a sleep schedule, it's suggested that you make one that works for you. Remember: aim for seven or nine hours of sleep. If you wake up and still don’t feel rested, you probably need to add an extra hour to your sleep schedule.
To further improve your sleep hygiene (yes, that’s a thing) and boost your sex drive, add restful wellness practices that could enhance the quality and quantity of your snoozing hours.
To start, enjoy a relaxing bath with Foria's Wellness Bath Salt with CBD and Lavender. This botanical blend is infused with mineral-rich Epsom salts and tension-relieving kava, lavender, calendula, ginger and hemp that set you up for rest.
When you’re out of the tub, make yourself a warm tea with Peak + Valley's Restore My Sleep blend. This vegan formula improves sleep quality and duration while reducing overall stress levels to improve long-term sleep performance.
If you prefer something with CBD (CBD can also boost sex drive and libido), Xula's Zzz! (Lights Out) tincture is formulated with a blend of kava root, California poppy, hop flowers and CBD to help ease the drama of the day and soften the body into rest.
Moreover, while better sleep leads to better sex, it’s also true that good sex could lead to good sleep. So if you’re too tired for partnered intercourse, or using your hands to pleasure yourself, consider adding a sex toy to your nighttime routine. Your body will thank you!