Sleep and Sex
There are two things that your bedroom is designed for: sleep and sex.
But are they good for one another? Or does one interfere with the other?
The rather wonderful news is that the two actions are, in fact, mutually beneficial. More sex helps you sleep, and more shut eye boosts your sex drive.
It’s a classic win-win scenario.
The act of love makes it easier to fall asleep due to the hormones it releases into the bloodstream. It boosts your levels of oxytocin (sometimes referred to as the ‘cuddle hormone’) and lowers those of cortisol (a stress related hormone). Assuming it’s late in the evening, these hormones combine with another hormone melatonin (which promotes sleep and builds up naturally over the course of the day) to produce an irresistible desire to sleep.
On top of this, a man having an orgasm causes another hormone prolactin to be released, which makes him feel sleepy and relaxed. Prolactin isn’t produced in nearly as great a quantity in women in this scenario and may explain why the male partner is so quick to nod off.
When you’re tired, you’ll notice that your mind and body are incapable of performing at their best. This is because sleep performs so many vital functions that even the smallest amount of sleep deprivation can have dire consequences.
As well as impacting your ability to concentrate and remember things, you’ll also notice how it impacts your mood and your ability to regulate your emotions. How many times have you caught yourself lashing out at someone only to later apologise because you were tired and not thinking straight?
Most importantly, if your partner is sleep deprived they will be less likely to be in the mood for sex. A 2015 study published in The Journal of Sexual Medicine found that a woman’s sex drive is directly correlated to how much deep sleep she gets. For every extra hour of sleep, there’s a 14 percent increase in the likelihood that she’ll want to have sex the next day.
The lesson here is simple. If you want more sex, don’t make your partner feel guilty about having an afternoon nap.
