Written by Brian Krans
In fact if you are having trouble sleeping soundly, studies indicate that having sex with your partner can help improve the quality of your sleep.
Research suggests having sex before bedtime can help you sleep better for a number of reasons.
The bedroom, according to the National Sleep Foundation, is designed for two things: sex and sleep.
But there’s one big problem: Not enough Americans are getting enough of either.
However, recent research suggests that fixing one could fix the other.
A 2017 study published in the Archives of Sexual Behavior suggests people, whether single or married, were having sex less often during the early 2010s than they were in the late 1990s — at a rate of nine fewer times per year.
Millennials are having the least amount of sex, but the researchers say it is not due to longer working hours.
Overall, fewer people are in steady relationships and those who are, including married people, are having sex less often.
And research has shown that a lack of quality sleep for the right number of hours a night can lead to a decline in mood, libido, and romantic motivation.
That alone may keep you up at night.
Does having sex help you sleep better?
Experts say while there is not enough solid clinical proof to suggest that sex makes you sleepy, the basic underlying mechanics of the chemicals released during sex may help one sleep better.
Among other things, it has a lot to do with the hormone oxytocin, nicknamed “the love hormone.”
Dr. Amer Khan, a Sutter Health neurologist, sleep specialist, and founder of Sehatu Sleep in Northern California, says the release of oxytocin has been stated to occur in conjunction with feelings of affection and affectionate or sensual touch, leading to a feeling of pleasant well-being and relief from stress.
“Other hormones, such as dopamine, prolactin, and progesterone, have been implicated in affecting the mind with a sense of relief, relaxation, and sleepiness following the act of satisfactory sex,” Kahn told Healthline.
But everyone is different, so these chemicals shuffling through your brain right at bedtime may be stimulating and wake-promoting or sleep-inducing, Khan said.
“After all the considerations, it seems reasonable to say that a mutually satisfying physical and mental interaction before sleep enhances mood, feelings of well-being, releases stress, and makes it easier to switch off the busy mind to go to sleep and stay asleep,” he said.
“If a satisfying sexual orgasm after an exciting foreplay is a part of that interaction, it is also likely to lead to better sleep.”
A 2016 review of research done at the University of Ottawa suggests engaging in sexual intercourse before sleep can decrease stress and possibly help insomniacs initiate and maintain their sleep, making it a “possible alternative or addition to other intervention strategies for insomnia.”
Thank you so much.
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