Doctor reveals one simple habit people can change that could instantly help improve their sex life
It happens to more people that you'd think - a diminishing sex life with your partner can happen for a number of reasons.
But according to a sleep expert, there's an easy fix for the problem that everyone can try their hand at.
A healthy sex life is what most people want, and according to the chief of sleep medicine at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine, Dr. Phyllis Zee, you just need to do this one thing.
What can you do to improve your sex life?
Speaking to CNN, the director of the University's Center for Circadian and Sleep Medicine in Chicago said it's all about sleep habits.
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I know, sounds like a piece of cake. Or does it?
You may be in need of a sleep hack or two to get to bed, whether that be because of doom scrolling on social media, or an irregular sleeping pattern - a lot of us don't get enough shut-eye.
She said: "Don’t just toss it up to 'My partner just isn’t interested,' or 'I’m too tired to care about sexual desire,' or 'Oh, I’m just getting old, that’s just the way it is.'"
Dr Zee said to assess not just your own, but you partner's sleep habits if you're not satisfied with your time between the sheets.
How does sleep negatively affect sex?
The health expert explained how bad sleep has a connection to low levels of sex hormones, for example, testosterone - which is responsible for increasing libido.
"The sex drive in both men and women is testosterone-related," she highlighted.
"Testosterone begins to rise about 3 or 4 o’clock and peaks in the morning. And studies have shown that if you have disrupted sleep, those levels fall."
How much of a difference does sleep make to sex?
A Menopause Society study from 2017 revealed that women aged above 50 that slept for less than seven to eight hours a night were less likely to be sexually active, compared to younger women.
It's key to note that sleep becomes more important with age, as women over 70 that slept for less than five hours a night were 30 percent less likely to be sexually active that those sleeping for between seven and eight hours.
But what about men?
An analysis of studies from 2021 found that sleep-deprived men had lower testosterone levels, while those with disturbed sleep had this and higher amounts of the stress hormone, cortisol.
How much can sleep improve sex?
A 2015 study looked at sleep and sex correlations in college students, revealing that every hour of sleep correlated to an improved libido.
It even found a 14 percent increase in people having sex the following day.
Ian Kerner, a licensed couples therapist and CNN contributor, said that being tired is a 'legitimate' reason to not have sex, but suggested people look at the act differently.
“We also have to look at sex as less of a light switch that you turn on and off, and more as a dimmer that you really need to let simmer and then turn up to percolate sexual desire,” he explained.
Kerner said it's all to do with a change in attitude, and you will then 'let your desire emerge, as opposed to it just happening.'
Basically, if you're having bedroom troubles, go to bed earlier.
Joshua Nair