Of all the reasons not to have sex, “I’m too tired” sounds pretty lame. What, you’d rather zone out to “House Of Cards” rather than have a big O? It turns out, though, that sleeping poorly really does make women not in the mood. (Every parent of a small child is muttering “duh” under their breath right now.)
A new study published in The Journal of Sexual Medicine examined the influence of nightly sleep duration and quality and its influence on female sexual activity. The study used 171 college-aged women and had them complete questionnaires about sexual function over 24 hours and sleep quality from the night before (how long it took to fall asleep, total sleep time, etc.) For women in romantic relationships, a higher level of sexual desire was reported for every hour of sleep. Additionally, researchers found a 14% increase in the likeliness of sexual activity the next day. A longer sleep duration was found to be key to a higher sex drive and fewer problems with vaginal arousal compared iwth those who obtained less sleep.
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Lead author of the study, Dr. David Kalmbach, affirms “The influence of sleep on sexual desire and arousal has received little attention in the field, but these findings indicate that insufficient sleep can decrease sexual desire and arousal for women.” According to the New York Times, these effects continued even after controlling factors such as age, mood, and presence of menstruation.
So, if you’re looking to rev up your sex life in the bedroom, look no farther than, well, the bedroom. But try to use it for a few more hours of shuteye first. The benefits of sleep seem to be neverending: with better concentration, a better immune system, and now even better nookie, it’s time to prioritize a good nights sleep already!
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