Fall is traditionally a time of harvest, but we also find ourselves slowing down when the sun goes down earlier. I thought I would honor the fading of the light with some cool facts about sleep and sex.
A surprising amount of research has been undertaken that addresses the relationship between sex and sleep. Some researchers make important distinctions for orgasms in this process. Sleep can regulate and increase hormone balance, and sexual activity also plays important roles in which hormones are active and increase certain hormone levels, so it makes sense that the two are intertwined.
I had fun digging into these articles. Some of the studies were small, but there were more than I thought. Here are some interesting sleep and sex facts I thought you may be interested to know:
First, some terms. If you didn’t know these, you should because they apply to us all.
Sleep latency is the time that you take to fall asleep after your head hits the pillow. It should take us between 10-20 minutes to fall asleep. Anything under 5 minutes is cause for real concern.
Sleep quality means that you are proceeding through all 4 stages of sleep in a healthy, predictable manner. (See above image).
So what does research say about sex and sleep?
Oesterling, et. al. found that all genders reported partnered sex with orgasm had improved their sleep, but sexual activity without orgasm didn’t, and neither did masturbation (even with orgasm) in this study. This could be because people who masturbate, and particularly women, go to sleep later—sometimes 40 minutes later (Lastella, et. al)
Kalmbach and colleagues investigated the impact of sleep on female sexual response and behavior and found that when people increased their sleep for an extra hour, this corresponded to greater next-day sexual desire and a 14% increase in the odds of them engaging in partnered sexual activity. Women whose sleep was longer than average reported more genital arousal than shorter sleepers.
Chen, et. al. found that sleep apnea (particularly Obstructive Sleep Apnea) increased the risk of erectile dysfunction in men, as well as creating problems with desire and arousal in female participants. No data was specific for other genders, but it is probable that there are similar effects.
Lastella, et. al. found that engaging in sex (solo or partnered) significantly enhances objective sleep quality by reducing wakefulness throughout the night and improving sleep efficiency (how much time in bed you actually sleep).
Finally, the National Sleep Foundation tells us that sex can aid our sleep through reducing stress hormones and regulating others. They also note that poor sleep is correlated with more arguments between partners. They tell us that after orgasm we release oxytocin and prolactin, which helps us to get to sleep.
Bottom line? Sleep an hour more for better sex, and have sex with orgasm for better sleep. Sweet dreams!
