One of the bi-products of being physically and mentally healthy is a strong, healthy sex drive in both men and women. Your sex drive can be impacted by a broad range of factors in both mind and body. Often people who are unhappy with the way they look or feel can experienced a reduction in their desire for substantial sexual intimacy. It’s a bit of a vicious cycle too, because not having a fulfilling sex life can be a trigger for unhappiness. This can further exacerbate dwindling desire. Below is an outline of health choices and solutions to help you get back into the swing of sex.
Sex Drive: It’s All In Your Head
If you have a lot on your mind, have problems in your relationship or you are suffering from mental health issues, it pretty much goes without saying that your ability to let go in the throws of passion. Negative self-talk is also a factor sometimes too. A strong relationship needs honest and open dialogue. This dialogue will provide the backdrop for open communication. This is the cornerstone of a strong, satisfying sexual relationship. If you doubt the feelings of your partner or you don’t feel sexy, you aren’t going to be in the head space for a rich sexual relationship. If you have emotional issues impacting your physical relationship, is to talk about them. Often vocalising your fears, worries or insecurities, can result in the problem being diminished or even vanishing. You can talk to your partner, a trusted friend or counselor about these issues. Sometimes working through the issues can result in a fresh approach. If the issues are past trauma however, you might want to speak to a professional over time. Ignoring mental health issues only results in compounding the problem over time.
Sex Drive: Lifestyle Factors
Quit for (Sex) Life
Smoking is not just expensive and detrimental for overall health, but is a capillary constrictor. This means there is less blood flow to the sex organs, especially the penis. Dr. Harry Fisch MD, a board certified urologist at New York Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Medical College of Cornell University, and one of America’s leaders in the diagnosis and treatment of Men’s health and sexuality and fertility problems:
“Smoking makes it harder to get and maintain an erection because it releases adrenaline and other stimulating compounds that clamp down on the flow of blood to the penis. Less blood means weaker erections and erections more likely to fail. In studies of erectile dysfunction, smoking consistently ranks as one of the biggest modifiable risk factors.”
If you need motivation to quit the bungers, being able to function sexually is probably a strong argument in favour of not lighting up.
Back Off On Booze
While a beer or cocktail can help lubricate us socially and help reduce inhibitions, it can actually reduce sex drive in both sexes. Alcohol can affect your quality of sleep, meaning you will be too tired to perform the next night. In men especially, booze affects the neurotransmitters that send messages through the body and inhibits the ability to maintain an erection. Short term alcohol can affect your performance on the night you drink. Long term it gets more serious. Drinking a lot over a long time can cause significant, long-term erectile dysfunction. Alcohol is also a depressant. It is just commonsense that this won’t help you feel “up” in the bedroom. Keep to the recommended guidelines for alcohol, and this is one less reason for the downturn in your libido.
Get Physical
Everybody is pretty aware of the positive impact of exercise on the body. What a lot of people don’t know is that working out is a huge mood booster. The “feel-good” hormones released during exercise will lift your mood and make you much more interested in sexy time. Not only will your head feel better and you’ll sleep better, but you will also be fitter and stronger, which is a plus for getting it on. One last point to note with exercise and sex is that you will feel better naked. Even if you don’t lose or gain weight, you will be healthier physically so your skin will glow and you will radiate health which is super sexy.
Just Eat It
Eating well is a huge factor in overall health and it also plays a significant part in increasing your sexual response. Excessive eating and consumption of the wrong types of food leads to weight gain, which is said to be the number one killer of sex drive in men. Overweight women also experience reduced sexual response. Excess kills can reduce testosterone, diminish sex drive, reduce sensitivity, and change sperm production. There are also foods that help to increase sex drive. Zinc is known to help in that department and foods rich in zinc include oysters, crab, lobster, red meat, fortified breakfast cereal and pine nuts.
oysters are considered an aphrodisiac
While the scientists are carrying out research, the foods said to be libido-boosters include ginseng, fenugreek and maca.
Research also suggests that increased fruit intake can help with erectile dysfunction. This is possibly due to compounds called flavonoids. Foods rich in these include berries, citrus fruits, grapes, apples, hot peppers, cocoa products, red wine, and all types of tea (green, white, and black).
A nutritious diet will not only help you feel better. Eating well will assist in getting to, and maintaining, a healthy size and BMI (body mass index).
You may not want to change your entire lifestyle, but even small changes can help. You’ll boost your sex life as well as to your overall health and well being.
