It’s not rare for women to report a reduction in sexual desire, particularly during certain times of the month or around menopause. However, when the condition persists, it can lead to frustration, strained relationships, poor self-esteem and even depression. Women who suffer from a low libido may be too embarrassed to seek help. Still others feel that the pursuit is useless, believing that they’ll be told they’re just depressed and given a prescription for antidepressants.
Not only is depression not usually the underlying cause but taking antidepressants will just further deaden sexual desire. In most cases, the real cause of low libido is related to lifestyle habits. Here are some of the ways that women can naturally boost their sex drive.
Get More Sleep
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), more than one-third of American adults get less than seven hours of sleep each night. Much of the time, this is caused by other areas of life, such as work and family, interfering with healthy sleep habits.
Inadequate or poor-quality sleep forces the body to ration what little energy it has, which means that there’s no room for a normal sex drive. Furthermore, levels of the stress hormone cortisol skyrocket with too little sleep. Cortisol makes things worse by virtually shutting down your body’s production of sex hormones. Try to get to bed at a reasonable hour each night and consider taking melatonin or another relaxing supplement to facilitate a sleep-receptive state. It’s also recommended to avoid caffeine after 3pm.
Stoke the Desire
Studies have found the more a person has or is exposed to sex, they more likely they are to want it. For that reason, masturbating or viewing erotic material with your partner can be a sensual way to light the fire. These activities cause a natural boost in sex hormones that can make the real deal seem a lot more appealing.
Get Out More
Many women who despair of a low libido also spend the majority of their time in the home. To make things worse, their social interaction may be limited almost completely to their children. This sort of lifestyle is a recipe for libido problems. Women who stay home all of the time and get little social interaction with their age peers often report feeling frumpy, dumpy and boring. Many also feel that their identity as a woman is restricted purely to the role of “mommy” and that it doesn’t make them feel particularly sexy.
Naturally, sexual desire will suffer when you don’t feel sexy or attractive. Getting out of the house and spending time around other people keeps the mind stimulated and prevents things from feeling stagnant and mundane. It also gives you an opportunity to dress, and therefore feel, sexy. After all, variety is the spice of life.
De-stress
Stress is a major cause of health problems, one of which includes a reduction in the female sex drive. Cortisol, a hormone released during stress, eats away at your energy levels and prevents sex hormone production. In addition, unchecked stress keeps the mind too occupied with worry for sex to even seem important. Take every opportunity you can to fight stress. Have a night out, spend a weekend away from home, indulge in a favorite pastime or practice yoga or tai-chi.
Lifestyle habits affect sexual desire more than many people think. Therefore, making alterations to one or more problem areas can help you bring back your sex drive.
About Author: Allison Hammond is a researcher and author. Allison has been writing about her research for more than 13 years. She has made it her goal to discover natural solutions that can improve the lives of people. When Allison is not researching a health related topic such as the female sex drive, she enjoys discovering new family recipes with her daughters.
