Let's talk low libido

But it can also disrupt your hormone levels, make you more prone to arguments, and it’s linked to lower sexual arousal and satisfaction.

• Maintain a healthy weight, as obesity can lower libido due to hormonal imbalances.
• Try sensual activities like massage or aromatic baths to stimulate desire.
• Limit caffeine intake to prevent adrenal fatigue, which can affect libido.
• Engage in regular social activities to boost mood and sexual desire.
• Seek therapy if emotional or psychological issues affect sexual interest.
• Explore new intimacy techniques or fantasies to rekindle desire.
• Use aromatherapy with essential oils like ylang-ylang or rose to stimulate libido.

More research is needed, but here’s what we know so far. A 2017 study looked at postmenopausal women aged 50 to 79.

The results showed higher levels of insomnia were associated with lower odds of sexual satisfaction.

• Practice gratitude and positive thinking to enhance overall emotional well-being.
• Incorporate adaptogenic herbs like ashwagandha to reduce stress and support hormones.
• Limit exposure to artificial chemicals that may interfere with hormonal balance.
• Experiment with scented oils or candles to enhance the romantic environment.
• Maintain regular health checkups to address underlying medical issues.
• Build emotional intimacy by sharing feelings and experiences with your partner.
• Use visualization techniques to mentally prepare and increase arousal.

And sleeping for less than seven to eight hours a night was associated with lower odds of having sex, less sexual satisfaction, and decreased sexual function.

Circulatory System

There are many causes of a lack of libido in females, including sleep deprivation, fluctuating hormones, relationship problems, alcohol, smoking, birth control, and menopause. Let’s dive into these low libido causes in more detail: Not getting enough sleep: You’ll feel sleepy and less likely to want to have sex if you’re not getting enough shut-eye. Sleep loss also negatively impacts everything from your relationship to your sex hormones (more on this soon) and women are more likely to suffer from sleep problems. Sleep disorders: A 2023 study found women with sleep apnea, insomnia, or a circadian rhythm sleep disorder had significantly higher odds of hypoactive sexual desire disorder (lack of desire for sex), female sexual arousal disorder (unable to get aroused), and female orgasmic disorder (unable to orgasm or taking a long time to reach orgasm). Insomnia and sleep apnea can not only cause low libido themselves, they’ve been associated with menopause, meaning women are especially likely to experience these sleep disorders that cause low sex drive as they age.

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Low testosterone: We commonly think of testosterone as a male hormone, but it’s been shown to play a big role in female libido, too. A study looking at premenopausal women with a decreased libido found that most of them had very low or even unmeasurable testosterone levels. This has been found in both pre- and postmenopausal women. The main androgen (sex hormone) precursors in women also decrease as we get older. And as we age, we’re more likely to have sleep problems, medical conditions, and be on medication that affects our sex drives.

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Stress and mental health issues: Including depression, anxiety, mental exhaustion, and general day-to-day stress. Stress can come from long work hours, childcare duties, and even the pandemic. A 2022 study found the COVID-19 pandemic negatively impacted some women’s sex lives. Relationship problems: Intimacy and trust are key to a great sex life, and even if everything is great in your relationship, being overfamiliar with your long-term partner can tank your sex drive. Medication: Many medications have lowered libido as a side effect including antidepressants, anti-anxiety meds, and blood pressure medications. It’s not just postmenopausal women, though. A study in the Journal of Sexual Medicine looked at female college students to see how their sleep affected their sex drives.

It found women who habitually slept for longer at night reported better genital arousal than women who regularly slept for shorter durations. But it doesn’t take long for poor sleep to affect your love life. Sleeping for longer amounts of time was found to increase sexual desire the next day. In fact, a one-hour increase in sleep length increased the odds of a woman having sex the next day by 14%.

• A Mediterranean diet supports overall hormonal health and sexual function.
• Take evening primrose oil to help balance hormones and improve libido.
• Reduce chronic stress through hobbies, socializing, and relaxing activities.
• Ensure adequate vitamin D levels, which are linked to libido and sexual health.
• Practice deep breathing exercises to increase blood flow and arousal.
• Limit exposure to environmental toxins that may interfere with hormones.
• Consider natural libido-enhancing herbs after consulting a healthcare provider.

Here’s how else sleep can impact your sex life: Sleep loss can lead to weight gain: It also puts you at a higher risk of obesity.

Obesity can affect your body image, it’s linked to painful sex, arousal problems, and sexual dissatisfaction in women. Sleep loss increases cortisol: High cortisol has been linked with lower levels of sexual arousal in women, and high cortisol levels can be caused by sleep deprivation, being out of sync with your body clock, and stress. Sleep deprivation messes with your hormones: Sleep loss reduces testosterone levels and spikes your cortisol, which in turn can lower your estrogen — a hormone cocktail destined to ruin your libido. Sleeping less makes couples more likely to argue: Sleep loss also makes them more hostile towards each other. Check RISE to see when you or your partner have high sleep debt, so you know when arguments are more likely to happen and when you should show a little extra compassion towards each other.

Increasing Your Low Libido

Birth control may also make you tired, which can make you less likely to want to have sex. We’ve covered whether birth control can make you tired here. You may not be feeling your best during pregnancy and when breastfeeding, and side effects like morning sickness, weight gain, and mental health issues don’t exactly help. But hormones can also be to blame for a lowered libido during these times. During pregnancy, women have reported a decrease in sexual activity, decrease in libido, reduced satisfaction with sexual life, and feeling less attractive.

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This can be caused by changing hormone levels, as well as all the uncomfortable symptoms that come with pregnancy that also impact sex. And, unfortunately, it’s not over once your baby is born. After pregnancy, women produce less estrogen and will be producing prolactin — the hormone that helps with milk production — which can suppress sex drive. Plus, of course, your sleep will be hugely impacted during these times. It’s even harder to get enough sleep when pregnant or when caring for a newborn, meaning your libido is lowered even more.

How Does a Woman’s Sex Drive Change Over Time?

Perimenopause — the time leading up to menopause — can also cause changes in your sex life. Symptoms include decreased libido and sexual sensation, and a diminished or delay in orgasm. That’s not to mention the other common perimenopause symptoms — like weight gain, hot flashes, night sweats, depression, anxiety, and fatigue — that can all contribute to a lowered sex drive, too. Plus, perimenopause impacts your sleep, which of course impacts your sex life. A decrease in sleep quality (although sleep scientists don’t agree on what exactly sleep quality means yet). Sleep disorders impact your sex life: Research shows sleep apnea negatively influences female sex drive, as well as desire, arousal, and orgasm. And research from 2023 shows women with sleep apnea, insomnia, or a circadian rhythm sleep disorder are more likely to have a range of sexual health problems. There are many ways women can boost their libido, but sleep is one powerful method that’s often overlooked. Sleep deprivation can mess with your energy, hormones, and sexual function, and it can make many problems — like stress, weight, and relationship woes — even worse, tanking your sex drive further.

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Longer sleep latency, or the time it takes to fall asleep. We’ve covered more on whether menopause makes you tired here. It’s not just the lead-up to the menopause transition that impacts your libido, though. Many women experience a low sex drive afterward, too. One study looked at both peri- and postmenopausal women aged 45 to 55 and found that 64% of them had a “diminished libido.” The researchers found menopausal symptoms like depressive symptoms, poor sleep, and night sweats were significantly associated with a lowered libido.

What are signs of low libido?

They also found a large proportion of the women in the study with diminished libido also experienced some degree of pain during sex or super p force 160mg vaginal dryness, which can be caused by naturally decreasing levels of estrogen during this time. If this affects you, you’re not alone. The prevalence of female sexual dysfunction in postmenopausal women could be as high as 85%. Sleep loss can cause low libido in both women and men. It can make you feel sleepy, and therefore less likely to have sex. To help, check the RISE app to see how much sleep you should be aiming for each night.

When Low Libido Signals an Underlying Health Issue

Alcohol, drugs, and smoking: Women who smoke are 48% more likely to experience sexual dysfunction than non-smokers. And drugs and alcohol are also linked to sexual dysfunction. Health conditions: Including diabetes, high blood pressure, underactive thyroid, high cholesterol, heart disease, and obesity (a 2023 study found sexual dysfunction is more common in obese women). Those causes of low sex drive can affect both men and women. Here’s what can cause low libido in women in particular: Libido fluctuates throughout the menstrual cycle due to changing hormones.

Vitamin D-Rich Foods

One study found women were more sexually active and had an increased libido on days when they had increased levels of cenforce 200 tablets luteinizing hormone, which happens before ovulation. Your testosterone levels also rise during ovulation, which may increase your libido. It found estradiol — a type of estrogen — had positive effects on sexual desire, whereas progesterone had negative effects. Estrogen is higher in the first half of your cycle, the follicular phase, and progesterone is higher in the second half, also known as the luteal phase. The study found desire rose in the first half of the cycle, peaked mid-cycle, and fell in the second half.

7: Make sure you’re getting enough sleep

Other symptoms related to your menstrual cycle — like cramps, fatigue, and breast tenderness — may be contributing to a lower-than-usual sex drive. According to a 2016 meta-analysis looking at many different methods of birth control, everything from condoms to contraceptive implants can have a negative impact on female libido. The paper found women reported problems such as loss of arousal and difficulty reaching orgasm when using condoms, and low sexual desire and decreased frequency of sex when using the levonorgestrel-releasing intrauterine system (LNG-IUS). And oral contraceptives have been linked to: Hormonal birth control can also cause other side effects like fatigue, bloating, weight gain, and anxiety, which in turn can lower your libido. And a 2021 review found hormonal contraception may be linked to depressive symptoms and sexual dysfunction. Then use RISE’s 20+ sleep hygiene reminders to have an easier time getting this amount of sleep.

• Maintain consistent physical activity; exercise releases endorphins and boosts desire.
• Consider hormone therapy if hormonal imbalance is diagnosed by a doctor.
• Avoid overexercising, which can lead to fatigue and decreased libido.
• Incorporate spiritual or relaxation practices like meditation for mental health.
• Increase intake of B vitamins to support energy and hormone synthesis.
• Practice patience and self-compassion during your journey to increase libido.
• Seek support groups or counseling if emotional issues hinder sexual desire.

RISE can also work out how much sleep debt you and your partner have, so you can work on lowering it to increase your odds of having (more and better) sex.