We all know that stress is bad. Unfortunately, its negative influence is not limited only to the psyche: it can also harm the body at the level of physiology. Last but not least, this applies to libido.
“Stress can have a detrimental effect on the body. It causes tangible harm to health, ”warns MD, women’s health specialist Jennifer Weider. Chronic stress increases the risk of cancer and many other diseases by weakening the immune system.
Is this information not enough to convince you of the importance of regular rest and relaxation? Then keep in mind that stress can greatly affect the quality of your sex life.
“Stress affects us on a physical and emotional level, it also affects our relationships with others,” explains psychotherapist and sexologist Rachel Needle from the South Florida Center for Marriage and Sexual Health.
Chronic stress leads to increased production of the hormone cortisol, which lowers libido.
“The effect of stress on libido is due to nature itself. In stressful situations, the main task is to survive, not reproduce, ”clinical psychologist Alisha Clarke echoes him. Stress activates those functions of the body that are critical for survival (for example, speeding up the heartbeat and blood circulation), while suppressing secondary functions, including sexual ones.
Unfortunately, stress can disrupt your sex life on several levels at once. First of all, hormonal. Chronic stress leads to increased production of the hormone cortisol, which reduces libido. In women, stress can disrupt the menstrual cycle, which is hardly conducive to the desired mood. Also, regular anxiety and excitement can reduce the pleasure of sex, making it difficult to experience an orgasm.
Fatigue also impairs our lives. “Our main sexual organ is the brain. If your brain is busy with completely different concerns and during sex you are constantly distracted by extraneous thoughts, it will be more difficult for you to focus on your own arousal, pleasant sensations and orgasm, ”explains Rachel Needle.
Stress can inhibit sexuality not only directly, but also indirectly. According to Needle, “The hormones that the body releases during times of stress affect metabolism, which in turn can lead to weight changes. As a result, we begin to experience dissatisfaction with ourselves, with our body, which may also cause the desire to have sex to disappear.
It is impossible to avoid stress, but you can identify its main sources and think about how to minimize their impact.
Chronic stress often triggers depression and anxiety disorders, which also negatively affect the ability to enjoy. “Some chronically stressed people complain that they are not in the right mood for sex at all,” says Jennifer Weider. In addition, in a state of stress, we often drink more alcohol than in a calm state, which also has a bad effect on sexual function.
Fortunately, this problem can be dealt with. Finding a healthy way to relieve stress is important. It can be sports or yoga, massage, relaxing baths. “Take time to take care of yourself,” advises Rachel Needle. Although it is impossible to completely avoid stress, it is necessary to identify a few of its main sources and think about how to minimize or completely eliminate their impact on our lives.
Intimacy with a partner can itself help reduce stress, so it’s worth trying to find time for it in the afternoon or in the morning – by the evening we are often too tired. The feelings that sex evokes in us—a sense of intimacy, deep connection with a partner, calm relaxation—can become our natural defense against stress.