Want To Naturally Boost Your Sex Drive?
Natural and effective ways to boost your sex drive.
Not feeling in the mood lately? If so, you’re not alone. Studies have found that over a quarter of reproductive-aged women experience low sexual desire¹. If you’ve noticed your sex drive just isn’t what it used to be, you may be wondering what is going on and how you can get it back.
Don’t worry. We’ve got you.
Low libido can be caused by a number of factors including stress, poor diet, hormone imbalances, and underlying medical conditions. Sex drive also tends to take a nosedive for some folks during winter months as seasonal affective disorder (or "SAD²") tends to wreak havoc on your libido. Hormones are a huge factor in sex drive, so anything that knocks your balanced levels off course is likely to mess with your libido as well.
It’s important to keep in mind that there is no set “normal” when it comes to sex drive, so the only person who can tell if you have low libido is you. While there are natural and healthy fluctuations of sex drive, if it’s causing you or your relationship strife, it’s time to figure out a way back to your normal.
Regardless of when low libido strikes, there are natural solutions that can help you out so you’ll want to get down again. Here are just a few tips to help beat back the winter blues and bring back your sex drive:
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Reduce stress. Since elevated cortisol³ (your “stress hormone”) is often the culprit when it comes to a dwindling sex drive, anything you can do to destress is going to help - whether it’s saying no to yet another holiday party or taking a few minutes each day to meditate or go on a casual walk, find the right relaxation technique that works well for you
- Fight off fatigue. Probably not shocking, but feeling tired all the time doesn’t do wonders for your libido⁴. Yes, it’s a busy time of year, but that doesn’t mean you should be sacrificing self care and rest. Aim for 7-9 hours of quality sleep each night to ensure that fatigue isn’t stealing away your sex drive.
- Eat real foods. Cutting back on processed foods and focusing on real whole foods can help balance your hormones and get you back to feeling like your sexy self again. Omega-3s in particular, found in oily fish like salmon or nuts and seeds, have been shown to help improve mood and libido⁵.
- Chill on the booze. Sure, alcohol can lower your inhibitions and get you in the mood. But the truth is, it can also hurt your libido and fertility long-term⁶. Since alcohol is also a depressant, it can negatively affect your mood, making you far less likely to be in the mood.
- Focus on strength training. While any exercise is good for maintaining a healthy sex drive, weight lifting⁷ and interval training⁸ in particular release testosterone - a hormone that helps boost both desire and mood. While there is an immediate boost in this hormone post-workout, making strength training a part of your workout routine can have long-term benefits for your libido (and your biceps).
Sources:
¹ https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamainternalmedicine/fullarticle/414363
² https://www.healthline.com/health/seasonal-affective-disorder
³ https://drhyman.com/blog/2015/02/12/5-strategies-optimize-sex-drive/
⁴ https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20183003/
⁵ https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15750663/
⁶ https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/06/210608203716.htm