3 Lifestyle Tips to Increase Your Sex Drive
Published 04/20/2015
Updated: 04/20/2015
Low sex drive is a common problem among men and women in the United States. Perhaps you feel like your libido isn’t as high as it used to be. What can you do about it?
In some cases, lack of sexual desire can be caused by a medical problem. But many people can increase their sex drive naturally with simple lifestyle changes. Use these 3 tips to help put the spark back into your sex life.
Start a regular exercise program
If you want to rev up your sex drive, physical activity can help start your engine. For men and women, sexual pleasure involves blood flow and circulation to the genitals. Exercise is a great way to increase circulation and enhance sexual pleasure. If sex is more enjoyable, you’ll want to do it more often. This effect can help increase your libido.
Exercise can also benefit your mood. When you engage in physical activity, your brain releases endorphins. These feel-good chemicals can improve your mood and give you more energy. People who exercise also feel more confident about their appearance. When you feel sexy, it can increase your sexual desire.
Follow a healthy diet
Saturated fat can clog your arteries and decrease blood flow to the genitals, even when you’re sexually aroused. Studies have shown that there’s a link between erection problems and heart disease. You can increase your sex drive naturally by limiting saturated fat and improving your cardiovascular health.
Nutrition is also important because it helps you maintain a healthy weight. Dr. Michael Krychman works at the Center for Sexual Health in Southern California. He says that obesity can have a negative effect on your hormones by altering your estrogen and testosterone levels. When your testosterone levels get too low, it can lower your sex drive.
Healthy food choices also contain vital nutrients such as iron. People with iron deficiency may suffer from low sexual desire and lack of energy. To keep your sex drive at an optimal level, eat plenty of fruit, vegetables, nuts, whole grains, and lean meats.
Manage your stress
Most people lead busy lives and it generally stresses them out. But you may not know that chronic stress can lower your sex drive. It’s hard to feel sexy when you have so many things on your mind. Fortunately, you can improve your libido by taking steps to reduce your stress levels and manage stressful situations.
Dr. Irwin Goldstein works at San Diego Sexual Medicine and The Journal of Sexual Medicine. If your feeling stressed, Dr. Goldstein recommends taking a brief vacation. Getting away for a while can lower your stress levels significantly and boost your sex drive. A romantic vacation can also help couples reconnect.
Many people feel overworked and frazzled. Stressful situations can lead to trouble in the bedroom. Talk to your partner about the stressors in your life. Together you can make a plan that will help you manage stress effectively.
Faith Coats
Dr. Faith Coats is a Naturopathic Medical Doctor from a rural area in Northern California. She was always interested in integrative medicine due to her “holistic” upbringing. While completing her prerequisites for medical school, she became unhealthy and obese. She then took control of her health and was able to lose 100 pounds but struggled to maintain her weight loss. She graduated cum laude with a Bachelor of Science in Cellular Molecular Biology, as well as, minors in chemistry and dance from Humboldt State University. Before applying to medical school she took a gap year and worked as a scribe in the ER. It was through that experience that she realized that there is a real need for preventative medicine. This is when she discovered Naturopathic Medicine which blends her love of evidence based medicine with traditional therapies. She then transitioned to Arizona where she attended Southwest College of Naturopathic Medicine. Throughout the 4 years of medical school she struggledRead more
