The relationship between good sleep and good sex
This month, our focus is on two crowd pleasers – sex and sleep. These are a few of our favourite topics, and with good reason. These two topics have plenty in common and are both deeply connected to our physical and mental health and well-being.
Like most aspects of our health, it all starts with sleep. The well-known recommendation for adults is to get between seven and nine hours of sleep each night. However, many surveys and clinical studies have found that the average adult gets less than seven hours each night. This of course, leaving them vulnerable to all sorts of mental and physical health complications. Long-term sleep deficits can significantly affect our mood and even lead to anxiety and depression. Aside from making you feel groggy, grumpy, and not so great – not getting enough sleep can affect our relationships.
The relationship between sex and sleep goes much deeper than the fact that they are both typically done in bed. Getting enough sleep can lead to a healthy sex life, and vice-versa. In other words – if you’re unhappy with your sex life or your sleep life, improving one will often lead to benefits in the other. While an active sex life isn’t the only way to ensure a restful sleep, getting enough sleep is certainly necessary for your body to be interested in, and ready for sex. Getting enough sleep primes your body by regulating hormones, and ensures you have enough energy to partake in sexual activity.
The connection between sleep and our mood is important, because disrupted sleep can lead to emotional changes, depression, and anxiety. In fact, altered sleep patterns are a hallmark of many mental health issues. Changes in our mood can further impede our ability to get a good night’s sleep, and can negatively affect our relationships.
So, we know long-term lack of sleep can lead to anxiety and depression. But did you know anxiety and depression are known to cause sexual dysfunction? When the body is in a state of stress, the brain actually suppresses the production of sex hormones like estrogen and testosterone and ramps up production of stress hormones like cortisol. Yikes!
Sleep and sex. Both trendy topics, sure. But both are incredibly important to our health. We’ve heard from an expert on sleep this month with a great workshop on how to sleep better with Julia Glowinski. Now, let’s talk about sex! Whether you’re committed or single, partaking in sexual activity with a partner or solo, you don’t want to miss this workshop! Join us on Thursday, August 27th at 7:00pm EST to talk about sex with expert and author Julie Archambault. As the founder of CoCreativeSex—a wellness business committed to powerful lives, powerful relationships, and powerful sex— Julie coaches her clients to step up in their relationships, their sexuality, unleash their creativity, and own their power. She leads online and live workshops on the themes of sexuality, creativity, power, and courageous conversations.
This month is all about sleep health and sex health, and how they together contribute to our overall health. We hope to see you in the Optimal Living Summit Zoom Room on August 27th to learn more!
