Sexual activity before bed can help you sleep better
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“There is a massive neurotransmitter release from sex; energy exertion as well. This is different from rigorous exercise, which is great for sleep but not immediately prior.” — Tami Rowen, MD, OB/GYN and sexual health expert at UCSF
"Intercourse has a chance to have a person bond with another person comparatively to melatonin and lavender.” — Lexx Brown-James, PhD, LMFT, CSE, CSES, certified sexuality educator and director of the sexual health certificate program at the University of Michigan
Struggling to sleep? Sex might be the solution.
Research has confirmed that having sex prior to going to sleep can lead to better sleep quality. Sexual activity, the researchers noted in Journal of the National Sleep Foundation, be it solo or partnered, "significantly enhanced objective sleep quality by reducing wakefulness after sleep onset and improving sleep efficiency."[]
Experts say the findings aren’t surprising: “There is a massive neurotransmitter release from sex; energy exertion as well. This is different from rigorous exercise, which is great for sleep but not immediately prior,” Tami Rowen, MD, an OB/GYN and sexual health expert at UCSF Health, tells MDLinx.
“This is likely related to release of a combination of many neurotransmitters, endogenous opioids, dopamine, oxytocin. All of these decrease anxiety and likely contribute. Energy exertion also likely plays a role,” she notes.
Solo sex also beneficial for sleep
The research was a small study involving just seven couples, but the researchers found that solo sexual activity in the form of masturbation also contributed to better quality sleep and less time spent awake during the night.
This was despite the fact that sexual activity set back sleep time by an average of 30 minutes.
“Sexual activity like masturbation has been a technique used to help people sleep for eons,” Lexx Brown-James, PhD, LMFT, CSE, CSES, a certified sexuality educator and director of the sexual health certificate program at the University of Michigan, tells MDLinx.
Dr. Rowen agrees: “I think this is a great alternative, again for its anxiety-relieving properties.”
So could sex be used as an alternative to melatonin or other sleep aids? Sex-perts say it could be worth a try.
“Intercourse has a chance to have a person bond with another person comparatively to melatonin and lavender. Additionally, the idea of exhausting oneself might feel differently than using an external aid with less potential for side effects, because it's all of the body's natural response,” Dr. Brown-James says.
“Sexual activity can help relax and exhaust the body. Oxytocin, dopamine, endorphins are all released during sexual play, which help the body relax and feel happy—ideal feelings to fall asleep with, I think,” she continues.
Morning sex may be preferred
Dr. Rowen agrees, but says for some people, sex might be more beneficial at other times a day.
“A lot of people prefer sex in the morning,” says Dr. Rowen. “This makes a lot of sense based on when testosterone levels are highest. Some people are too tired to have sex at night. So the bottom line is, having sex can help with sleep but can also interfere based on people's sleep patterns and needs. [The] main thing to remember is the vast majority of sexual encounters are less than 10 minutes, so it’s unlikely any sex would interfere with actual sleep time.”