Thursday, March 28, 2024

How to Boost Your Libido: 10 Science-Backed Ways to Increase Your Sex Drive

Sex is an integral part of a healthy relationship, but like any part of a relationship, there are likely highs and lows in your sex life. No relationship is perfect! A common issue that couples face is one or both partners experiencing low libido. In fact, did you know that over half of American adults report being less than satisfied with their sex lives?

Libido is another term for your desire to have sex and can vary greatly from person to person. Before you diagnose yourself or your partner with low libido, take a moment to reflect. It’s possible, for example, that your partner has a very high sex drive and yours is simply naturally lower. However, if you’ve noticed that you or your partner have lost interest in sex, or your libido is lower than it used to be, there are steps you can take to increase it.

Listed below are 10 of the best ways to give your sex drive a shot in the arm!

Your Diet Is Paramount

Your diet is the number one determiner of your health. And when you break it down in terms of nutritional value, it makes complete sense!

Your body needs a variety of nutrients to function optimally. Junk food is more or less made up of empty calories. This means that it can make you feel full without actually giving your body the fuel that it needs.

Every food and drink you consume, every activity you participate in, is either actively improving your health, or actively detracting from it. So when you eat a bad diet, you’re not just not contributing to a better you, you’re taking steps backward, away from health.

A diet rich in nutrients made up of whole foods such as fruits, vegetables, and lean proteins will help to prevent low libido while protecting you from a myriad of other diseases and health conditions.

Practice moderation in your diet. You don’t have to cut sweets out entirely, but making sugar a rare treat rather than the bulk of your diet, you’ll find that you feel exponentially better, both mentally and physically.

Improve Your Sleeping Habits

If you’re among the 1 in 3 adults in America who don’t get adequate sleep, it’s time to prioritize rest. In today’s fast-paced world, it’s easy to put sleep on the back burner, but the importance of sleep cannot be overstated.

You need to aim for somewhere between 7 and 9 hours of sleep per night and be consistent to create a routine and stabilize your circadian rhythm. This means going to bed and waking up around the same time every day – even on the weekends!

With an adequate amount and quality of sleep, you’ll find that you have more energy, better focus, and feel more mentally healthy – not to mention a higher libido!

If you have trouble falling asleep at night, ensure that you’re setting yourself up for success for quality sleep. Avoid caffeine consumption in the afternoon, get plenty of physical activity during the day, and put your electronic devices away an hour or two before bed.

Begin an Exercise Regimen

Speaking of physical activity, a sedentary lifestyle is a large contributor to a number of issues, including a decreased sex drive. If you don’t yet have an exercise routine in place, create one today.

With the vast amount of information on exercise floating around the internet, it can feel overwhelming when you start to build your routine. The best way to avoid this is to ignore all of the fads and complex exercises and focus on you and your interests.

Exercise doesn’t have to mean going to the gym and lifting weights (but it can if you want it to)! Focus on getting 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise a week, it doesn’t matter how you get it.

If you love to swim, do some laps for 30 minutes a day, 5 days a week. Or take your dog for a walk in the mornings to get some exercise and fresh air to start your day. Whatever physical activity you enjoy most is what you should be doing.

Exercise should be something you look forward to, not another chore on the long list of things you have to do in a day.

Watch Your Weight

Staying on the subject of physical health, a common result of a sedentary lifestyle and poor diet is weight gain. And while overweight and obesity have become a part of daily life for many of us, maintaining a healthy weight is one of the most beneficial things you can do for your health.

Those who are overweight or obese have been found to have a lower sex drive due to the hormone imbalance that often occurs with an unhealthy weight. To get or keep your weight in check, place diet, sleep, and exercise high on your list of priorities.

Achieving and maintaining a healthy weight will boost your physical and mental health, which in turn will heighten your libido, both physically and psychologically.

Prioritize Mental Health

Poor mental health is a common barrier to a fulfilling sex life. Anxiety, whether generalized or related to a sex-specific issue, can detract greatly from libido.

The good news is, almost all of the points on this list are related to each other. Meaning, if you work on improving things like your diet, your sleep, and your activity level, you’ll be working on your mental health in the process.

Diet and exercise can lead to you feeling better about how you look on the outside, increasing your self-confidence and your sex drive as a result. Do your best to focus on what makes you great rather than what you dislike about yourself.

Another great tip is to practice meditation. Taking a few minutes a day to sit quietly and reflect can fill you with a sense of gratitude and calm.

That being said, anything that relieves stress for you is worth trying. Take a warm bath before bed, sign up for a yoga class, or join a local sports league!

Work on Your Relationship

Maybe the problem isn’t within you, it’s in your relationship. If you feel that your relationship isn’t as strong as it should be, or that your partner isn’t contributing enough, it’s only natural that your desire for sex would decrease.

The most important thing you can do when in a relationship is to practice open communication. It’s easy to assume that, because our partners know us so well, they automatically know what we’re thinking or what we perceive as a problem.

But treating your partner like a mind reader is a mistake! Instead, come to them with any concerns you have. Sometimes repairing your relationship, whether from a sexual standpoint or otherwise, is as easy as talking through your problems.

If your partner does something that you dislike, don’t let resentment build inside of you. Sit down and have an honest conversation about how you’re feeling. You might be surprised by how much your intimacy in the bedroom improves once you’ve built up the emotional intimacy between you.

Spice up Your Sex Life

During your open conversations with your partner, speak frankly about your desires in the bedroom. If you feel that your sex life has become dull or routine, it can affect your sex drive in a negative way.

There’s nothing wrong or embarrassing about a desire to spice up your sex life! Talk to your partner about spending a little more time with foreplay or bringing a sex toy or two into the bedroom.

Only about 18% of women are able to achieve orgasm through intercourse alone. Sex should be as enjoyable as possible for both parties!

Once again, open communication is key. If your sex drive has taken a dive because you aren’t feeling satisfied in the bedroom, talk to your partner about possible things you can try to make it a satisfying experience for both of you.

Limit Alchohol and Tobacco Consumption

It’s no secret that alcohol and tobacco are bad for your health. Both substances are linked to all sorts of health problems, including cancer, but can also bring down your sex drive.

A sip or two of alcohol is a great tool to get you in the mood, but too much can inhibit your ability to perform. Not only does alcohol affect your ability to achieve an erection, but it can also make orgasm virtually impossible.

Though tobacco doesn’t have the immediate negative effects of alcohol, it’s just as dangerous over the long term. Smoking cigarettes is horrible for your health, but more specifically for your cardiovascular system. And heart health is key for good sexual function.

If you smoke, consider that quitting will not only add years to your life and improve your health but will also give your sex drive a boost.

Consider Counseling

Talking things over with your partner and practicing meditation are great places to start, but if you find that they aren’t doing the trick, it might be time to consider counseling.

A professional relationship counselor can help you and your partner work through any issues you might be having, and even uncover some you weren’t aware of.

If your problems are more self-esteem related, you could visit a psychiatrist privately to talk through them and get some much-needed advice. Yes, you should do everything you can to take care of your mental health on your own, but don’t overlook the power of professional help.

Consult Your Physician

If all else fails, you need to consult your physician. It may not be a problem with your self-esteem or lack of exercise, there may be an underlying condition causing your low libido. Finding and treating this underlying condition may be all you need to get your libido back to a healthy level!

Your doctor can run tests to get to the root of the problem, and may even prescribe you supplements to help you along in the right direction. There are many quality libido-boosting supplements on the market, such as those from Viril-X, but you should always get the green light from your physician before introducing any new substance into your body.

A doctor can also recommend ways to naturally boost your sex drive that you hadn’t yet considered.

Use These Tips to Increase Your Libido and Improve Your Sex Life

Low libido can have a negative impact on not just your relationship, but your own emotional well-being as well. While there’s nothing wrong with having a naturally low desire for sex, if you find that your sex drive is dwindling, it may be time to make a change.

A healthy sex drive, and being intimate with your partner regularly because of it, can improve your relationship and give both you and your partner a self-esteem boost.

Remember, the first thing you should do if you notice that your libido is low is to take an honest survey of your lifestyle. Are you doing everything you can to ensure your body is at peak performance?

If your diet, level of physical activity, or sleep schedule has seen better days, it’s important to take steps to improve. Not just for your sex drive, but for your health as a whole.

If you’ve tried everything and still aren’t seeing improvement, don’t be afraid to seek professional help from a physician or psychiatrist to discover the root of the problem.

Looking for more tips on improving both your sexual health and overall well-being? Be sure to check out our blog!

abubakarbilal
abubakarbilal
Abubakar is a writer and digital marketing expert. Who has founded multiple blogs and successful businesses in the fields of digital marketing, software development. A full-service digital media agency that partners with clients to boost their business outcomes.
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