NOW HERE’S A GREAT REASON to feel good about sleeping in on the weekends.
We’ve all heard that getting in some extra Zzzzz’s is good for everything from immune system health to skin luminosity, but it turns out it might also be good for your sex drive, as well. One study found that for each extra hour of sleep, women were 14 percent more likely to get their sexy on the following day. That adds up pretty quickly.
Researchers at the University of Michigan spent two weeks tracking 171 women, paying close attention to both their sleep and sexual habits. They discovered that not only did the women who had more sleep ended up having more sex, but that it was better sex, too. Now we’re getting somewhere.
The key to this new discovery here is “good sleep hygiene,” which, in this case, essentially means getting enough of it. When we do get adequate shut-eye, our moods improve, our energy levels and concentration levels go up, and our sexual arousal levels do, too. In this study, the average sleep time was 7 hours and 22 minutes, which is quite doable for most of us. If it’s not, it might be time to reevaluate some things. Your need for sleep is no joke.
Other studies have linked poor sleep habits to decreases in sexual arousal, which might have something to do with the fact that bad sleep can increase anxiety and depression — both of which are real sexy-time killers. Skimping on sleep might also affect the delicate balance of our bodies’ hormones, which of course can mess with moods and arousal alike.
As of this moment, these studies are only pointing to a correlation between good sleep and good sex, as opposed to pointing out a definitive and specific causation. It sure does make a good case for sleeping in, though. Next time your boo wants to stay up watching TV in the bedroom while you’re trying to hit the hay, you can let them know exactly why they should accept “lights out.”
