With Valentine’s Day arriving, those of us in relationships know exactly how we want to be spending the weekend –with endless wine, chocolate and romance.
But as much as we would like V-Day to consist of non-stop romping, there’s always the worry that things might not go as planned.
Sure, we’ve all heard that drinking, long hours at the office, and a lack of sleep can put a serious damper on our sex lives, but it turns out that there’s actually many more factors that can seriously interfere with our sexual pizzazz.
We’ve already told you about what foods you should eat to increase your libido, so now we’re going to share with you everything that may be negatively affecting your sex life.
Cycling
While frequent exercise can reduce a man’s chance of erectile dysfunction, men that are serious cyclists are more likely to suffer from ED, reports Details. It turns out that the firm, angular saddle can put pressure on nerves and arteries around the groin, which will reduce blood flow to a man’s crown jewels. So if you enjoy going to weekly spinning classes, make sure to use a cushioned gel pad on top.
Wearing Heels
Wearing heels might make women feel sexy, but frequently wearing heels can actually make sex less enjoyable. According to TIME, since heeled shoes tip the body forward, it forces the postural muscles to contract as the body works to maintain an upright posture. Wearing heels creates a contraction in the pelvic floor, which is problematic because the pelvic floor can’t then contract further during orgasm.
Being Overweight
Not regularly exercising and being overweight have been linked to cardiovascular complications, low self-esteem, and poor body self-image. These complications can impact your sex drive from a psychological standpoint, as low self-esteem can plague you in the bedroom.
Having a Desk Job
We’ve all heard that sitting is the new cancer, but sitting at a desk all day can also negatively affect a woman’s sex drive. Dr. Eden Fromberg, a New York-based gynaecologist, told the NZ Herald that, “If you sit with rounded shoulders and your tail tucked under for hours, the muscles of your pelvic floor and the psoas muscle (which runs diagonally from the lower back through to the groin) remain chronically at ‘half mast’ – not stretched or contracted.”
This can negatively affect the signals passing along important nerves leading to the reproductive organs.
Having a TV in the Bedroom
It’s been said that watching television before bed can have a negative effect on your sleep, but people who have a TV in their bedroom have sex half as often as those who don’t, reports the Huffington Post. So instead of making your boyfriend watch Ben find true love on the Bachelor, you can focus your attention on each other instead.
Smoking
Aside from killing your lungs, smoking can also kill your sex drive. Smoking can lead to the narrowing of the arteries, which means it can obstruct blood flow. The damage that smoking has on blood vessels, and its effect on sexual performance, can be permanent, so do your partner a favour and ditch this habit.
Birth Control
While many women use birth control to prevent fertility, it can also dampen a woman’s libido. According to TIME, sometimes women even have trouble conceiving once they’re off the pill because they’re not actually compatible with their partner biochemically without the extra hormones. So whether you’re on the pill or have recently gone off, you may notice a lower sex drive.
Cold Feet
The thought of your partner wearing socks during sex may come as a bit of a turn off. But according to Glamour, women are 30 per cent more likely to have an orgasm if her feet are warm.
Dieting
We may have mentioned that being overweight can dampen your sex drive, but losing weight too quickly can affect your libido too. Dieting puts stress on the body even if you are a healthy weight, which can trigger the release of a hormone called prolactin, a powerful suppressor of sex drive, reports the NZ Herald.
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