SEXUAL INTIMACY IS THE NATURAL REMEDY OF INSOMNIA

15 December 2021

Even in good conditions, many people report that they find it difficult to sleep and have constant sleep. The stress of the pandemic is just making things worse. But the advice given on insomnia rarely mentions a possible, non-medicinal sleep aid that is free and accessible to most people: sex, whether we do it with a partner or alone.

After orgasm, the levels of oxytocin and prolactin go up while the level of cortisol drops. Common sense tells us that increasing mood-bling hormones and reducing stress hormones is likely to help us sleep better. But data on sex and sleep is limited, in part due to the existence of taboos around the subject.

So far, only a small study of 10 people has looked at sleep after sex, using polysomography – the test to diagnose sleep disorders, which measures brain waves, heart rate and other markers. Published in 1985, the study concluded that masturbation does not have a significant effect on sleep.

But the study had significant limitations beyond its small size. The researchers may have interrupted the participants’ nightingale after masturbation by removing an thermometer. In addition, the study compared sleep after masturbation and sleep after reading—which is known to cause sleep—and this may have mitigated the differences between intervention and control.

More recent research suggests that sex can reduce stress and help people with insomnia fall asleep and stay asleep. Although the evidence base is small and some studies have no objective measurements, a 2016 review by the University of Ottawa concluded that sex is a “possible alternative or complementary to other intervention strategies for insomnia.”

It is a conclusion that many people come to on their own. A 2019 study with 778 participants, led by Dr. Michele Lastela of the University of Central Queensland in Australia, found that both men and women realize that they fall asleep faster and sleep better after orgasm, whether they achieve it with a partner or on their own.

According to Lastela, this connection is worth exploring, since many people find it difficult to faithfully follow the usual tips for healthy sleep. Maintaining a certain bedtime, exercising regularly and avoiding screens before bedtime are practices that require a long-term commitment to perform. Perhaps exchanging the time we spend in front of a screen for some kind of sexual activity can have more immediate results.

The inclusion of such advice in the clinical guidelines is another matter. According to Dr. Charles Samuels, former president of the Canadian Sleep Society, “with so many taboos around sex, it will be difficult to open this door.”

On the reasons why sleep tips rarely mention sex, Samuels mentions the inertia of specialists, since there are other options available, and the lack of thorough research. Nevertheless, he acknowledges that the new generation of clinicians and researchers may be more interested in exploring this issue.

According to Lastella, various ethical issues often hamper investigations involving sex, video recording as well as researchers entering the area where sexual activity takes place. There are also technical difficulties, such as taking blood samples to measure hormonal activity during and after orgasm, without interrupting sleep.

Expensive portable polysomographs can help with these difficulties by bringing the workshop to the bedroom and not the other way around. But Lastella believes that reducing the stigma around sex versus sleep remains the biggest obstacle that needs to be overcome.

Experts believe that these discussions should start from the medical school and the years of specialty. Discussions about the importance of healthy sexuality are lacking in medical education, and emphasis is placed mainly on sexually transmitted diseases and sexual dysfunction. In this context sex is considered bad, so no one talks about it.

But a more positive view of sex is gaining ground as experts have begun talking about sexuality in student groups and medical conferences. If we practice as specialists to say words such as sex, masturbation and clitoris without blushing, then perhaps our patients will be open to discuss this important part of their health, they claim.

Source: Psychologynow.gr

SEXUAL INTIMACY IS THE NATURAL REMEDY OF INSOMNIA

15 December 2021

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