Sleep Or Sex: What’s The Better Choice Come Bedtime?

Sorry, trick question. The simple answer is both of course!

There are absolutely no better bedfellows than sleep and sex. The more sex you have the better you sleep. The more you sleep the better sex you have. What a happy horny cycle!

You might not think the act of sleeping, with all that snoring and drooling, as being inherently sexy (unless that’s your quirk of course). I’m here to tell you it is. Very very sexy in fact! At least your body chemistry seems to think so.

Read on below and we will take a look under the covers of the relationship between good sleep and great sex. And gird your loins because things are about to get a little hormonal up in here!

Say goodnight to the ‘stress hormone’

Bumping uglies with your special friend before bed is the best (and most fun) way to flush your body of cortisol. Also known as the ‘stress hormone’.

Cortisol was a highly useful hormone back in our caveman days. It’s the thing that triggers our fight or flight reaction when we think we see a bear hiding behind a tree. When we then fought or fled the exertion burnt off the cortisol.

Alas in today’s largely bear free world, cortisol usually does more harm than good. If say, we’re worried about work, money or family our system is flooded with cortisol in the same way as before. Unfortunately our desk-based sedentary lifestyle means we don’t then burn it off. It just hangs around keeping us stressed and keeping us awake too.

Exercise is the best way to flush cortisol from your system and what is the best form of exercise known to humankind? Sexercise obviously!

Nothing is better at flushing stress hormones from the system than a good energetic roll in the hay.

Say hello to the ‘love hormone’

When we get it on our bodies release large amounts of a lovely little hormone known as oxytocin – which is a very good thing indeed. Oxytocin induces a feeling of safety, security and comfort. Think of it as a great big hug for your insides.

During sex it’s the thing that makes us feel so amazingly close to our partner. After sex it leaves us feeling calm and content, the perfect combination for sleep.

So what is it? Well, Oxytocin is a super powerful neurotransmitter which regulates social interactions and creates amazingly strong bonds between us and our loved ones.

As well as being unleashed during the height of passion, oxytocin is also released when we hug each other. And importantly by mothers during childbirth. It’s basically the thing that takes the edge of all the painful pushing and fills you full of love and affection despite the last few hours of suffering.

You can see now why oxytocin has earned the name the ‘love hormone’. What’s not to love?

Considering all the action that’s about to take place there, it could be time to think about your bed. Is it up to the job? For advice on selecting the best bed for sexy times have a look at this useful buyers guide.

Image: Sex or sleep

The orgasm bedgasm cycle

Good sex is good for sleep but why settle for good? Great sex is great for sleep!

When we reach the mighty O our body is flooded with yet another hormone. This time the chemical in question is prolactin. Prolactin induces an overwhelming sense of bliss throughout the body. If you’re lucky enough to have a skillful partner then I’m sure you know the feeling I’m talking about!

Prolactin doubles down on the job already done by oxytocin and further eradicates any feelings of stress, anxiety or any depressive thoughts that might be floating around.

Prolactin also explain why men get incredibly sleepy after sex but so quite nearly so drowsy after masterbation. Researchers don’t really know why but the body seems to sense the difference between the two activities and responds accordingly. A man’s system releases up to four times more prolactin during a sex-based orgasm than it does during a visit Mrs Palm and her five lovely daughters. Go figure!

Deeper please

And things don’t end there. Researchers have found that post-coital slepy times are actually more rejuinative than normal sleep. It seems the cocktail of hormones injected into the system actually helps the body to cycle through the stages of sleep more effectively. Allowing you to get to the good deep wave sleep quicker and stay there longer. Oh yeah!

Sleep makes sex better

So we’ve already seen that sex helps us sleep but the even better news is the more sleep we get, the more we desire sex and the better it feels. Yep, you heard right, getting more sleep actually makes sex feel better. That blew my mind too!

Firstly, being well rested raises our libido by increasing the levels of sex hormones in our system, hormones like testosterone and androgen. Secondly, research tells us that sleep seems to help increase the ease of arousal in women and how aroused they become by increasing the level blood flow to the vagina. Amazing!

So what are you waiting for? Grab your partner, head to bed have a good long, erm…nap time together!