Women who got more rest had greater desire the next day, study found
WebMD News from HealthDay
By Kathleen Doheny
HealthDay Reporter
WEDNESDAY, March 18, 2015 (HealthDay News) -- Women looking to jump-start their sex life may want to spend more time in bed.
Sleeping.
That's the conclusion of a new study that suggests that each additional hour of sleep increased by 14 percent the likelihood a woman would engage in sexual activity with a partner the next day.
"Our study showed that good sleep is important for healthy sexual desire and arousal in women, even when women are psychiatrically and medically healthy," said study author David Kalmbach, a researcher at the University of Michigan Sleep and Circadian Research Laboratory.
Kalmbach and several colleagues evaluated 171 women, all college-age, who kept diaries of their sleep for 14 consecutive days and reported whether they engaged in sexual activity the next day. Longer sleep time was linked with greater sexual desire the next day. Women with longer average sleep duration said they had better genital arousal than women with shorter sleep time. On average, the women reported sleeping 7 hours, 22 minutes.
Other studies have suggested that short sleep time and poor sleep quality lead to poor female sexual response, Kalmbach said. But most studies have been a ''snapshot in time," looking at just one time point.
"I think these findings suggest that taking a closer look at sleep health in women with sexual complaints is a worthwhile endeavor," Kalmbach said, "as poor sleep may lead to sexual problems."
Kalmbach said it's not known how lack of sleep might affect sexual desire. But he said it's not simply due to changes in mood, for instance, as the study assessed the women's levels of depression and anxiety.
"Some previous studies have hypothesized that sleep can affect hormone levels, which may cause changes in desire and arousal," he said. "But I think overall, more research is needed in this area to identify the underlying mechanisms more confidently."
"The message," Kalmbach added, "is that sleep health is important for many areas of our daily living. Good sleep has been shown to improve mood, energy, concentration, overall health, and, now, sexual desire and arousal."
source : Good Sleep Is Key to Good Sex
