A healthy sex life contributes a great deal to a person’s well-being. Multiple studies have shown the numerous benefits of sexual activity on stress levels, mental health, cardiovascular health, the immune system, and more.
But what happens when your sexual energy is gone?
Many people struggle with low libido, especially as they age. Men and women experience decreased sexual desire for many reasons, but sometimes even when their sex drive is there, sexual function might not be.
A variety of health conditions or psychological issues can prevent you from enjoying your sex life, but the culprit might also be your lifestyle. Luckily, there are steps you can take to identify your issues and address your needs.
Keep reading to learn how to increase sexual energy and improve your sexual health.
How To Increase Sexual Energy? Causes And Solutions
Before you can figure out how to increase sexual energy, you must identify why it’s low. Please note that this isn’t a substitute for medical advice and is intended for information purposes only. If you have medical conditions, please contact your healthcare provider.
If you’ve suddenly experienced a change in your sex drive, something must have happened to cause it. If it’s been getting lower over time, it might be caused by a chronic condition or aging. You might also be experiencing issues due to your lifestyle, in which case changing your habits might help.
Here are the possible causes of low libido and decreased sexual energy.
1. Health conditions
Managing your physical health successfully will have a great impact on your sexual drive and desire. If you recognize any of the following symptoms, please see your doctor before taking any measures:
• Menopause
As a natural part of the aging process, menopause changes the balance of hormones in your body, such as estrogen and progesterone. Periods stop and natural pregnancy is no longer possible, but it doesn’t mean that your sex life has to end.
Menopause isn’t the boogie monster it used to be seen as anymore – it’s possible to enjoy a healthy and satisfying sex life long after it occurs. While going through menopause, loss of libido is common due to hormonal changes, physical symptoms, and mental and emotional side effects.
A doctor can recommend hormone replacement therapy to manage your symptoms and increase your sexual drive, as well as the use of lubricants. Additionally, being able to talk to your partner or a counselor can help with anxiety and other emotional issues related to menopause.
• Low testosterone
Testosterone is a hormone closely related to sexual arousal, regardless of a person’s sex or gender. It also affects bone and muscle mass and mental health. Testosterone levels can be easily checked using a blood test.
Low testosterone levels are the most common cause of lack of interest in sex when it comes to men’s health. Luckily, it can be treated by addressing any lifestyle issues or underlying causes and with testosterone replacement therapy, although it’s not always necessary.
• Type 2 diabetes
Diabetes causes numerous health problems, including problems with sexual health. It damages your blood vessels and changes the balance of hormones in your body. This can cause problems with sexual activity and a low sex drive, as well as pain during sex and the inability to reach orgasm.
One of the best ways of managing diabetes is a lifestyle change. By adhering to a healthy diet and including regular exercise in your day, it’s possible to successfully manage diabetes and, with it, the complications it causes.
• Chronic illnesses
Other chronic illnesses besides Type 2 diabetes can cause a low sex drive, such as heart disease, kidney disease, or cancer. The fatigue and stress these illnesses put on your body can cause your libido to plummet. Chronic illnesses and their treatments are hard to deal with, so they affect you both physically and mentally.
Talk to your doctor about the issue if you notice that your illness is causing problems with your sex life. By making adjustments to your treatment or referring you to a counselor, your doctor can do a lot to help.
• Medication
Low sex drive is a side effect of many kinds of prescription medication. Birth control pills, SSRI antidepressants, antihistamines, and high blood pressure medication can all cause a decrease in sexual energy.
For example, some of these drugs reduce blood flow to your sex organs and cause issues such as erectile dysfunction or lower the libido by making changes in hormones.
Don’t stop taking medication because it’s causing problems with your sex life. Your doctor can adjust the dosage or give you a different type of medication without those side effects rather than stopping your treatment completely.
2. Psychological issues
Sex is a matter of the mind as much as it’s a matter of the body. If your brain isn’t into it, the physical act can be completely unsatisfying.
Mental health issues and emotional problems can make you lose interest in sex completely and lead to sexual frustration. Seek help from a medical professional to find out what the reason could be.
• Stress
Low sex drive and other sexual health issues can be caused by medical problems, but mental health issues are often the reason behind them. Loss of interest in sex can lead to a sex-starved relationship with your partner and affect your life altogether.
Everyday worries such as arguments, money problems, issues at work, unemployment, etc., can be so overwhelming that they can make your sex drive disappear. Issues like premature ejaculation or erectile dysfunction can be the result of worry over sexual performance.
• Mental health issues
Depression is largely defined as a loss of desire for anything in life, including sex. Anxiety can kill the mood and make you uninterested in sex. Low self-esteem and worrying about your appearance can result in low self-image and reluctance to be intimate with another person.
These are all serious issues that can impact many areas of your life, including your sex life. Treating them should provide an increase in your sexual energy, but you have to put in the work when mental health issues are the problem.
• Relationship problems
One of the main non-medical causes of low sex drive is problems in your relationship. Unresolved conflicts, disagreements, and lack of communication and affection can all contribute to a lack of enjoyment and even disinterest in sex.
Sometimes sexual desire survives arguments and everyday problems, but more often than not, a lack of emotional connection kills physical attraction in long-term relationships.
If you want to enjoy your sex life with your partner, you must be able to open up and be intimate with them on an emotional level. When both of you are willing, and it’s only circumstances that stand between you, you should be able to find out how to increase the sexual energy that you share.
Take steps to rekindle the flame and reawaken your desire for each other to experience more and better sex.
• Talk to each other about how you feel, including your feelings about sex.
• Show affection to each other as often as you can.
• Make an effort. Dress up for each other, go on dates, rekindle the romance.
• Be open about sex with each other, play with each other and lose your inhibitions. Experiment with foreplay, sex toys, mutual masturbation, tantric sex, or something you’ve never tried before.
RELATED: 12 Tips To Stop Having A Boring Sex Life
3. Lifestyle
The effect of lifestyle on sexual energy shouldn’t be underestimated. If you want to have sex more often, deal with the following issues that might be affecting your sex life:
• Sleeping problems. Getting 7–8 hours of quality sleep is incredibly important, yet most people like to brag about how little sleep they need. If you wake up tired and with no energy, it’s to be expected that you’ll have no sexual energy either.
• Drinking too much. Having a drink can help you relax, but excessive drinking has the opposite effect. In addition to all other dangers to your health, too much alcohol can cause erectile dysfunction and a loss of libido.
• Not enough exercise. Regular exercise makes you healthier overall, but its impact on your sex life is undeniable. In addition to making you healthier and having more energy, it also gives you more confidence in your body and an increased sex drive.
• Bad diet. Reach for veggies before you reach for Viagra. Your life force relies on the food you eat, so making healthy dietary choices will affect your sex life. Eating a diet rich in protein, vitamins, and omega-3 fatty acids that’s low in sugar and saturated fat can optimize every aspect of your well-being, including your sexual health.
Wrapping Up
It’s impossible to figure out how to increase sexual energy unless you know why it’s low. This is why you need to identify the underlying causes and deal with those first. Various health conditions can cause lowered sexual desire, including mental health issues and your lifestyle.
Until you’ve dealt with the issues behind your low libido, in many cases, it’s impossible to turn it around. If you think one of these causes is causing issues with your sex drive, talk to your doctor for advice and help in dealing with it.
After you take steps to deal with those issues, your next step should be to communicate with your partner and connect with them. Feeling a bond and being attracted to another person can significantly increase your sexual energy.