Having a low sex drive – or no sex drive – can be very frustrating for you as well as your partner.
It can impact your mental health, your relationship, and your physical health.
There are some ways you can boost your sex drive naturally, so once you have talked to your doctor to rule out any physical condition that could be impacting your libido, check out these tips.
Try one, a few, or try them all. It could change everything.
Get More Exercise
Regular exercise benefits your body in many ways and that can also help boost your libido. Aerobic exercise combined with strength training can give your mood a boost, but it can also improve your body image while increasing your stamina. All of this can lead to helping you with your sex drive.
Get Enough Sleep
When you aren’t getting enough sleep, you won’t have the time or the energy for sex. Exhaustion is a huge drain on your libido, but you can change that even if you can’t completely change your situation. Eat a healthy diet and get regular exercise but also make sure to get some naps in if you can’t get enough sleep at night.
Reduce Your Stress
Just about everyone deals with some kind of stress in their lives, but some have a lot more – and it can feel inescapable. While you may not be able to get rid of the stress in your life, you can learn how to manage it better. Self-care is a huge step in the right direction.
You can also take walks, pray or meditate, or find ways to minimize stress such as finding a better work-life balance, creating a plan to improve your financial situation, and just learn how to address problems and challenges in smaller, more manageable bites instead of becoming overwhelmed with the weight of it all.
Make Time for Intimacy
It may feel like you are scheduling sex, but the truth is, you are making time for intimacy instead of leaving it to chance or when the stars and planets line up just so. It is about making intimacy, your partner, and yourself a priority.
By planning your intimate times, you are less likely to get derailed by schedule conflicts. Put it on your schedule and make plans. Treat it like an anniversary dinner that you plan in detail, not like a trip to the grocery store where you wing it and hope for the best.
Talk to Your Partner
Communication with your partner is essential both in and out of the bedroom. Talking about the things that matter and getting intimate in your heads first can help strengthen your relationship, build trust, increase your comfort level, and helps you feel safe.
Discuss things in your relationship that don’t pertain to sex as well as talk about sex. If you want to try something new or if there is something that you wish your partner did (or didn’t do), you need to both establish that safe space to talk about it and make the adjustments necessary so that the experience is enjoyable for you both – and mutually satisfying.
Clean Up Your Lifestyle Habits
Drinking too much alcohol, using illegal drugs, and smoking can all put a damper on your sex drive. Those are some bad habits that you would do well to clean up. However, other lifestyle habits can be just as damaging. A negative attitude can not only dampen your libido, but it can also dampen your partner’s libido.
Instead of defaulting to the negative (and no, that is not being a “realist), reframe your thoughts and attitude to be more positive. Instead of saying, “That will never work!” Try saying, “It could be possible, so I won’t shut it down without at least trying.” You’ll be amazed at how much better you will feel.
Hormone Therapy
Hormone therapy is a very effective treatment for low libido along with many other health issues. It is safe and effective with few, if any, side effects. Talk to your doctor to see if it is right for you.
At Sandstone Family Medicine we are committed to the whole health of our patients. We realize that mental health is a vital part of your physical health and intimacy with your partner, and your sex drive, impacts you both mentally and physically.
Call today or schedule an appointment online to find out how we can help you live your best life.
