Many women complain that they just don't have a strong sex drive, even though they did at one time. As you can imagine, this can sometimes cause problems in their relationship with their partners, but beyond that, a healthy sex drive makes us feel vital, electric, and alive! That powerful feeling of "lightning in your veins" doesn't have to go away, even as you age. You don't want to give that up if you don't have to.
Sometimes we explain away a low sex drive by saying, "I just don't have enough me time," or, "We just haven't had a date night in so long," or, "I've just been so busy with my job, or the kids, or whatever . . . " But the truth is that some lifestyle choices can kill your sex drive because they put your body under stress. Your overall libido is more about your body health than it is anything else. Anything that causes stress is a big don't for improving sex drive, while anything that addresses the stress in your life is a big DO!
DON'T:
1. Don't eat a high-carb or sugary diet.
- A big libido killer is sugar, and white-flour products like bread, pasta, pizza, and pastries turn immediately to sugar.
- Sugar raises insulin levels, and the "trickle down" effect to sex hormones is detrimental. It alters the metabolism of testosterone that women need for a good, strong libido.
- Sugar increases stress and decreases energy. Period.
- Replace many of your carbohydrates with healthy fats and protein and see the difference!
2. Don't drink alcohol and use tobacco products.
- Although many people turn to alcohol to get in the mood, it's not the best idea since it also turns directly to sugar in your bloodstream.
- Most alcohol products contain toxins that stress your endocrine system, and all tobacco products contain toxins that stress your hormones.
3. Not taking care of yourself.
- Research out of Duke University shows that carrying extra weight can affect your sex hormones and lower libido.
- Excess weight impedes blood flow to your lady parts, making it hard to get satisfied. And if you're not getting satisfied, it decreases your desire for sex.
- Eating a diet of real food will help your body produce healthy hormone levels. Eat phytonutrient-rich foods like leafy greens (spinach, collards, kale, etc.), cruciferous vegetables, and healthy fats like grass-fed meats, wild-caught fatty fish, and nuts and seeds. Bone broth and high-fiber foods like berries and lentils also provide libido-supporting nutrients.
DO:
1. Get regular exercise.
- Regular exercise helps with maintaining a better body weight, but it also bumps up your endorphins ("happy hormones") that make you more attractive and more desirous of connection with your partner.
- Research shows that any activity that increases blood flow to the large muscle groups in the thighs, buttocks, and pelvis like yoga, brisk walking, or cycling for 20 minutes three times a week bathes the genitals with good circulation. This results in more lubrication, better arousal, and better orgasmic function.
2. Heal your gut.
- Since a great deal of your serotonin is produced in the gut, a healthy gut is necessary for feeling good enough to connect.
- A leaky gut will eventually lead to chronic inflammation in your body. This can cause chronic muscle and joint pain, which is a mood killer.
3. Get enough sleep.
- Sleep specialists claim that sleep deprivation causes lower libido and less interest in sex.
- Depleted energy, brain fog, daytime sleepiness, increased insulin, increased cortisol, and increased nervous tension are all results of sleep deprivation, and they all deplete sex drive.
4. Use adaptogenic herbs to address the stress in your life.
- Nothing kills your libido like stress.
- Adaptogenic herbs address the stress in your life by communicating with the HPA axis where stress starts.
- Adaptogenic herbs [4] give you energy while helping you remain calm and focused.
- Adaptogens like those found here [5] have been shown scientifically to increase libido.