Can you remember the last time you couldn’t wait to get home and shimmy between the sheets?
Was it last week, last month? Last... year? We get it: Sometimes it’s easier to give into your excuses — I’m too tired, let’s just do it this weekend, it doesn’t even feel that great to begin with. But we don’t need to tell you that sex is essential for a healthy marriage — and also a healthy you. Research shows that a happy sex life can stamp out stress, reduce heart disease risk, and even improve immunity. But enough of the non-sexy talk. Try just one of these libido-lifting tricks today. You can thank us later.
1. Take a lunchtime stroll
Research shows that the more fit you are, the more sex you’ll crave.
In a study of women ages 45 to 55, sexual satisfaction correlated directly to fitness. "The less exercise they got, the lower their desire and sexual satisfaction," says study author Judith R. Gerber, PhD, a psychologist at the University of Vermont College of Medicine.
2. Book a rubdown
A pampering massage not only relieves stress... but "the skin-on-skin contact stimulates the sex hormone oxytocin," says Ian Kerner, PhD, author of "She Comes First."
"The more oxytocin released, the more desire a woman will feel." If you don’t want to spring for a full hour-plus session (which can cost $100 or more), tack on a 10-minute session at the nail salon after a manicure.
3. Read something hot
Skip the evening news and flip through a sexy novel instead.
Erotic literature "can quickly jump-start arousal," says Carol Queen, PhD, a sexologist who works at Good Vibrations, a female-owned sex shop in San Francisco. She recommends the Herotica series, written by women, and "The Diary of Anais Nin."
"Perfect for anyone who's not ready to get into bold four-letter words," says Queen.
4. Get really relaxed
Just a few meditation sessions can jack up your sex drive and speed arousal.
5. Pop a multi
Too tired to feel sexy? It may be a diet deficiency.
Two overlooked nutrients may be to blame for sex-derailing exhaustion. "Low folate levels can make you feel tired, with no energy for sex," says Martha Morris, PhD, a Tufts University researcher; national surveys show that many women aren't getting enough of this B vitamin. And low iron can deplete brain neurotransmitters, which can lead to lethargy, says Swiss researcher Bernard Favrat, MD. The fix for both problems: a daily multivitamin with 100% of the DV for iron (18 mg) and folate (400 mcg).
6. Break a sweat beforehand
Exercise primes your body to get in the mood.
For some people, exercising too close to bedtime makes it hard for them to sleep. Take advantage of that found energy. "After 35 to 40 minutes of moderate exercise, everything in your body is going right," says Janet Hyde, PhD, a professor of psychology and women's studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. "Your blood is circulating, your nervous system is firing, so scheduling sex right after you exercise makes for good sex."
7. Smell your way sexy
These surprising scents will move you from the kitchen to the bedroom.
Cucumber, licorice, and baby powder have been shown to turn women on, increasing vaginal blood flow by 13 percent. Pumpkin pie and lavender increase blood flow by 11 percent. Try this: To cap a romantic dinner, serve pumpkin pie and keep a cucumber-scented sachet next to your pillow.
8. Ask about those little blue pills
Pills like Viagra increase blood flow to the genital area — something women need for arousal just as much as men do. Though the FDA hasn't approved the pill for women, doctors can prescribe it off-label. Ask your healthcare provider if these meds might help you too.
So if your sex drive stinks because your whoopee lacks whoop or your hormones are running amok, a physical boost may re-ignite interest, says Laura Berman, PhD, founder of the Berman Center. However, if you're slumped because you hate your thighs, resent your husband, or are simply more overworked than worked up, no pill will put you in the mood. It may just give you another headache — a common side effect. Your best bet is to work through those issues.
9. Check your medicine cabinet
Any antidepressants in there? They could be stealing your orgasm.
Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), a class of drugs that includes Prozac and Zoloft, "are probably the number one cause of anorgasmia [inability to have an orgasm]," says Andrew Goldstein, MD, of the Sexual Wellness Center in Annapolis, MD. They short-circuit your pleasure center by decreasing levels of the brain chemical dopamine (one of the sexual triumvirate, along with estrogen and testosterone). "People on SSRIs can lack that full range of emotion. They don't get very depressed about anything, but they don't get very excited about anything, either," says Goldstein.
If that zombie-like feeling is torpedoing your love life, ask your doctor whether you could switch to Wellbutrin, a drug that raises dopamine levels (preliminary studies show it may improve sexual desire in non-depressed women). One con: Wellbutrin can cause anxiety, which is common in depressed people. If you're taking a shorter-acting SSRI, such as Zoloft or the serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor Effexor, you may be able — with your doc's okay — to take a short drug holiday. "If you don't take it Friday morning, on Friday night and Saturday you can have intercourse and have an orgasm," says Goldstein.
10. Patch it up
If your sex drive has cooled down — because of hormone abnormalities or surgery — a testosterone patch may help rekindle your fire.
Over half of the 64 women who tried it in a University Hospitals of Cleveland study reported a big boost — nearly twice those with a placebo patch — resulting in four or five additional "satisfying" sexual episodes per month. Keep in mind: The patches are approved only for men, though about 20 percent are prescribed for women off-label.
11. Put a stop to distraction
It's not just those endless to-do lists that make your mind wander between the sheets. You're wired that way.
According to brain scan research, women's brains are naturally more active than men's, even during sex. The reason: lower levels of the neurotransmitter dopamine. "Dopamine creates the desire to go after a reward — in this case, an orgasm," explains Anita Clayton, MD, clinical professor of obstetrics and gynecology at the University of Virginia and author of "Satisfaction: Women, Sex, and the Quest for Intimacy." Dopamine also increases the flow of sensory impulses to the genitals, essential for arousal. But low levels of dopamine caused by chronic stress or medical conditions can distract you during sex.
Ask your doctor about a supplement that contains the hormone DHEA, which normally spikes right before orgasm to enhance desire and focus, and may increase dopamine production. Taking 300 mg of DHEA an hour before sex significantly increased both mental and physical arousal in postmenopausal women, according to a study published in the "Journal of Women's Health & Gender-Based Medicine." Clayton only recommends 25 to 50 mg and warns that DHEA can affect some people's cholesterol levels, however. So be sure to check with your doctor before taking it.
12. Keep it simple
You don’t need 3 hours of mind-blowing bliss for a satisfying sex session.
Apparently, just 7 to 13 minutes of lovemaking is considered "desirable" by both men and women, shows research from Pennsylvania State University. To arrive at that number, researchers interviewed 34 of the country's top sex experts, who have collectively counseled many thousands of Americans on the topic — and it turns out that few gender differences exist on expectations of how long intercourse should ideally last. In fact, most adults deem even shorter romps of 3 to 7 minutes "adequate," the researchers found.
13. Just do it!
So what if you're not exploding with desire?
Studies show that many women who report a lack of interest in sex respond just fine once they're in the midst. "Women assume that mental desire must precede physical arousal, and that if the desire isn't there, well, they must not like sex," says marital therapist Michele Weiner-Davis, author of "The Sex Starved Marriage."
"But for many women, that's not true. The next time your husband approaches you, just do it, she says. See if the light bulb turns on.
One common libido dampener for women who are years into a relationship: comparing their desire with the drive they felt in the early days of the union. "Don't wait for fireworks," Weiner-Davis says. "Work with the embers. You have to find out what you need to feel sexier. Go out and buy new underwear — not for him, but for you."