Are you suffering from insomnia? Are you having sex problems? Guess what? The two are typically related. Sleep specialists say lack of sleep can wreak havoc on your sex life.
Insomnia is the inability to fall asleep or stay asleep long enough to be rested. Insomnia or lack of sleep leads to low energy, sleepiness and fatigue. It affects the libido and causes loss of interest in sex. And it’s not just lack of interest. Increased tension and low energy can also cause sexual dysfunction.
Robert Thayer, professor of psychology at California State University in Long Beach, blames it on ‘tense tiredness.’ “People who experience tense tiredness are too anxious to relax. Tension and anxiety are very basic to sexual dysfunction most of the time. That increases as energy decreases.”
According to researchers at the Sleep Disorders Institute, insomniacs have a difficult time dealing with even minor stress. In addition, lack of sleep or disrupted sleep can lead to problems with mood. People with sleep disorders often report increased irritability or frustration which can cause friction in a relationship. That’s because sleep loss can make you quarrelsome and less able to cope with life’s ups and downs.
People who have trouble sleeping can become very sensitive to anything they perceive as threatening their sleep. And one of the things that can disturb sleep is a bed partner.
According to the 2009 annual poll conducted by the National Sleep Foundation, people with insomnia and other sleep disorders are three times as likely as others to skip leisure activities because of sleepiness. More often than not, sex is a leisure activity.
Phil Gehrman of the Behavioral Sleep Medicine Program at the University of Pennsylvania says people who are sleep deprived get less enjoyment out of life in general. “Sleep deprivation actually decreases our experience of positive emotions. It reduces their intensity.”
Some of the effects of sleep loss – anxiety, loss of libido and loss of interest in once pleasurable activities – if persistent can also be signs of depression. Over time, lack of sleep from sleep disorders can contribute to depression. Depression in turn, can cause or aggravate sleep disorders. It can be a Catch-22 situation as depression is known to lower libido.
Don't just write off poor sleep patterns as something you just have accept. A sleep disorder specialist or an ear, nose, and throat doctor can evaluate you for physical problems and help get you back on track.
Stacy Lloyd is a writer and video producer. A former television news journalist, she covered stories around the world. Currently, she produces corporate and non-profit videos and broadcast programming.