Can sex help you sleep better?

Can sex help you sleep better?

Would you like to sleep deeper and wake up less? New research says it increases sleep quality and synchronizes your REM cycles.

In a study recently published in the journalSleep HealthResearchers in Australia examined how sexual activity affects sleep outcomes.

Sexual behavior, particularly orgasm, is known to have soporific effects on subsequent sleep. While the underlying mechanisms remain unclear, the inhibition of cortisol and the release of prolactin and oxytocin are reported to have relaxing properties. Oxytocin is increased after intercourse and has been linked to improved quality of life and sleep, as well as lower cortisol levels.

Additionally, prolactin increases after an orgasm and is often associated with sexual satisfaction and orgasm quality. While anecdotal evidence suggests that sexual activity can improve subsequent sleep, data on objective sleep behavior is limited. Furthermore, no study has examined how sexual activity influences sleep stage concordance.

Importantly, both partnered sex and solo masturbation were associated with measurable sleep benefits in this study.

About the study

Participants who bonded before bed felt more motivated and ready to tackle the next day, highlighting potential benefits of the day beyond sleep.

In the present study, researchers examined the effects of sexual activities on subjective and objective sleep parameters. They recruited heterosexual couples aged ≥18 years who actively live together and engage in sexual activity more than once a week. Pregnant individuals, those diagnosed with sleep disorders, and those with children were excluded. Participants also had to reside in South Australia. Potential participants completed a prescreening questionnaire about demographic information.

Participants attended an information session describing the study protocol and operation of a headband (DREEM3) and related software. Subjects were then monitored for 11 nights using a counterbalanced, repeated measures, cross-over design to ensure that sexual activity conditions (partnered sex, no sex, and solo masturbation) were distributed across weekdays and weekends.

Participants completed self-reported sleep and sex diaries as well as objective sleep measures. Couples in the no-sex condition followed their usual pre-sleep behaviors without sexual activity. In other conditions, they engaged in sexual activity as the last behavior before bed. The subjects performed solo masturbation and slept (alone) in separate rooms. Participants were asked to use their headbands before bed after sexual activity - a step the authors noted may have disrupted sleep latency measurements.

The headband was used for polysomnography, which records and analyzes physiological sleep data. Participants also recorded their motivation and preparedness for the day ahead on a 100-point scale. Linear mixed models were used to assess the effects of gender conditions on each sleep measure. In addition, sleep stage concordance was estimated to determine how sexual activity with a partner affects sleep stage synchronization.

Results

Women slept 30 minutes longer after partnered sex compared to nights without sexual activity, while men saw no significant change in total sleep time.

Of the 221 individuals who expressed interest in participating, 132 provided information to complete the preliminary recruitment process. According to exclusion criteria, 14 participants (7 couples with an average age of 29.9 years) were included. On average, participants engaged in solo masturbation for 19.3 minutes and collaborated for 33.3 minutes.

Overall, participants had higher sleep efficiency, spent less time awake at night, tried to sleep later, and were more sexually motivated and ready for the day ahead compared to those who did not engage in sexual activity with their partner. Similar improvements in sleep efficiency and reduced alertness during the night have also been observed after solo masturbation. Women in particular slept longer and experienced less wakefulness after sex or solo masturbation after being partnered. In addition, there was a significant effect of gender status on the onset of post-awakening (WASO), sleep efficiency and bedtime.

No significant differences were observed between gender conditions and total sleep time, sleep latency, subjective sleep quality, or wake time. However, subjective sleep quality showed a non-significant trend of improvement by gender. Mean orgasm intensity (rated on a 100-point scale) was 74. Orgasm intensity correlated significantly with motivation, readiness (for the next day), and subjective sleep quality. Subjects in the no-sex condition spent more time onset after bedtime than in other conditions.

Furthermore, there was a significant effect of sex state on the duration of sleep stage 1 (N1), with participants spending more time in N1 in the no-sex state compared to solo masturbation. In addition, there was a significant difference in REM sleep (REM) in RAM sleep between sleeping alone after solo masturbation and sleeping with or without sexual activity with a partner. REM sleep concordance was longer during cosleeping, regardless of whether sexual activity occurred.

Conclusions

Orgasm intensity directly correlated with motivation the next day, with participants reporting 74/100 higher levels of task-commitment on average.

Taken together, objectively measured sleep efficiency and WASO improved after sexual activity or solo masturbation compared to no sexual activity, suggesting that this small pilot study suggests that sexual activity improves sleep quality. This suggests that sexual activity—whether with a partner or alone—may be a potentially useful non-pharmacological method to improve sleep. REM sleep concordance was longer in cosleeping, independent of sexual activity. Limitations of the study include a smaller sample size, inclusion of only heterosexual couples, focus on healthy sleepers, requirement to be located in South Australia and no control for relationship satisfaction, attachment style and menstrual cycle.

Sources: