Do you keep hearing, “Not tonight honey, I’m tired”? Or probably the most common excuse – “I have a headache,” as your partner rolls over and turns away from you in bed? It’s estimated that 30-40 percent of people around the globe experience a lack of interest in sex for at least several months of the year.
Low libido reasons can range from stress, emotional difficulties, hormone imbalance and physical issues, including erectile dysfunction.
Sex is an incredibly important aspect of a relationship and who doesn’t want to feel that deep connection with their partner that comes from regular sex? And not just for the pleasure, but for bonding, reducing stress and improving self esteem, both individually and within the partnership.
Sadly, many medications, including antidepressants, anti-anxiety meds, the birth control pill, prostate or hair loss meds, antihistamines, anti-seizure drugs, opioids and beta blockers can lower libido. For some, medical marijuana has the same effect and for others, the opposite.
Diet
Reducing or eliminating grains and sugar turns on a gene that controls your sex hormones. A change in diet like this can also lead to weight loss, and if that’s a physical or emotional factor, addressing that can most certainly lead to a better sex life.
Eat regularly to keep insulin levels in check and increase your good fats from nuts, seeds, oils much higher than most helps. Fats move around hormones in the body, including testosterone.
Get out in the sunshine to up your vitamin D levels. Vitamin D increases testosterone, so low levels are known lead to plaque build up in the arteries and contribute to erectile dysfunction as well as heart disease.
Fatty fish have ok levels of vitamin D, egg yolks and mushrooms have a small amount, and then there is fortified dairy. Have your vitamin D levels checked by blood test and likely take more than is recommended.
Studies show that you could need need eight times the recommended daily amount of vitamin D for good sexual health.
L-arginine is a building block of protein needed for improved blood flow and circulation – key in erectile dysfunction and sexual responsiveness. L-arginine increases the action of nitric oxide — similar to ED drugs, but without the side effects.
Lifestyle
Other strategies to enhance testosterone and human growth hormone for improved libido include high intensity training, including interval training and daily intermittent fasting – it helps to boost testosterone.
This is a big topic with many moving parts, and while we have time now to speak about it, I’d like to carry on the conversation. So anyone who needs help with this, please reach out.
Listen to Eat This to Improve Your Libido on NewsTalk 1010 with Jerry Agar and Lianne Phillipson.