3 ways your gut health can affect your sex life
Gut health is one of those things that affects a lot more than one area of your body. While your stomach is probably not the first thing that comes to mind when you hear the word sex, it is an important factor.
Studies have found links between probiotics and better sex, meaning that by improving people’s microbiome, people are often in a better mood for sex. Here’s what you should know about the connection between sex and gut health.
Indigestion isn’t sexy
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For starters, it’s pretty difficult to focus on sex and a good time when your stomach is feeling down. It’s difficult to have pleasurable sex when you’ve eaten too much or feel bloated and cramping. Conditions like IBS negatively affect people’s sex life and libido.
More likely to have lower serotonin levels and higher risk of UTIs
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Your serotonin levels, which regulates your mood and can help you feel happy and relaxed, are affected by what’s going on in your stomach. These levels can be altered by IBS, nausea, and more, making it harder for you to enjoy sex.
In the case of UTIs, an unchecked gut microbiome can cause bacterial overgrowth that leads to vaginal infections.
It can cause stress
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Your stomach has a strong connection with your brain. When people are hungry or suffering from indigestion, the feeling can be similar to that of anxiety, causing your brain to produce more cortisol and increasing their stress levels.
Once your stress levels are elevated, a variety of factors make it difficult for people to have good sex. “During times of stress, we need to survive, not reproduce,” Alicia H. Clark, Psy.D., told SELF. Stress puts your body into a different mindset, increases blood flow for survival activities — like a faster heart rate — and pushes sex into the background.
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