The balance between the two female sex hormones — estrogen and progesterone — is critical to maintaining optimal health. Unfortunately, this hormonal balance can be thrown out of whack by factors such as stress, excess weight, not enough sleep, and sometimes side effects from certain medications or environmental factors. This hormonal imbalance is very common in perimenopause and menopause.
Hormonal balance is a big concern for many women, and it can affect so many areas of our physical and emotional wellbeing. Constantly saying ‘no’ to your partner can also put an uncomfortable strain on your relationship, which then can impact so many other parts of our life.
Recent studies show that an estimated 40 to 50 percent of women in the US and Canada suffer from a low sex drive. As our lives get busier and busier with both professional and personal demands, it’s easy to put sex low on the ‘to do’ list.
And because it is a frustrating and very personal subject, it is not often discussed.
As mentioned, there are many underlying causes for this, but fortunately there are some natural, easy and effective ways to help boost your desire.
Try one or more of these tips and soon you’ll have romance back at the top of your list!
5 Tips for Boosting Your Libido
Reduce Stress
Life gets busy, and we can get into a complete state of overwhelm, which unfortunately is extremely stressful. Chronic stress, whether it is physical, emotional, mental or environmental causes our bodies to release high amounts of the cortisol hormone. This triggers a hormonal cascade (or shit storm to put it bluntly) which in turn decreases our desire. When the pressures of life are getting you down, the last thing that is likely on your mind is sex.
Ways to manage your stress can include meditation, breathing, yoga, tai chi, moderate exercise, sleep, massage and disconnecting from electronics to name a few.
Sleep
I know — you’ve probably used the premise of being asleep many times to avoid sex. I’m not recommending this to encourage you to keep doing this though. If you aren’t getting enough sleep, your hormones will not be balanced. Period. This is a non negotiable for hormone balancing and by extension, increasing your sex drive.
Those with a hectic lifestyle don’t always have the time to get the sleep their bodies truly need, let alone make time for a sex life.
8 hours of good quality sleep can singlehandedly improve hormones. I’m not kidding. In addition to getting 8 hours of good quality sleep, you can boost your energy and sex drive by taking naps when you can and eating a healthy diet high in protein and low in carbohydrates.
Exercise
Exercise helps to release endorphins, which are the ‘feel good’ or ‘happiness’ hormones. It helps to keep the blood flowing, reduces stress, increases your energy levels and helps with keeping a healthy weight, which then helps with our self esteem and mood. But remember, too much of something, isn’t always a good thing. You can overstress your body with too much exercise, and as mentioned, stress can upset your hormonal balance, leading to low sex drive. Find something that is fun and that keeps you motivated and even something that your partner can join you in.
I’m not recommending you run out and start slurping up oysters, although they are full of zinc which is an important mineral necessary for the production of testosterone.
Food as An Aphrodisiac
Many foods are shaped exactly like certain organs in our body, and some are known to arouse just by their suggestive appearance. Figs, bananas, and avocados are just a few of them. (Figs look like ovaries, avocados look like our uterus, and well bananas… nuff said) But these foods also provide important vitamins and minerals that can potentially increase blood flow to the genitals and promote a healthy sex life.
Supplement
There are certain supplements that can help get your mojo back. If you’re not eating a diet rich in essential fatty acids, Vitamins B3, B6, C, and E, biotin, magnesium and zinc, you should consider supplementing.
Ginkgo biloba, an extract derived from the leaf of the Chinese ginkgo tree, is a herb that has been found to be effective in increasing blood flow to the brain and sex organs.
Note: Always consult a qualified healthcare practitioner and/or herbalist if you are taking any medications or supplements, to ensure that there is no interaction.
So, what are you waiting for? Get up off of your bum, try one or all of these tips, and Bring Your Sexy Back!
Originally published at www.patriciaeales.com on November 28, 2016.