How investing in sleep coaching can improve your sex life
It is fair to say that the trials and tribulations of parenting can directly impact your relationship, and therefore your sex life.
Whether you are a new parent or have older children, sleep deprivation can make sex seem really impossible.
From body and hormonal changes, lack of time, increased stress, tending to your babies/children overnight, navigating emotions such as resentment and guilt, feeling so exhausted that you have nothing left to give, and maybe not sharing your bed with your partner; the barriers to sustaining your sex life feel endless.
Although the link between sleep deprivation and sexual dysfunction seems fairly obvious to sleepless parents, the evidence also suggests this is the case.
Studies by MacKenzie et al (2023) and Dilixiati et al (2023) indicate that the poorer the infant and parental sleep, the lower sexual frequency, desire and arousal.
According to Leavitt et al (2017), the greater the parenting stress, the lower the sexual desire and satisfaction of mothers.
Additionally, in one study by the Journal of Sexual Medicine it was found that a lack of sleep impacts both men and women’s sex drives.
Within this study, it was found that low sleep quality was associated with women struggling to achieve orgasm and linked to erectile dysfunction in men.
Therefore, achieving good quality sleep is vital for promoting a healthy sex life.
Poor sleep also impacts your sex hormones, because when you sleep there are vital endocrine “jobs” taking place. For example, when you sleep, the hypothalamus in your brain signals the release of various hormones.
This is a very complex and detailed process but in summary, this process helps to keep your sex hormones in balance. Consequently, there are many studies that indicate good quality sleep is also key for fertility.
According to Suni and Singh (2024) even the impact of sleep on your mental health can affect your sex life. For example, if you are feeling low, sad, lonely, depressed which let’s face it most sleepless are, then you are more likely to experience conflict with your partner which is likely to hinder sex.
So that is the bad news!
The good news is gentle sleep coaching can help improve your child’s sleep. In fact, it is not uncommon from me to hear from previous clients who are suddenly expecting their next child since working with me.
How can gentle sleep coaching improve your sex life:
It encourages you and your partner to be on the same page about your child’s sleep
It shows you how to improve your child’s sleep as a team
It provides you with the tools to gradually get your bed back with your partner
It allows you to have more protected couples time
It allows you to feel closer to your partner
It gently accelerates an improvement in your family’s sleep
Better sleep reduces the stress in the household
Increasing your sleep quality, also can increases your sexual frequency, desire and arousal
Improving your child’s sleep is so much more than just helping them to sleep for longer stretches. It is also about how the improved sleep impacts on all aspects of your life including your sex life.
