Things that Affect your Sex Drive

A healthy sex life can be elevating. But lately, if you've been experiencing problems in the sack, these could be the reasons...

Astalled libido could be due to a number of physical, emotional and psychological reasons. Opines Dr Rajan Bhonsle, senior consultant on sexual medicine, "Spouses often complain about the lack of sex drive either in their partner or themselves. The reasons could be conflict with your partner, stress, depression, refraining from intimacy for a long time, grooming related issues, physical problems or simply not keeping well."

A few reasons for a sinking sex drive

1. Fatigue and sleep deprivation: If you've been sleeping six hours or less than that, you are bound to experience a low sex drive. According to sleep experts, chronic sleep deprivation which occurs even if you sleep for six hours a night can lower the levels of testosterone (a sex drive hormone in both men as well as women).

2. Snoring: As funny as it may sound, if your partner snores loudly, not only will it disturb your sleep but will also lower his/her sex drive. Sleep apnea is a condition that causes abnormal breathing throughout the night and not only does it lead to lack of sleep and weight gain, but can also affect your sex life. Consult your doctor to treat this problem.

3. Stress and depression: A chronically blue mood is one of the common symptoms of a low sex drive. This results from pressure at work, fight with spouse or poor sleep quality. It can also dampen your libido in the long run, causing diabetes and high blood pressure too.

4. Weight gain: Putting on weight may hamper your sex drive — this is because fat cells change the balance of sex hormones in your body. Adds Dr Bhonsle, "People who are fat, don't feel confident about themselves in bed. From facing terrible body image issues to feeling tired all the time — your sex drive is hampered when you put on weight."

5. Leading an unhealthy lifestyle: Apart from medical conditions, people who are addicted to smoking or drinking have a low sex drive. Whereas those who are better in shape and are active both mentally as well as physically tend to have a good, normal sex drive.