There are so many scientifically proven health benefits of sex. Aside from reproduction, pleasure and intimacy, sex seems to have a positive impact on many life areas, including work, physical and cognitive performances, marriage and happiness.
Maintaining a healthy sex life at home has also been known to boost job satisfaction and engagement at work. However, women experiencing inadequate sleep could be denied of these health benefits and satisfaction that quality sex life provides.
This is according to a new research from the North American Menopause Society (NAMS), which suggests that quality of sleep influences the quality of women’s sex life.
The study says that many women who are going through menopause have trouble sleeping, revealing that sleep quality can also affect a woman’s level of sexual satisfaction.
It affirms that women, who are either pre-menopausal or have entered the menopause often have trouble sleeping.
According to the findings, some of the sleep problems they experience include trouble falling asleep, waking up in the middle of the night or waking up in the early hours of the morning, while some of the factors contributing to these sleep disturbances range from hormonal changes, hot flushes, and abnormalities of the circadian rhythm to lifestyle choices or other age-related medical conditions.
Studies have consistently shown that insufficient sleep can cause a variety of health problems, as individuals who are constantly deprived of sleep may develop hypertension and heart
disease.
Additional research has also found a link between insufficient sleep and Type 2 diabetes and obesity.
This new study from the North American Menopause Society looked at how sleep deprivation also affects levels of sexual satisfaction among post-menopausal women.
The first author of the study is Dr. Juliana M. Kling, and the findings were published in the journal Menopause, as the findings clearly revealed that poor sleep impacts sexual satisfaction.
Researchers analyzed the data collected by the Women’s Health Initiative (WHI) study, a long-term national health study aiming to prevent a range of diseases among post-menopausal women aged between 50 and 79.
For the present study, Dr. Kling and colleagues examined data on sleep quality and sexual satisfaction from 93,668 women enrolled in the WHI. Short sleep duration was defined as fewer than 7-8 hours of sleep per night.
Of the women enrolled, 56 per cent reported being somewhat or very satisfied with their current sexual activity, while 52 per cent reported having partnered sexual activity in the last year. The researchers found a total insomnia prevalence of 31 per
cent.
Overall, women who reported sleeping for under 7-8 hours were less likely to be sexually active and sexually satisfied.
According to the researchers, after adjusting for potential causes of insomnia such as depression and chronic diseases, there was still an inverse association between insomnia and sexual satisfaction. Higher insomnia scores correlated with lower odds of sexual satisfaction, and short sleep duration was associated with lower odds of partnered sexual activity, as well as lower sexual satisfaction.