Don't blame yourself or your partner for a boring bedroom, it's your hormones! I read an interesting phrase the other day, "if you would rather watch Netflex than have sex with your partner, there's a good chance it's a hormonal problem!" You would be surprised to find out how common low libido is, but not many of us understand that in majority of cases, the root cause is hormonal, not some "routine syndrome" or lack of love and affection. Low libido is a one of many ways your body can show you that it's out of balance.
Let's first go over the main hormone imbalances that lead to a low sex drive.
Cortisol, Estrogen and Progesterone
Cortisol is responsible for setting off all the physiological responses associated with stress. Trust me, we are all under a ridiculous amount of stress every minute of our modern life! The more cortisol your body makes the less it produces those important sex hormones like estrogen and progesterone that are responsible for your sex drive, mood, libido and fertility. We make less sex hormones as we age, but when cortisol robs us of those sex hormones even more, it creates huge imbalances. Please don't think that cortisol is a bad guy, it is a very important hormone that gives us energy, counteracts inflammation and allergies and maintains our good mood. It's when our bodies are imbalanced cortisol becomes a bad guy.
Excess Testosterone
Testosterone isn’t just for guys! Testosterone gives us ladies good memory, pleasant moods, energy, a toned body and (of course) a great sex drive. When our body is imbalanced, it too becomes a bad guy and reduces sexual desire, make us chubby, lowers muscle mass, and creates a brain fogs make it hard to concentrate.
High Insulin and Leptin Levels
High insulin levels create problems for our sex hormones too. If you tend to gain weight around your belly, have acne, are losing hair and crave desserts and a big nap after your meals, most likely you have insulin imbalances and insulin resistance. Leptin tells your brain to stop eating and go have some fun, like have sex with your partner. When you eat a lot of sugar, processed foods, and flour, your body becomes resistant to leptin and you always feel hungry. This keeps you thinking about food instead of other pleasures.
So now you know a little bit more about the hormonal influences that have you bingeing Netflex instead of a sex marathon. Let's see what we can do about it! Low sex drive, fatigue, bad skin, PMS, poor sleep and gut problems aren’t something that can be fixed overnight or with a pill. Here are 6 ways to begin reversing your sex slump.
Sleep Well
Align your life according to your circadian rhythms substantially helps your hormonal balance by reducing stress. Go to bed before 11pm and wake up at 7 am. This helps you produce enough of your beauty hormone: melatonin. It helps regulate insulin and leptin resistance and makes you look younger, prettier and stay less hungry. It reduces the production of cortisol and amount of fat in our body. Some people even call melatonin an anti-aging hormone. Unfortunately, the older we are, the less melatonin our body produces. If you have sleep problems, consider a melatonin supplement.
Meditate
I know that some people will roll their eyes right now, but meditation isn’t a huge time commitment, and has benefits for everyone! It’s scientifically proven that even a short 5 to 10 minutes of meditation daily reduces cortisol production and boosts our sex drive and beautifying hormones. Once a day, before you go to bed or if you have a spare 5 minutes, find a guided meditation on Youtube and help your libido instead of browsing Facebook!
You can also try breathing exercises, they can do small miracles for your body. I love, love breathing exercises and could talk about this subject forever. Look for another post soon I’ll write about them!
Eat Wisely
Eliminating common problem foods while adding better ingredients, and try Intermittent Fasting. For more information about the amazing foods that can help you balance your hormones and problem foods that can rob you of your sex hormones, download my Free "7 step guide to a leaner, healthier, sexier you!"
Exercise Smart
If you are spending hours at the gym on a treadmill, try switching to an amazing 10 or 15 minute High Intensity routine that can help you tone your body, lose weight and won’t raise your cortisol levels like long, exhausting cardio. You can find information about it here,
Add Adaptogenic Herbs
Maca Powder balances your hormones to give you a healthy libido and improved sex drive. Ashwagandha reduces the harmful effects of stress on sex hormone production. It reduces symptoms of anxiety, depression and regulates blood sugar levels. It’s one of my favorite adaptogens along with maca, siberian ginseng and cordiceps.
Repair Vitamin Deficiencies
If you are on a birth control pill, you most likely have low levels of zinc and magnezium. Zinc and Magnesium help balance female hormones. Zinc is an effective treatment for acne, PCOS, PMS, thinning hair and low libido. Magnesium helps to control insulin production and reduces sugar cravings. It also prevents your body from making excess cortisol. If you like to drink wine and love dessert you are most likely low on magnesium.
Vitamin D deficiency can lower sex hormones which means low sex drive.
B Vitamin supplements can improve problems that often develop when you have liver congestion. Liver is in charge of the supply of sex hormones that influence our sex life and body shape.
You can find more information on amazing supplements and herbs that can help you balance your hormones in my Free "7 step guide to a leaner, healthier, sexier you!" here.
Always be sure to talk to a doctor before taking a routine supplement, especially if you are already taking medication, and its always a good idea to find a functional medicine or naturopathic doctor who will work with you to identify the root causes of many common annoyances. They can offer you salivary and blood panel tests, the same tests as your medical doctor, that will help you identify your hormonal deficiencies. Don't just accept feeling older, your body is telling you there is a problem, and you can fix it!
