Against insomnia, sex more effective than sleeping pills?

Are you having difficulty falling asleep? Do not throw yourself on sleeping pills, other much more pleasant solutions seem effective. In fact, a new study reveals that three out of four adults report sleeping better after sex.

Films or literature generally suggest that people fall asleep faster after sexual activity. But “there is little scientific data regarding the impact of sex and orgasm on sleep quality“says Dr. Douglas Kirsch, medical director of sleep medicine at Atrium Health in Charlotte, North Carolina (USA). It is therefore to fill this gap that the researcher and his team conducted the survey.

They asked various questions to a small sample of 53 people aged 25 to 49. The results showed that 75% of participants said they slept better when they had sex just before sleeping. Some have even reported that sex not only helps them fall asleep, but also improves their quality of sleep. Finally, the majority felt that sleeping pills had a similar or even less good effect on their nights.

A cocktail of hormones

Faced with these results, the authors said they were curious to know if the impact of sex on sleep is mainly a physiological process linked to orgasm. Further work will have to delve deeper into the subject. But an Australian study dating from 2020 had shown that certain sex hormones are released after orgasm (oxytocin, prolactin) and others decrease (such as cortisol, the stress hormone) actually promoting sleep and ensuring you a sweet night.