Can depression and anxiety increase your sex drive?
Depression and anxiety go with you, wherever you go, including between the sheets! But what is surprising is that although the general belief is that depression is linked to low libido, i.e. low sex drive, recent research shows that anxiety and depression also lead to an increase in sex drive!
Generally, your sex drive is linked to chemical reactions in your brain, that gets the urge for sex rolling. But if you are feeling depressed or anxious, it interferes with the same chemical reactions, thus interfering with your sex drive. Most of the times, it is noted that depression or anxiety results in a decrease in your sex drive or libido. So why does this happen? When you are anxious or stressed out, your body releases higher levels of the hormone cortisol, which in turns suppresses sex hormones that impact desire!
For men, anxiety, low self-esteem and guilt are the common causes of erectile dysfunction. These are all symptoms of depression, although they can also be linked to advancing age and stress. To perform in bed and have a good and healthy sex life, you need to keep your stress and anxiety away. But many men get stressed over their performance itself.
So men need to take things easy, and one at a time! Sex doesn’t always mean you have to master it all. Even simply holding hands, kissing, or hugging can help release the feel-good chemicals, which would lead the way to the next step of having a great time in bed.
Now coming to the other side of the coin, some men do feel an urge to use sex as a way to escape from feelings of depression, anxiety, loneliness and stress! In this case, what it leads to is hypersexuality, involving the need to masturbate, watch porn and have sex as much as possible. Even this could be detrimental for the mental health of both you and your partner.
So, a sexual health problem is interconnected to your mental peace and wellbeing, although many refuse to admit the same. Many men think that their inability to perform or satisfy their partner in bed could be a physical problem when, in reality, it could just be a mental problem.
Stress, anxiety and depression are common problems from which many suffer, without even being aware of it. Although the best way would be to try and live a stress-free life, practising meditation, yoga and working out are some ways in which you could definitely reduce the stress, both from your life and from your bed.