How Hormones Influence Your Sex Drive?
Sex drive is an extremely individual aspect for every person and this is what fluctuates throughout life. The changes in sex drive depend on age, health condition, possible disorders, and, of course, psychological state.
The condition of health, however, substantially relies on hormonal balance which is also a changeable and very unstable notion that can evolve based on a number of factors. What are other factors that affect your libido? Let’s see.
Sex Drive and Its Causes
Sex drive is also often referred to as libido and means a person’s desire to engage in sexual activity. If sex drive is low this means the decreased desire relating to sex, while high libido means that a desire for sex is increased.
Here we indicate the factors that impact sex drive both in men and women.
Causes of Low Libido
Some of the low sex drive causes are as follows:
Menopause or andropause: If andropause is a gradual decrease of male sex hormones and it is not a compulsory condition in men because it can affect only some categories of men, then menopause is a completely natural state of all mature women over 50.
Menopause is a normal part of aging; a condition when periods stop and the level of estrogen and progesterone drop. In men, the level of testosterone also drops as they age but this happens gradually. The hormonal changes can lead to a lowered sex drive which is also a normal part of aging.
Age: Aging is associated with a number of changes, and hormonal balance is not the only thing that fluctuates. Age is something we both feel inside of our minds and something observed in our appearance. All of those changes broadly influence the sex drive and make it become much lower than it was earlier.
Mental health: Men and women with depression or anxiety can have a significantly low sex drive or completely lose their libido until they recover. Some antidepressants that are often prescribed for the treatment of depression, can also cause reduced libido.
Culture and religion: People with specific cultural beliefs and subjected to restrictive religions can have lower libido as well.
Obesity: People with excess weight can have related disorders like heart diseases or diabetes that can cause sexual dysfunction and lowered libido.
Chronic conditions: Some chronic disorders can cause nerve damage or cause psychological disorders that reduce libido.
Relationship dissatisfaction: If a person is not satisfied with his/her partner in any aspect, it can also cause decreased libido. This factor is especially influential in females.
Medication: Some medications, including female oral contraceptives, can contain components that badly influence sex drive.
Causes of Higher Sex Drive
Except for the reasons that cause lower libido, there are also factors that encourage higher sex drive.
Exercising: People who prefer active rest, sports, and regular physical activity tend to stay healthy for longer and engage in sexual activity till a very mature age.
Drug-taking: Some specific stimulant drugs or banned substances can cause increased libido but they are extremely dangerous for health and can be even life-threatening.
Bounces in neurotransmitters: Neurotransmitter like Dopamine is used by the nervous system to send messages between nerve cells. An increased level of Dopamine can cause sexual compulsions and hypersexuality.
Testosterone level: Testosterone is the main sex hormone responsible for sex drive both in men and women, so its increased level can cause increased libido as well.
The best way to restore libido and keep it healthy for as long as possible is keeping to a healthy lifestyle, doing sports, holding to a healthy diet, and, of course, balancing your hormones.
If you need a free consultation concerning your hormonal status and want to learn how to restore your hormonal balance, please get in touch with us here.