“Sex may permeate our popular culture, but conversations about it are still associated with stigma and shame in Indian households. As a result, most individuals dealing with sexual health issues or trying to find information about sex often resort to unverified online sources or follow the unscientific advice of their friends.
To address the widespread misinformation about sex, News18.com is running this weekly sex column, titled ‘Let’s Talk Sex’. We hope to initiate conversations about sex through this column and address sexual health issues with scientific insight and nuance.“
Your sex life is largely influenced by what’s happening in your brain. Specifically, your brain chemicals — neurotransmitters like dopamine, oxytocin, serotonin and Endorphins (D.O.S.E.) — are secretly pulling the strings behind the scenes. These brain chemicals control not just your sex drive but your actual experience of sex from start to finish.
The pathways in your brain that use these chemicals to regulate your sex life are highly sensitive to all kinds of influences. Everything from the food you eat to the sleep you get to the stress you feel can tweak your brain chemistry and alter your sexual health in unexpected ways. Understanding the role these brain chemicals play in your sexuality will help unlock the secrets behind your sex life and give you the power to improve it.
Role of Dopamine in Sex and Relationships
When it comes to your sex life, dopamine is the chemical that makes you feel good and keeps you coming back for more. This ‘feel-good’ hormone is released in your brain during pleasurable activities, like eating, exercise, and of course, sex. Dopamine is responsible for that rush of attraction and excitement you feel when you first start dating someone. It’s what gives you butterflies and makes you obsess over your new love interest. Dopamine also activates the reward centre in your brain, giving you a natural high from physical intimacy and orgasm.
The more dopamine is released during sex, the more you associate that person or activity with pleasure and reward.
Over time, the dopamine rush from your partner may start to fade as the novelty wears off. But don’t worry, there are ways to boost it again: Try new and exciting activities together like a fun date night out. Shake up your routine in small ways. Dopamine thrives on novelty and adventure.
Oxytocin: The Love Hormone
Oxytocin is often called the “love hormone” because of its important role in social bonding and reproduction. This hormone is released during intimate physical contact with another person, like hugging, kissing, and sex. When oxytocin is released during these pleasurable experiences, it makes you feel good by activating the reward centres in your brain.
Oxytocin also increases arousal and sexual pleasure for both men and women. In women, oxytocin stimulates the cervix and vagina, increasing lubrication and intensifying orgasms. For men, oxytocin boosts arousal, erection, and ejaculation. Higher levels of oxytocin during sex can also increase feelings of affection and attachment towards your partner. This may explain why couples often feel an emotional closeness after being intimate. Regular sex in a relationship leads to a steady release of oxytocin, which helps to strengthen the emotional and social bond between partners over the long run.
Testosterone Fuels Sex Drive and Libido
Testosterone is the hormone most associated with sex drive and arousal in both men and women. Even though men produce much more testosterone, it plays an important role in a woman’s libido and sexual satisfaction as well. Testosterone fuels your sex drive by stimulating the production of dopamine in your brain that makes you crave sex. When you’re aroused or engage in sexual activity, your testosterone levels rise, which in turn boosts your dopamine levels. This creates a feedback loop that makes you want more sex.
Women experience a surge in testosterone around ovulation when fertility is highest. This often corresponds with an increased interest in sex at this point in the menstrual cycle. As women age and testosterone levels decline, many experience a drop in libido and arousal.
For men, testosterone levels peak in the teens and early 20s, then slowly decrease over time. By a man is 60s or 70s, testosterone levels can drop by 50% or more from his peak. This is a major reason why libido and erectile function tend to decline with age. Testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) can help restore testosterone to normal levels and reverse problems like low sex drive, difficulty getting aroused, and erectile dysfunction.
‘Female’ Hormone That Also Affects Men
Estrogen, the primary female sex hormone, plays an important role in your sex life and libido. Estrogen is responsible for the development and regulation of the female reproductive system. In women, estrogen levels fluctuate throughout the menstrual cycle and over a lifetime. These fluctuations can directly impact a woman’s sex drive and arousal.
For men, estrogen works together with testosterone to regulate sex drive and function. Although testosterone is the primary male sex hormone, men also have estrogen in their bodies. If a man’s estrogen levels are too high or too low, it can negatively affect his libido and performance.
Mood Stability Hormone With Bedroom Benefits
Serotonin is a neurotransmitter that helps regulate your mood and happiness levels. Serotonin impacts your libido and arousal levels, especially in women. When your serotonin levels are in a good balance, you’re more likely to feel romantic and in the mood. But if serotonin levels are off, it can reduce your sex drive and make it harder to become aroused. Some things that can disrupt your serotonin balance include:
• Stress and anxiety
• Lack of sunlight
• Poor diet
So, there you have it. Your brain is the master control centre of your sex life, puppeteering your every move behind the scenes. These feel-good chemicals dopamine, oxytocin, serotonin, and endorphins are pulling the strings, making you crave intimacy, seek pleasure, bond with your partner, and ultimately determine your sexual satisfaction.
Talk with your doctor about options to potentially increase or balance certain brain chemicals. Make lifestyle changes to boost them naturally. Your sex life is too important to leave up to chance. Take control of your brain, and you take control of your pleasure.
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