Expert reveals why people have less sex during the holiday season and how to deal with it
Topics: Christmas, Sex and Relationships, Life
Niamh Shackleton
Featured Image Credit: Getty Stock Images
Topics: Christmas, Sex and Relationships, Life
It might be cuffing season for all the singles out there, but others might find that the festive spirit is actually affecting their sex lives.
There are many, many romantic Christmas movies (The Holiday being a personal fave), but it's not actually a particularly sexy season for everyone.
In fact, yesterday (December 15) was the most sexless day of the year.
But why aren't we all getting down and dirty with a Jude Law-lookalike this time of year? Well, there are several reasons (and it's not because you don't look like Cameron Diaz).
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One key player in people's lake of libido around Christmas is the stress that often comes with it.
"Upping your libido around Christmas can be a challenge. It can be stressful," Sexpert Annabelle Knight told Mirror Online.
"We’re all busy with friends and family, and there’s a lot of expectation to have the most perfect time. This can mean that it’s really difficult to prioritise intimacy."
Agreeing, Dr Babak Ashrafi, a GP at Superdrug Online Doctor, explained to the Huffington Post last year: "Christmas time can be overwhelming and exhausting, with the week leading up to Christmas being one of the most stressful times of year as prepping for the big day is underway, along with last-minute present buying."
He continued: "Stress and worries can impact your sex drive, as well as other areas of your life, which is why it’s important to improve the ways you manage stress."
Other contributing factors that cause people to feel less frisky include a lack of daylight, shorter days, the cold weather, and a general increase in fatigue this time of year.
But fear not, friends, there are ways to combat such issues...
Spending more time with your loved one increases feelings of intimacy and possibly increases your chances of taking things up to the bedroom.
Stress can have a huge impact on your mental health, and if you're not feeling so great about yourself, then it's unlikely you'll be in the mood to be intimate with your significant other.
Take the time to practice self care by doing things like exercise, mindfulness and scheduling downtime - which will hopefully boost libido.
Some couples are great at having impromptu sex, but others like the scene to be set first.
Light some candles, dim the lights, put on some sexy music, and see what happens.
It's not uncommon for partners to be on different pages when it comes to their sex lives sometimes.
If you feel like you've not been as physically intimate with your boyfriend or girlfriend as much as you'd like to have been of late, have that conversation and tell them how you feel.
You never know, they might just feel the same way too.