Men always want sex? It’s a belief held across our culture, a staple of what makes a man, a man. But is this real? Our focus centers so much around their unwavering desire for sex that the men lacking this trademark attribute are often afraid to share; feeding even more into the image that all men want sex all the time.
But do all men really want sex, all the time? Though it may seem contradictory, the answer is no. In fact, a low sex drive is projected to affect “at least 20 to 25%” of adult males [1].
This lack of or lowered sexual desire often creates issues within a relationship, as differing levels of desire lead to chronically pending contention. The resulting stress from the relationship disturbance then can amount to all sorts of new issues, causing a whole chain of adverse events.
What Causes Low Sex Drive?
The causes range from physiological imbalances such as low testosterone, one of the primary male hormones, to exercise habits. Often, it can be attributed to a mix of multiple factors.
1. Age
Low testosterone and low sex drive are both correlated to a greater age; since testosterone is the driving force during puberty responsible for building muscle, deepening voices, and increasing the size of the penis and testes, it also plays a role in sex desire [2]. When men reach their 30s, testosterone levels begin to gradually decrease and so do their sex drives. By age 45 roughly 4 out of 10 men have low testosterone [3].
2. Medical And Psychological Issues
However, a low sex drive can also be caused by medical and psychological issues. Mood and mental disorders such as depression, anxiety and even typical daily stress can cause low sexual interest. Certain diseases, especially those with diabetes, coronary artery disease, obesity and high blood pressure also often suffer from a low sex drive [4]. Prescription medication also can interfere with sex drive by disrupting normal bodily processes and altering hormones.
3. Low Levels Of Dopamine
Another cause can be from low levels of a chemical messenger in the brain called dopamine. Dopamine is a key player in the brain’s centers for reward and pleasure, allowing us to identify certain things that bring pleasure and gravitate towards them [5]. It has been theorized that dopamine is highly related to sexual desire. This has been supported through administering patients with drugs that increase dopamine levels and observing an increase in sex drive as well [6].
Aside from the medical reasons, it can also be attributed to not enough or too much exercise, drug use, and sleep patterns [7].
Solutions
Finding Out The Underlying Reasons By Keeping Records
Since many of the causes are due to medical and psychological issues or particular lifestyle choices, treating low sex drive is often done by targeting the greater underlying problem. Therefore, the first step in increasing sex drive is determining what the reason is for the lowered interest. This can be done by keeping a journal to record what has been done for the week and keeping an eye on what triggers lower sex drive. Once this has been identified, an appropriate treatment plan can be selected.
Making Healthier Lifestyle Choices And Reduce Stress
Additionally, many of the solutions and treatment approaches are done through making healthier lifestyle choices. These include: improving diet, getting regular exercise, regulating sleep cycles, limiting alcohol intake, and reducing stress if possible [8].
Testosterone replacement therapy
Testosterone replacement therapy also exist for those suffering from low testosterone, although this has been shown to have many side effects and are only effective for those experiencing issues as a result of their significantly deficient levels [9].
Sex Therapy
Finally, sex therapy can be beneficial for helping men rediscover enjoyment during sex. This focuses solely on issues regarding sex by introducing various strategies and techniques to combat the individual’s lack of pleasure [10].
Ultimately, a doctor will likely be able to distinguish whether the cause of your lowered sex drive is psychological, physical or a mixture of the two. Seeking advice of a medical expert can clarify the problems that need to be addressed.
Reference
| [1] | ^ | http://ift.tt/2gYi6zj |
| [2, 4, 6] | ^ | http://ift.tt/2fS6EsX |
| [3, 7, 8] | ^ | http://ift.tt/1lqSAVv |
| [5] | ^ | http://ift.tt/1y6zVh9 |
| [9] | ^ | http://ift.tt/2gYee1p |
| [10] | ^ | http://ift.tt/2fS5lKJ |
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