Poor sleep doubles the risk of sexual problems in women, the study says

Poor sleep quality can lead to an unsatisfactory sex life for many women, a new study reveals.

Women who slept poorly were almost twice as likely to report problems such as lack of sexual interest or pleasure as others, according to a study published in Menopause: The Journal of The North American Menopause Society.

The study also found that good sleep quality was associated with having more sexual activity, a result that "does not surprise anyone, does it?" said the author Dr. Stephanie Faubion, who runs the Mayo Clinic Center for Women's Health. "If you put sleep or sex in front of a tired woman, she will choose sleep every time," Faubion said.

But it is not just women who experience sexual dysfunction due to poor sleep. It also affects men. A 2009 study found that obstructive sleep apnea - a potentially serious disorder in which breathing constantly stops and begins - was linked to erectile dysfunction and sexual difficulties in men. Poor sleep also leads to a higher risk of erectile dysfunction.

There are many other factors that link sleep to sex. Orgasms are not only relaxing, but release some hormones that help increase the quality of sleep for women and men after sex.

In women, for example, estrogen levels rise after orgasm and this can improve REM sleep cycles and promote better sleep at night. In men, orgasm increases the production of a hormone called prolactin that stimulates deep-wave sleep - the type the body needs to calm down.

Sources: CNN, Healthline