There are many reasons why people’s sex lives struggle. Some of them are physical issues and some psychological. It can be difficult sometimes to understand what the underlying cause of certain issues is, but there are many people out there who swear by CBD to help them to give their sex life a boost.
CBD or cannabidiol is a cannabinoid which is found naturally in the cannabis plant. Although there is still a lot of research needed to be carried out about how and why it can help us to stay healthy, scientists have a good understanding of the fact that CBD can interact with the human endocannabinoid system, which can, in turn, have a number of effects on the body.
The endocannabinoid system is based on a system of cannabinoid receptors and endocannabinoids around the body. There interact with each other to be able to regulate a number of aspects of the body and some of these aspects can have an impact on our sex lives.
This article explains more about CBD and the endocannabinoid system – What is CBD?
CBD and Sex
There are a number of reasons why taking CBD could be beneficial to your sex life, regardless of whether you are a male or female. For starters, one of the main things that CBD can do for you is to keep you generally healthy and full of energy. And let’s face it – no-one feels like sex when they’re not feeling great.
There are both psychological and physical issues which can affect your sex life, both having a profound impact on our ability to enjoy and engage with meaningful sex.
Psychological Issues
One of the biggest reasons for sexual problems is stress and anxiety. Regardless of whether the stress and anxiety are linked to sex itself, or to other outside factors, they can still heavily impact on our ability to enjoy sex.
This isn’t helped by the traditional British attitude of not wanting to talk about issues with our sex lives, meaning that often problems such as ‘performance anxiety’ aren’t discussed or resolved and just grow bigger.
Some of the psychological stresses which commonly affect sex between a couple include stresses about work, problems within a relationship, depression or trauma from past sexual experiences.
Of course, it is important that if there are issues in a relationship between the couple or due to something that has happened in the past, to work through and try to resolve these issues. Without doing this properly, you will never get to the bottom of the problem.
However, if your problems are general anxiety, nervousness about being in a sexual situation or stress from outside of the relationship, CBD might be able to help.
Researchers suggest that CBD is anxiolytic – in other words, it can help to reduce anxiety and help you to relax.[1] They believe that CBD can help to increase the amount of serotonin in the brain – a chemical which scientists believe is important in tackling depression and anxiety, and which is targeted by some prescribed anti-depressants. By reducing anxiety and being able to relax better, couples are able to be mindful of where they are, get in the mood, lose some of their inhibitions and enjoy sex more.
They also believe that CBD can help to regenerate brain cells in the hippocampus – the part of the brain that is especially used for memory, but which they also believe has an effect on depression and anxiety. Research shows that those who suffer from these issues also have a smaller hippocampus, so the thinking behind it is that if CBD can help to regenerate these cells, we can reduce the possibility of depression and anxiety – and help people to enjoy sex more.
There is a human study which shows that people who took CBD experienced less anxiety in a public speaking task. [2] It is thought that this effect could be carried over into the bedroom.
If we are able to reduce stress and anxiety and become generally more relaxed, this can work wonders for our sex lives. Not just in our own enjoyment but it also helps us to be more responsive and expressive if we are relaxed.
Physical Issues
Scientists believe that some of the physical issues that can impede on a good and fulfilling sex life can possibly be helped by CBD.
Pain relief – Some people experience pain during sex. Many women, for example, experience pain due to a lack of lubrication. This is a problem especially for women as they reach the menopause. Research shows that CBD can be useful in helping to relieve pain [3]. CBD rich oils can be especially effective as lubricants not only due to its potential for pain relief but also as it has anti-inflammatory properties [4].
One cautionary point, however, is that it is important to check that any CBD lubrication product is safe to use with condoms as it is possible that oils aren’t latex friendly.
Arousal – Evidence shows that CBD is a vasodilator – in other words, that it can dilate the blood vessels [5]. This means that fresh and oxygenated blood can flow easily, stimulating and arousing the area where it is applied – if you are using CBD lubrification, for example.
Erectile Dysfunction – Impotence or erectile dysfunction is much more common than you might have thought – with 50% – 55% of men between the age of 40 and 70 experiencing problems obtaining or maintaining an erection according to the British Association of Urological Surgeons. There are a number of reasons why this can occur, including cardiovascular disease, diabetes, hormone problems and neurological disorders. Of course, the best way to deal with this is to be able to deal with the underlying problem.
However, there are a few ways that CBD could possibly help with erectile dysfunction. The fact that CBD can help to dilate blood vessels means that it might be able to help with the cardiovascular issues, which would in turn help with the erectile dysfunction.
It is also believed that Dioxins – a chemical toxin can be partly responsible for erectile dysfunction, and the good news is that research shows that CBD and other cannabinoids can help to flush out these toxins, helping to reduce the chance of erectile dysfunction.
Taking CBD for a better sex life
Regardless of the reason why you might consider taking CBD for your sex life, there are a number of different ways that you can take it.
If you are thinking about using it as a massage oil or for lubrication, it is important to remember that it doesn’t come into effect straight away. The quickest way that CBD can be consumed is through vaping it or taking it under the tongue.
By using CBD topically, you can get its effect directly in the area where it is applied, but if you are thinking about trying it for health problems such as anxiety, it is recommended that you ingest it through vaping, sub-lingual drops, capsules or edibles.
The same CDB dose can affect different people in different ways, so it is important to experiment with the dosing of your CBD. Start off very low and keep increasing it until you get the effect that you are looking for. If you are using massage oil or lubricant, however, you can use as much as you like as it doesn’t enter directly into the bloodstream, if it is applied topically.
A good sex life can be an important part of being in a couple for many people, and psychological and physical issues can cause major – and unnecessary – upset. Many people are savouring the value that CBD has for their sex lives, helping them to enjoy sex and nurture their loving relationship.
Source
1 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4604171/
2 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3079847/
3 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2430692/
4 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6222489/
5 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4851925/