What Is Libido? How to Increase Your Libido

Libido, also known as sex drive or sexual drive, refers to a person’s reflexive arousal abilities. A person with a low libido may experience less sexual desire than someone with a higher one. As a result, a person with a high libido is more likely to seek out engagement in sexual activity, whether through masturbation, partnered intercourse, or the pursuit of an active sex life.

Low sex drive has many potential causes, though it is not a cause for concern if it doesn’t impact your or your partner’s life adversely. Here are some common reasons for a reduced sex drive:

1. 1. Alcohol or drug use: Heavy drinking or consumption of recreational drugs can make it harder for a person to achieve ejaculation or maintain arousal.
2. 2. Medical conditions: Several common physical health conditions can result in a lower sex drive, including fluctuating sex hormones (like estrogen or testosterone levels), which change throughout a person’s lifetime. Decreased libido can also result from reactions to certain medications or related health problems, like vaginal dryness or erectile dysfunction. The aftermath of surgery can affect a person’s sexual organs or blood flow, potentially leading to lowered sexual desire.
3. 3. Mental health issues: A person’s mental well-being directly impacts their desire to have sex. Regardless of how far in the past it may be, trauma from past sexual abuse can foster lifelong low sexual desire. Low self-esteem or body dissatisfaction can lead to performance anxiety, making it harder to feel sexy and curbing one’s libido. Conditions that affect a person’s motivation (like depression and anxiety) can likewise lessen one’s sex drive.
4. 4. Relationship problems: Loss of libido may be a side effect of unresolved relationship issues with your partner. While it’s normal for couples to have less sex the longer they’ve been together, a lack of trust or poor communication can make their sex life less active.
5. 5. Sexual incompatibility: If you and a sexual partner want different things from sex, it can be challenging to achieve the physical and mental conditions necessary for a pleasurable interaction. Similarly, if one partner reaches ejaculation long before the other without taking care of the other partner, it can create tension and resentment.
6. 6. Stress: The everyday stress of lifestyle changes or a poor work-life balance can be draining physically and mentally, leaving little energy for sexual arousal. Lack of regular sleep can further exacerbate the situation.

Just as low libido can have many causes, there are many potential ways to address it, including the following measures:

• Aphrodisiacs: While there isn’t much data to suggest that foods typically thought of as aphrodisiacs affect libido from a physical standpoint, their psychological placebo effects (serving to get you in “the mood”) can still be helpful if they make you feel more confident.
• Experimentation: Trying new forms of sexual experience—or means of intimacy with your partner that don’t involve traditional sex—can lead to productive discoveries that help you reach new levels of desire for your partner. Experiment with sex games for couples or incorporate sex toys to mix things up in the bedroom.
• Hormone treatment: If a medical professional determines that you have a hormonal imbalance, they may prescribe a course of treatment to adjust your hormone levels.
• Relationship counseling: If you and your sexual partner aren’t communicating effectively, hiring a sex therapist or couples counselor to facilitate an open dialogue can be beneficial. Working with a professional may help make it easier for you to express sexual fantasies and fears to each other.
• Stress management: Finding ways to reduce stress in your life can free up mental energy and motivation for sexual arousal. Increasing physical activity and maintaining a regular sleep schedule can also help. Learn how to fix a sleep schedule.

Craving a little more intimacy? Grab a MasterClass Annual Membership and learn more about open communication with your partners, experimenting in the bedroom, and being your own best sexual advocate with a little help from Emily Morse (host of the wildly popular podcast Sex With Emily).