Natural Ways to Increase Your Libido

Have you ever had those days where you weren’t really feeling sex or masturbation? Libido, or sex drive, varies from person to person—no matter what age or gender you are, and it is a natural occurrence to have different levels of sex drive as time passes by. If you’re one of the people who want to naturally increase your libido, here are a few tips that may help you:

What Is Libido

The term libido originates from Sigmeund Freud’s “Psychoanalytic Theory of Personality” ideas about The Id. According to Freud the id is the personality component made up of unconscious psychic energy that works to satisfy basic urges, needs, and desires.

In modern times, libido is often used to describe one's sex drive. This sex drive may vary—from low libido to high libido—depending on external and internal factors that each person experiences.

How to Increase Libido Naturally

Get a good night's sleep

Yes, sleep actually plays a huge role in our sex drive! With such busy schedules and hectic lifestyles, we tend to forget about the importance of getting a full night's sleep. Experts recommend that the average adult needs around 7 to 9 hours of sleep per night to gain the many benefits of sleep, one is increased libido!

Sleep helps us function well and boosts our energy by making us feel well-rested throughout the day. A study conducted in 2015 found that women who get more sleep the night before sexual intercourse have significantly increased sexual desire the next day.

Those with a longer duration of sleep reported better genital arousal than those with shorter sleeping times. Being low on sleep often leaves us exhausted, leaving very little space for arousal or sexual desire in our bodies. Make sure to take naps and sleep at a healthy hour to establish a healthy sleeping schedule.

Don’t skip foreplay

Sometimes we skip straight to sex without giving attention to the build-up, one of the things that make sex feel so satisfying and rewarding. A research done in 2017 found that “only around 18% of women orgasm from penetrative intercourse alone, while 33.6% report that stimulation of the clitoris is necessary for them to orgasm.” Without foreplay, we may miss out on having deeper orgasms and cut ourselves off from being completely ready for penetration.

For the women out there, psychosexual therapist Dr. Ruth Westheimer says that it is especially important for women to spend time doing foreplay before sex because it takes them a long time to get aroused as compared to men.

During foreplay, it is vital to communicate with your partner and let them know what pleasure spots you want them to stimulate as well. You can even do this with a vibrator to spice things up and make sure you’re hitting all their erogenous zones such as the nipples, neck, ears, inner wrist, and back.

Experiment with aphrodisiacs

Surprisingly, there are many aphrodisiacs that support both physical and sexual health. Certain fruits such as figs, bananas, cucumbers, and avocados are libido-boosting foods because they aid in increasing blood flow to the genitals.

Chocolate is another powerful and delicious food that helps increase libido and sexual pleasure. This sweet treat not only tastes good but also releases chemicals like serotonin, which helps in lifting one’s mood and increasing blood flow naturally as well. There isn’t much research supporting its aphrodisiac-like qualities, but a study in 2009 found that it does indeed contribute to lowering anxiety and stress levels, which are also two factors that help in naturally increasing sex drive.

If you like oysters, we have some good news for you! This is one food that was proven to increase libido in various research and clinical trials, and may be your best bet in gaining an enhanced libido. They contain high levels of zinc which is a mineral contained in sex hormones in order to function properly.

Fun fact: A study conducted in 2013 discovered that “consuming oysters increased sexual behavior in mice when compared to controls.” Lastly, Pistachios have also made an impact in increasing libido as one study found that men who consumed 100 grams of pistachio a day for three weeks straight experienced firmer erections and blood flow to the penis.

Herbal remedies

There are many herbs that help increase blood flow and circulation. It’s worth a shot to add them to your grocery list so you can add them to the next dish you make! Here is a list of some herbs that promote these health benefits and potentially help in increasing sex drive:

• bacopa
• black pepper
• butcher’s broom
• cayenne
• chickweed
• ginger
• gotu kola
• hawthorn
• maidenhair
• thyme
• turmeric

These herbs could help men undergoing erectile dysfunction (ED) in men and also improve sexual dysfunction in postmenopausal women.

Move your body

Moving your body and maintaining physical fitness can help increase libido. A 2015 study found that regular exercise helped men deal with low sex drive and changes within their relationships. As exercise also helps us with our weight management, having a healthy weight helps combat low libido.

In fact, researchers found a correlation between low sex drive and obesity due to factors such as hormones and low testosterone levels. With this, regular exercise, a healthy diet, and moderate body weight can help improve one’s sexual health as it holistically boosts your happy hormones, energy levels, physical health, and emotional well-being.

Whether it is because of biological or hormonal changes, there are ways to address a decreased libido. However, it’s also important to remember that having a low sex drive isn’t a problem or something to be ashamed of, and you may also let time pass until you feel like your sexual desire has returned. It doesn’t matter what age you are or the relationship status you have, we all go through periods of low sex drive because of internal and external circumstances. The most important thing is that we address this in the way that makes us feel most comfortable in our own bodies, and that may look different for each person.

If you need an extra push to increase your libido, check out our handy pleasure toys and personal sex lube that you can play with by yourself or with your partner. See our online sex toy shop in the Philippines through our website and Facebook page.