Most of us have heard about the seasonal affective disorder (SAD), which is a form of depression that occurs when the change in daylight triggers a feeling of sadness. But did you know that SAD is actually a real thing and that it can have a profound effect on your sex life? In this article, I’ll tell you all about the seasonal affective disorder and its effect on sex.
Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) can seriously interfere with a person’s sex life. In fact, SAD is one of the top reasons why many people say they’re not interested in sex. But, is the reason really that simple? Or could it be something more complicated? What if the reason you aren’t interested in sex isn’t that simple, and there are other underlying factors? Read on to know more deets about it.
What is Seasonal Affective Disorder?
Seasonal affective disorder (SAD) is a condition in which a person experiences depression during the winter months. SAD can cause problems with sleeping, eating, and overall well-being. It begins and ends at the same time each year. If you’re like most people, your symptoms begin in the fall and continue into the winter months, making you feel depressed and moody. People suffering from SAD often seem its symptoms to resolve in the summer & spring months. Few people experience symptoms of SAD in spring or early summers, which resolves during the fall or winter months.
Effects of SAD on Sex Life
Mostly everyone knows about the seasonal affective disorder, but very few may be aware of the impacts it has on individual sex life. Here we have explained SAD effects on sex as recommended by experts:
Less interested in Sexual Activities
The most common effect of seasonal affective disorder is that it makes a person less interested in sexual activities. Many people experiencing this problem think that it is a mental health problem and thus they tend to ignore their sexual needs. They usually avoid the time of sexual activities like they have no energy for it. This may also lead to various physical complications.
In winter, the weather is cold and dark. With the lack of natural light, the brain releases chemicals that make us feel tired and uninterested in sexual activities which is an effect of seasonal affective disorder. This makes our sex life dull and unsatisfying. If your sex life is affected by SAD, you may not be interested in sex as much. You may feel irritable and irritated during sex. You may not enjoy it as much as you used to. Your partner will also notice these changes. A low sex drive is also a potential side effect of SSRIs, a type of medication frequently prescribed to treat SAD and other forms of depression.
You Sleep Longer than Expected
Generally, people experience SAD in the winter months due to the lack of sunlight, and when someone is experiencing SAD it’s pretty obvious that he is not getting enough Vitamin D. Melatonin if you don’t know is a hormone produced by the human body by the pineal gland to regulate day and night cycle or even you can say sleep – awake cycle. Basically, its dark pineal gland produces melatonin whose production gradually decreases by early morning, but people suffering from SAD keep on producing it and thus they tend to sleep longer than it’s expected.
Due to the extra darkness in winter the production of melatonin increases which is directly responsible for the sleep and wake cycle and hence people suffering from SAD experience longer sleep than expected, if you dig more whether you are suffering from SAD or not, in winter everyone tends to sleep longer than they sleep in summer or fall. Also talking about the effects of SAD on sex people suffering from SAD sleep longer than expected so at night they feel like they are tired and jitter as result their sex drive has been derived away and they don’t tend to have sex in the same way in the morning they want to sleep more rather than having some naughty and exotic fun with their partners.
Finding Difficulty in Orgasm
According to the Mayo Clinic and many other sex education-oriented platforms, people who experience SAD may have difficulty in orgasms. They may not be able to reach orgasm easily, and this can affect their overall sex life. And all these are common symptoms of depression.
Generally, people suffering from SAD experiences depression and anxiety which directly affects the mental state of the individual, which later on carries with it to various organs and systems of the body, such as the digestive system, endocrine system, musculoskeletal system, nervous system, skin and reproductive system, which all have direct effects on the sexual life of the person. These effects may cause a decrease in libido, erectile dysfunction, delayed ejaculation, and other sexual problems. In short, if you are having trouble reaching a climax in the bedroom, then it’s probably because you’re depressed and suffering from SAD.
Feeling Tired All Day
Some people complain that they feel tired all day, but they don’t understand why they feel tired. Some people feel tired, depressed, and stressed. It’s because they are suffering from SAD. People who have depression have low levels of energy and lack motivation. Depression makes people think that they are worthless and unable to do anything. This can affect the quality of their lives. Most of the time, SAD leads to severe depression.
When you get up you feel like you are tired, and it continues all day long which at end of the day carries out with more tiredness and not even thinking of having any sexual activity with your partner. All this is because SAD makes you feel like you are tired and unable to carry out any work.
Unable to Get Up in the Morning
As people suffering from SAD experience tiredness all day long then it is quite obvious that they will face difficulty in waking up in the morning. And all these symptoms together make the individual exhausted, unproductive and irritated. Although they have completed their sleep cycle they feel like just lying on the bed what’s the point of getting up? They feel like they are just lying in bed, and can’t even stand up. It is also true that some people who have SAD feel so exhausted that they just don’t want to get up.
Which in some way also affects the sexual desire of the individuals. One of the most common complaints of people who are going through seasonal affective disorder is lack of energy. These individuals suffer from extreme fatigue during the winter months. This condition can cause various health problems, including irritability, low moods, inability to concentrate, and sexual dysfunction. It can also negatively impact people’s sleep patterns. In order to combat the problem, you should try to make adjustments in your daily schedule so that you can get more sleep. One good strategy would be to go to bed earlier than usual. This way you can get more restorative sleep. You should also get a light therapy box that is specially designed to treat SAD.
