7 Ways to Make Sex Great Again

If your great sex life has cooled down over time, here’s how to rekindle the fire.

happy older couple in bed
iStock/kupicoo

Recognize sex is healthy for both of you

“If sex is becoming a chore, try to blot out the negatives and realize instead that your bedroom athletics have a lot of positive health benefits,” says Brett McCann, senior lecturer in sexual health at the University of Sydney in Australia. “Recent research shows sex lowers the frequency of fatal heart attacks, burns calories, and decreases breast cancer in men.” Other research has suggested that for young men, having frequent ejaculations decreases the risk of prostate cancer in later life, according to a study published in European Urology. Cleveland Clinic researchers found that people who have regular intercourse have better stress responses and lower blood pressure.

People who have more frequent sex may have higher levels of a type of infection-fighting antibody in their saliva compared those who have sex less frequently, according to a 2004 study of 112 college students in the journal Psychological Reports. Why? Possible theories include that sexually active people may have more immunity since they are exposed to more infectious agents than non-sexually active people.

African-American couple in love
iStock/BraunS

Forget your flaws

If you want your sex life to be steamy, you need to love your body. Figure out what makes you feel sexy and beautiful, and make that happen. Whether you are a man or a woman, the key is to simply relax, have fun and make the other person feel special. (Stop worrying about how long sex should last, too–here are some other ways to make it more enjoyable.)

guy with beard getting a massage
iStock/Minerva Studio

Experiment with something new

Try novel ways to get sexually connected again, says Australian sex and relationships therapist Pamela Supple:

• Start foreplay early. Linger over a morning kiss rather than giving him a perfunctory peck; whisper something naughty in his ear; massage his shoulders briefly when he gets home. By increasing your emotional connection during the day, you’ll gradually increase your level of arousal all day and into the night.
• Don’t forget the power of touch. Learn how to give a good massage (tip: rub your hands together first so they’re not cold). And have fun experimenting with some edible massage oil in, say, chocolate or
vanilla.
• Enjoy each other. “Have a bath together; cuddle on the couch and listen to music; experiment with sex toys; buy the Kama Sutra if you’re game, and laugh as you try new positions in different rooms,” says Supple. “Start slow and see how far you go.”

Check out 14 more ways to spice up your sex life.

Happy couple in bed with baby between them
iStock/PeopleImages

Baby-proof your sex life

If you’ve just had a baby, vaginal tissue is tender and hormones are haywire. So sex is probably the last thing on your mind. “Often it takes months or up to a year for women to feel comfortable about sex again,” says Supple. “And some men find themselves depressed because, all of a sudden, much of the focus is on the baby and there’s no time left for him.”

So how do you baby-proof your sex life? Start slowly and create opportunities for sex to happen. At least twice a year, have a weekend away, and if you can, take a one-week holiday with just your partner every year. If you feel guilty about leaving the kids, remember they will benefit from having happy parents. “Think of time alone together as an investment in your relationship,” says Supple.

She also recommends planning “sex nights.” Once or twice a month, hire a babysitter and go on a date with your partner—no matter how tired or unsexy you feel. “Go to dinner or a movie, come home with the kids hopefully asleep, turn off your phones and TV, and leave the worries of work, bills or anything else at the bedroom door.”

person holding pill bottle and pills
iStock/MarsBars

Change your medications

If it’s depression that’s ruining your libido—either depression itself, or antidepressants, which can dampen sex drive—tell your doctor about it. “Quite often, switching to a different anti¬depressant, or adjusting the dose of your current drug, is enough to get the libido pumping again,” says McCann. You also need to be frank with your partner, he adds. “Depression can completely kill sexual desire, so don’t feel guilty and force yourself to go further than you want to. Accept that you’ll need to move gradually; start with some kissing in bed, and see where that goes.”

McCann points out that while antidepressant medications can affect the intensity of the female orgasm or cause men to take longer to ejaculate, these problems are often nowhere near as bad as untreated depression. “At least when people treat their depression they can start to have sexual thoughts again,” he says. “If it’s untreated, they can go for months or years before feeling the desire for sex.”

couple talking in bed
iStock/kupicoo

Be honest about how it feels

For women, there are a few below-the-belt issues that can affect sexual drive, including perimenopause, menopause, and breastfeeding. “A lot of women suffer vaginal dryness in silence,” says McCann. While men’s sexual problems are often visually obvious, “men can’t easily tell if a woman is in pain during intercourse. And many women feel embarrassed to tell their partner sex hurts.” Try a lubricant such as K-Y or Astroglide. And tell your doctor about any pain or discomfort you experience during intercourse.

Mason jars with pomegranate and lime drinks
iStock/romrodinka

Try a natural aphrodisiac

Oysters and chocolate? It’s still not certain they work, but they might. This may also be worth a try. Pomegranate juice contains antioxidants that may support blood flow. A 2007 study by The Male Clinic in California found that pomegranate juice had a positive effect on erectile dysfunction although the results were not statistically significant, so more study is needed.

Sources
  • Brett McCann, senior lecturer in sexual health at the University of Sydney in Australia
  • European Urology: Ejaculation Frequency and Risk of Prostate Cancer: Updated Results with an Additional Decade of Follow-up
  • Cleveland Clinic: Why Sex Is Good for Your Health
  • Sage Journals: Sexual Frequency and Salivary Immunoglobulin A (IgA)
  • Pamela Supple, sex therapist in Sydney, Australia
  • International Journal of Impotence Research: Efficacy and safety of pomegranate juice on improvement of erectile dysfunction in male patients with mild to moderate erectile dysfunction.
Medically reviewed by Tia Jackson-Bey, MD, on September 25, 2019
Reader's Digest
Originally Published in Reader's Digest