Libido at Christmas: why do we generally have less desire to make love in winter?

The Christmas holidays make us want to take refuge at home, not sticking out our noses. The cold will stir up the desire to go warm up. So why not do it against a body capable of giving us pleasure?

But on a biological level, our body tells us the opposite: the cold would indeed induce a decrease in the production of testosterone, a sex hormone involved in male… and female desire.

The winter season, with its drop in light and drop in temperature, causes in some people seasonal affective disorder (SAD) described by British researchers* as “loss of energy, lack of initiative, loss of interest in general and a decrease in libido”. So many points that keep Christmas away from cuddly desires.

And what about your Christmas plates? These will contain certain foods that have – all things considered – slight aphrodisiac virtues. Chocolate, for example, is rich in phenylethylamine which will stimulate the production of endorphins, hormones with liberating power.

Oysters, cinnamon, saffron or ginger are also touted to stimulate your desire. However, this may not be enough: “we know that certain plants have a vasodilating effect. But [ces aliments possèdent] more a psychic stimulation action than a real pharmacological action on the vascular and nervous mechanisms of erection”, explains Dr René Yiou, urologist at Henri Mondor Hospital (AP-HP) on the Inserm detox channel .

Cocooning option

In your home sweet home, make way for the little details that can relax the atmosphere and stimulate the senses: dim lights, candles, perfumes or even music and naughty gifts like sex toys.

And at home, the duvet is never far away and free for you if your schedule of festivities allows you to linger there for a few quarters of an hour with your partner. Still, to feel your libido express itself calmly, certain obstacles to hugs must have been taken into account:

• children to start ! Take advantage of your little ones’ naps for a naughty siesta;

• The main phases of stress: anxiety is not the friend of your libido and this point can be felt at the end of the year. The summer holidays indeed already seem far away and the weeks of work have not spared you. As Sébastien Landry, a psychosexologist at Le Mans, points out, “people who are unable to manage stress and sexual life are those who have few means of decompressing at the psychic level on a daily basis”, whether it is “from sport, music, cinema, reading, social life, meditation…”. Take advantage of the Christmas holidays to give yourself a minimum of relaxation and decompression chambers for a maximum of hugs!