Sex before bed has more positive impact on sleep vs. medication in adults with insomnia

Key takeaways:

• Researchers surveyed 53 adults with insomnia.
• 75% of respondents reported better sleep after having sex before bedtime, and 64% felt medication had similar or worse effect on sleep compared with sex.

INDIANAPOLIS — Three out of four adults with insomnia reported better sleep after engaging in sex before bedtime, and most felt medication had similar or worse effect on sleep, according to survey data presented at the SLEEP annual meeting.

“Little scientific data exists around the impact of sex and orgasm on sleep quality,” Douglas Kirsch, MD, lead study author and medical director of sleep medicine at Atrium Health in Charlotte, North Carolina, said in a related release. “While this data is quite preliminary, it was interesting how often sex was used to aid in sleep.”

Seeking to evaluate the perceived effect of sex and orgasm on sleep compared with medication in adults with insomnia, researchers created an eight-question survey, which was shared on social media platforms. A total of 53 adults (53% women) completed the survey, 89% of whom were aged 25 to 49 years.

According to results, 75% of respondents reported better sleep following sex/orgasm before bedtime, with a majority of those indicating moderate sleep improvement on those nights. Two-thirds of respondents reported using medication to improve sleep.

Notably, 64% of survey respondents felt that medication had similar or worse effect on their sleep compared with sexual activity.

Researchers acknowledged that more research is needed on the effect of sex and orgasm on sleep quality, understanding that for many sexual activity before bedtime may be a negative experience and actually worsen sleep.

“This preliminary data starts a conversation about a mostly unexplored area around sex and insomnia,” study co-author Seema Khosla, MD, FCCP, FAASM, medical director of the North Dakota Center for Sleep, said in the release.

Reference:

• Survey finds that sex is as good as — or better than — a sleeping pill. https://www.sleepmeeting.org/survey-finds-that-sex-is-as-good-as-or-better-than-a-sleeping-pill/. Published June 2, 2023. Accessed June 9, 2023.