Why
is it that a man feels at his sexiest when he wakes up in the morning but a
woman wants to go back to sleep?
And why, late at night, when a woman is in the
mood for love, is her man just lying there, snoring? It all comes down to
hormones. Here’s why our sex clocks don’t always tick in time.
5AM
Even before a man has opened his eyes in the
morning, his level of testosterone is at its peak – between 25% to 50% more
than at any other time of the day.
That’s because the pituitary gland in his brain –
which governs the production of the male sex hormone – has been switched on in
the night and levels have been steadily rising until dawn.
Women also make testosterone – the main sex drive
hormone – but produce a fraction of the amount and it rises by only a tiny bit
overnight. It is also kept in balance by oestrogen and progesterone.
Men need only a normal amount of testosterone to
feel like sex,. The raised levels in the morning means most men will wake up
two to three times a week with erections.”
6AM
Slept well? A good kip is another reason a man may
feel even more amorous in the morning. Studies found the longer and deeper a
man has slept, the higher his testosterone levels. Research in the Journal of
the American Medical Association shows getting more than five hours’ sleep can
raise male levels by an extra 15%.
7AM
While a man’s levels of sex hormones are at their
highest when he wakes up, a woman’s are at their lowest. “Male and female
testosterone levels are at their highest at opposite ends of the day, so they
are out of synch,” says consultant gynaecologist Gabrielle Downey, of the
Sandwell and West Birmingham Hospitals NHS Trust.
It takes more than hormones to get a woman in the
mood, so men need to make an active effort. Instead, women’s hormones rise and
fall more over their monthly cycle than through the course of a day.
At
their height – midway through her cycle – a woman’s levels of testosterone will
be 30 times higher than at the start.
8AM
Preparing for another busy day at work?
As both sexes get ready for the day, levels of the
stress hormone cortisol rise to help them wake up – and help dampen the effect
of sex hormones.
After this initial surge, if the body keeps
producing too much in response to stressful events over the day, studies have
found it lowers the sex drive of both men and women.
9AM
As the day goes on, men will keep steadily making
testosterone in their testes. The hormone is also needed to trigger muscle
growth and sperm production. Although men are mostly unaware of it, levels will
fall and rise in a wave naturally every 90 minutes throughout the day as part
of the body’s in-built body clock.
12
NOON
An attractive colleague wanders into the
workplace. But it won’t be a man’s hormones that react first. If a man feels
highly attracted by someone, it’s his nervous system that kicks into action.
The sight of someone attractive immediately releases
feel-good brain neurotransmitters called endorphins – and triggers blood flow
to a man’s genitals. Sex hormones take longer to increase. However, when
confronted with a sexy person, a man who naturally already has higher
testosterone levels is likely to be more flirtatious with them.
Men with more testosterone are also more likely to
be found attractive by women, according to researchers at Wayne State
University in Michigan, US.
According to assistant professor of psychology
Richard Slatcher – who has studied the link between testosterone and
attractiveness in men – the more testosterone a man has, the more women are
likely to say they click with them.
1PM
If women are lucky enough to catch a glimpse of
the Diet Coke hunk at lunchtime, they are less likely to be aroused than if a
male colleague sees someone he fancies. Instead, studies have found that a
woman’s testosterone levels are more likely to be boosted by the anticipation
of sex with her own partner.
In one study by the University of Texas, women in
long-distance relationships gave five saliva samples. The tests were given two
weeks before they saw their partners, the day before, before sex, the day after
sex and three days after the pair were separated. The women’s testosterone
levels hit their peak the day before they were due to see their partners again.
6PM
As evening approaches, men’s levels of
testosterone are starting to fall while women’s sex hormones are gradually
rising, albeit much more slowly.
However, an after-work gym session can boost the
libido of both genders. Studies have shown that testosterone levels in men are
significantly higher after 30 to 40 minutes of intense resistance or endurance
exercise.
Research by scientists at the University of
California, San Diego, found men who exercised had a boosted libido.
They also reported having 30% more sex and 26%
more orgasms.
Levels of sex hormones also spike in women after
exercise. According to a study by the University of Texas, women who had 20
minutes of cardio exercise were more aroused by seeing an erotic film than
women who had not exercised.
7PM
When it’s time to unwind after a stressful day,
even putting on a CD to relax can affect sex hormone levels.
A Japanese study by Nara University found that
music – including pop music, jazz or just a compilation of favourite songs –
boosted testosterone levels “significantly” in women but had exactly the
opposite effect in men.
Researchers believe the reason is that music may
make women feel more relaxed, bonded and in turn more sexual, while in men it
calms their aggression and in turn reduces their levels of testosterone.
8PM
If an important match is on TV, the results can
also affect a man’s testosterone – depending on the result.
According to a study of saliva tests by the
University of Utah, sports fans watching a World Cup game boosted hormone
levels by about 20% if their team won.
After a loss in a big game, there was a 20% drop
in levels. Not good news for England fans, then!
By contrast, women are more likely to be affected
by actually playing sport rather than watching it.
In one study of women athletes, their testosterone
levels significantly increased after long runs.
9PM
By now, a man’s testosterone level is dropping to
the lowest level of the day, while a woman’s is heading towards its highest
point.
But the more attractive a woman feels, the more
likely it is that she will want to jump into bed with him.
“Sexual desire in women is not a simple story,”
explains Gabrielle Downey.
“For men, it’s more down to testosterone. For
women, the single greatest factor influencing a woman’s sex drive is body
image and how attractive she perceives herself to be.
“It means that if a woman sees herself as
unattractive, she is much less likely to want to have sex.
“That’s why women with polycystic ovaries, who
have increased levels of testosterone, don’t have increased libido.
“They often see themselves as overweight and not
attractive – and that feeling overrides their heightened sex hormones.”
10PM
Even though men’s testosterone levels are now at
their lowest, they are still more likely to have sex in the evening.
“It’s been said that women need a reason and men
just need a place – and I think that’s true,” says Gabrielle.
“Even though male testosterone may have dipped,
their levels are still running higher than a woman’s so they are still
responsive – even though the man’s levels were higher when they first woke up
that morning.” Once they are making love, if a woman’s testosterone levels are
peaking because of where she is during her cycle – around the 13th day – her
orgasms are more intense and they will be felt all over the body.
When the levels are lower, her climaxes are less
intense and centred mainly around the sexual organs.
11PM
During orgasm, the bonding hormone oxytocin is
released – which helps to bring couples closer.
In males, the bonding hormone helps make the
prostate and seminal glands to contract.
In women, it helps to spark uterine contractions
that move the sperm towards the ovaries.
The release of oxytocin after sex also explains
why men are notorious for falling asleep after making love.
“In women, oxytocin is known as the hormone of
breast-feeding and muscle contractions,” says Gabrielle.
“But in men the extra boost of oxytocin has also
been found to work as a neurotransmitter in the brain and may also promote
sleep.”
Oxytocin’s bonding effects will last after sex,
too.
In one study, Swiss researchers gave 47 couples a
nasal spray containing either oxytocin or a placebo.
The pairs were then videotaped, discussing
subjects that they usually rowed about.
The partners who were given oxytocin were more
reasonable and less aggressive with each other.
Oxytocin was also found to have an “amnesiac”
effect – which may also have allowed them to forgive each other more easily
after rows!
CREDIT: Mirror.co.uk
Jayne it is not easy to be a man
ReplyDeletehahahahhahahaha either is it for women.
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