You don’t have to wear green to get a lil Pinch O’ Love from your hunny!
Can we just call a spade a spade real fast and all admit that we aren’t always “FEELIN IT” when it comes to the physical aspect of our relationship? Sometimes, we all need a little push in the right direction, that’s where we come in.
Stats on Stress
The mere stress of the day can weigh heavily on what happens in the evening. Some have a remedy for their stress while others are left begging for a couple of Advil and the pillow. We can enhance the already remedied and help the beggars out there.
Facts
- About 33 percent of people report feeling extreme stress.
- 77 percent of people experience stress that affects their physical health.
- 73 percent of people have stress that impacts their mental health.
- 48 percent of people have trouble sleeping because of stress.
From a psychological (mental) perspective, stress and anxiety may increase your sex drive because:
When you are stressed…
- You may crave feelings of care and safety that come with physical intimacy
- About whether or not you are allowed to have sex during this time, the wanting what you can’t have logic might make you want to have sex more.
- You welcome a distraction, with more available time with your partner in the home, you may feel that your sex drive has increased; and
- When you have fears around mortality or the future, you may begin to forge a more intimate connection with your partner and therefore you may feel that your sex drive is higher.
Sex and Stress
The two go hand in hand in more ways than one. Some folks simply lose all desire for sexual intimacy when stressed because it’s too hard to turn their brains off and their desires on. On the other hand, some remedy their stress with sex and intimacy in hopes of a distraction.
Mental and Physical Health
If your physical or mental health are being affected by stress, chances are your intimacy is a thing of the past. Over 75% of corporate America report forgoing intimacy for a disconnected roll in the hay simply to let off some steam. When in reality, true intimacy actually increases levels of serotonin and cortisol in ways a one night stand could never accomplish.
True Intimacy according to Psych Central…
Intimacy. People often confuse it with sex. But people can be sexual without being intimate. One-night stands, friends with benefits, or sex without love are examples of purely physical acts with no intimacy involved. They are what they are, but they don’t foster warmth, closeness or trust.
Intimacy means deeply knowing another person and feeling deeply known. That doesn’t happen in a conversation in a bar or during a lovely day at the beach or even at times during sex. It doesn’t happen in the first weeks and months of a new and exciting relationship. It doesn’t develop when one person nurtures a relationship more than the other. No. Intimacy, like fine wine takes time to deepen and mellow. It takes gentle handling and patience by all involved. It takes the willingness to make mistakes and to forgive them in the name of learning.
Intimacy is what most people long for but not everyone finds, or rather, makes. Why? Because intimacy, true closeness with another human being, can also be scary. Getting to the intimate core of a relationship requires that both people work through their fear. By visiting and revisiting these areas, intimacy matures and mellows over time.
What Intimacy Involves:
Knowing: A truly intimate relationship lets both people know on the deepest level who they each truly are. They have looked into each other’s soul and found what something they value and appreciate so much that it can withstand the inevitable differences that exist between any two individuals.
Acceptance: Neither person feels the need to change the other or to change themselves in fundamental ways. Oh yes, minor changes always occur when people accommodate each other to live together. But neither member of the couple thinks to him or herself, “Well — with time, I’ll get him or her to change who they are.”
Appreciation of differences: Both understand that they don’t need to be entirely the same to be close. In fact, part of the delight of relationships is the discovery of differences and appreciation for each other’s uniqueness. Learning about each other’s points of view is seen as an opportunity to expand their worlds.
So What If I’m Not There Yet?
That’s ok, and we get that everyone has stress and everyone has physical needs and sexual desires. Even in a marriage of 25 years with the deepest knowledge of one another, intimacy can be hard to find. And although we want that for all of our readers someday, for now, let’s talk about the physical aspect of a relationship.
Sometimes, we need a little help from our friends…and in this case, our friends come in a few different formulas.
Oxytocin
Oxytocin the so-called “love hormone” is being increasingly shown to trigger a wide variety of physical and psychological effects in both women and men.
The hormone’s influence on our behavior and physiology originates in the brain, where it’s produced by a structure called the hypothalamus, and then transfers to the pituitary gland which releases into the bloodstream. Like antennas picking up a signal, oxytocin receptors are found on cells throughout the body. Levels of the hormone tend to be higher during both stressful and socially bonding experiences, according to the American Psychological Association.
“It’s like a hormone of attachment, you might say,” said Carol Rinkleib Ellison, a clinical psychologist in private practice in Loomis, California and former assistant clinical psychiatry professor at the University of California, San Francisco. “It creates feelings of calm and closeness.”
A stream of studies in the last decade have focused on oxytocin’s effects on body and mind. Here’s a look at what we’ve learned.
Oxytocin promotes attachment.
Pregnant women with higher levels of oxytocin during their first trimester bonded more strongly with their babies after they were born, according to a 2007 study in the journal Psychological Science. And compared with other women, women with higher levels throughout their pregnancy and in the first month after birth reported engaging in more behaviors such as singing, feeding and bathing their infants in specific ways that promoted an exclusive relationship between the two.
Oxytocin boosts sexual arousal.
A cocktail of brain chemicals that includes oxytocin is released in men during ejaculation.
These chemicals can intensify bonding between sexual partners, though, Ellin noted, “it isn’t the same for everyone.”
“I think there is a variability,” said Ellison, who also teaches sexuality classes to health professionals. “For people who can really get into the sensuality of hugging and cuddling, that is the hormone released in this process. For people who don’t get into it, maybe they’re not releasing the oxytocin. It may be a circular thing.”
Oxytocin reduces drug cravings.
According to a 1999 article in the journal Progress in Brain Research, some studies indicate that oxytocin inhibits tolerance to addictive drugs, including opiates, and reduces withdrawal symptoms. “It’s an antidote to craving,” Ellison explained. “That craving (for drugs), that hunger, is probably eased with this hormone. It’s involved with the satisfaction of hunger.”
Oxytocin improves social skills.
A February study in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences showed that inhaling oxytocin significantly improved the ability of people with autism to interact with others. Previous studies indicated natural oxytocin levels were lower in those with autism, a developmental disorder characterized by difficulties in communication and social relationships. Oxytocin also reduced autistic individuals’ fear of others, researchers said.
Oxytocin triggers protective instincts.
A June study in the journal Science suggested oxytocin triggers defensive aggression against outsiders who might threaten someone’s social group, such as in soldiers who defend their comrades. Prior animal studies had shown that the hormone promotes protectionist behavior, but this research was the first to demonstrate a similar effect in humans.
Oxytocin induces sleep.
Oxytocin released in the brain under stress-free conditions naturally produces sleep, according to a 2003 study in the journal Regulatory Peptides. Ellison said this link makes sense because oxytocin counters the effects of cortisol, which is the known as the stress hormone. “It has a calming effect,” she said. “It leaves you feeling tranquil and loving, and certainly that helps our path to sleep.
Oxytocin Reduces Stress.
Oxytocin can induce anti-stress-like effects such as reduction of blood pressure and cortisol levels. It increases pain thresholds, exerts an anxiolytic-like affect and stimulates various types of positive social interaction.
So The Point Is…
Why wouldn’t most of America try Oxytocin? Who doesn’t love to cuddle and feel loved? We all need a little stress reduction in 2021, right? And most of us aren’t taking the time to allow ourselves to truly FEEL anything, let alone true intimacy. So, we encourage you to give it a go…catch some luck along with St. Patty. We can’t promise gold at the end of a rainbow, but we can certainly promise you an evening or two that you won’t forget.
Call today for your consult and we can get you and/or your little leprechaun on the path to pettin and pantin asap!
Beyond Our Products
Of course, we love what we do here and we LOVE offering the best products on the market today. We also love giving you all advice that we’ve taken in the past that has helped us along the way. One thing several of us here at Elite Health Online like to do is keep our bodies feeling good. Nothing can kill intimacy more than not feeling sexy or desirable. We attempt to eat pretty good and we all encourage each other to be physical during the day. When both of these occur, you can’t help but go home and feel a little sexier and ready for some lovin.
Another way we like to keep things spicy is to make sure we have a few sexy little silky things that we can put on in an effort to help us “get in the mood.” Grandma always said, “whatever you’re wearing underneath it all will portray how you feel to the world.” As crazy as it sounds, its TRUE! Go ahead, try it out for yourself and you’ll see what Granny meant. Forget the strawberries and escargot!
Tip of The Day…
This is a biggy, so bear with us.
Hair! We’re talking about body hair, and while some can be considered sexy, some can be considered SUCH A TURN OFF! We’re not asking you to go bathe in Rogain, but, we are asking you to consider cleaning some of that up. It’s the 21st century people…barely there is where it’s at. A few of us recently went to the European Wax Center and our lives have been forever changed. Nothing feels sexier than SMOOTH. NOTHING! One of the best ways to feel and stay young is to try new things, so we encourage you to maybe take a walk in the world of waxing and see how it makes you feel. You just might have a few senses that WAKE UP and welcome a touch or two. Cheers to feeling Lucky in Love and legs that are hair free!!
