Is sex good for athletes? Sex and Sport, should you choose?

Sport and Sex : we hear everything and its opposite, some coaches prohibit it, in particular for fear of excessive energy expenditure which could impact the competition a few hours later, while others on the contrary do not want to generate frustration among their students and do not prohibit anything from this point of view. The statistics are astonishing in the Olympic villages for example and the organizers since Calgary 1988 have systematically provided a (very) large stock of condoms: 160,000 condoms available to the 11,000 participants, or 14 per person for 16 days for the last Tokyo Olympics, while in Rio, in 2016, 42 condoms per athlete were distributed! Sexuality among athletes can sometimes be subject to fantasies about optimizing sports performance; “you should never have love before a competition”, or on the contrary “playing sport increases the libido”, or even “sexual frustration makes you more “aggressive” on the field”, see “ejaculation reduces the testosterone levels and therefore muscular strength", we will hear everything and the opposite depending on the coaches interviewed... In reality, no scientific study provides irrefutable evidence on the benefits or on the contrary the damage of sex on sports performance and even less about health ! Most of the preconceived ideas are about sexual relations before sport, but rarely about the post-competition period – would making love facilitate recovery?

What we know, scientifically, is that having fun is good (several studies show this) ! Just before a competition, will humans secrete more dopamine, the hormone of desire? This is probable because in addition to its role in the ability to love, this hormone helps us in projection, in concentration, in physical performance, very important elements for an athlete. It would therefore be scientifically interesting to see if athletes produce more dopamine the day before a competition, for example. If this were the case, we could actually imagine that athletes will then produce (1) luliberin, another hormone released at the start of sexual intercourse, then (2) endorphins, the pleasure hormones before making way (we hopefully), has (3) oxytocin, the orgasm hormones.

What we also know is that to perform, in addition to the notion of pleasure, being rested and sleeping well increases the chances of performing! Apart from brief sexual intercourse, it generally makes it easier to fall asleep (than without it).

Let's return to the principle of sport, whether you are a high-level athlete or a simple amateur – the objective remains to have fun. Where there is pleasure, there is normally a release of dopamine. It is generally when we are happy, and when we have morale, that we can achieve the best performances, some speak of “the stars all aligned”. From there, we could say (1) that if the sporting performance was good on D-DAY, it is probably because the sex itself was good on Day D-1 but also (2) that the sex will be all the better just after a sporting success, thanks to the pleasure provided by sporting performance. More than chemistry therefore, it is the notion of pleasure, of feeling good about oneself, a sort of "fullness" that we must aim for, which will lead us to surpass oneself in one's discipline, and to achieve sporting performances always best. Some will need to have had sex to be happy, while others will need, on the contrary, calm and solitary concentration.

In male athletes, the fact remains that testosterone (male sex hormone) influences libido (this time there is scientific proof) and this testosterone is partly secreted during physical activity, we could therefore imagine that the men after a good physical exercise, actually have a greater desire, than after a day at the office! Testosterone plays a very important role as a desire hormone, it stimulates pleasure and boosts libido. It therefore has a positive effect on sex and doing sport maintains testosterone levels. Here is the direct link which allows us to affirm that physical contact is what is best for sexual fulfillment.

For the amateur athlete who does not tire too much and remains relaxed, the libido increases and the body becomes more and more efficient. Positive aspects linked in particular to endorphins, hormones which act as both painkillers and euphoria.

Never forget that our body has a memory, it remembers what makes it feel good, which concretely means that as our body ends up getting used to the 1 hour of fitness that we do on Tuesday, or the race on Saturday morning, he will also remember the benefits of regular sexual activity, whether we are athletes or simple amateur sportsmen.

Sport, especially at a certain level, requires a certain concentration, and even a certain rigor. In the event of stress linked to the search for success, the body undergoes pressure, psychological obviously but also physical, and certain sexual abilities can thus be reduced by the stress generated by the competition. An athlete already stressed by his competition, who the day before will not be able to have sex. We must therefore obviously differentiate between desire and performance. The competitive spirit and too intensive practice of sport can spoil a relationship. Long periods without sexual intercourse should also not be neglected. We must therefore above all keep this idea in mind: pleasure is the best medicine!

In the Stimium range, we have some interesting products around this notion of Sport and Sex. Vital LLR , a tablet composed of 3 layers of active ingredients released in 5 minutes, 45 minutes and 8 hours, is a combination of vitamins, minerals, ginseng and tribulus, tribulus being a very well-known active ingredient for stimulating sexuality, both in men than women.

Stimium KG , Red Ginseng, which helps fight inflammation and oxidative stress and stimulates libido in women and men. Stimium GABA which promotes calm and relaxation, reducing anxiety and promoting restful sex with competition just like Stimium Ashwagandha , promoting a more active libido.