Did you know the health of your gut can directly affect your libido (sex drive)?

If you had asked me this question 2 years ago I would have said NO

But having begun to explore the world of the gut-brain-axis because of my menopause issues I've come to learn that there's a strong connection between the brain and our gut microbiome...

That sleep disorders, depression, stress and weight are all very much linked to the gut and that includes our sex life too.

That's because poor gut health (as I've explained in a previous post about the gut biome) has been found to be increasingly connected to problems with intimacy and sex and that's because our gut biome affects our mood and our mood of course plays a big part in our interest in or ability to have sex.  

And it's all because of the levels of good bacteria in our gut mean less serotonin (which controls libido and sex drive) is actually produce 

Throw the menopause into the mix and the state of our hormones (our mood, lack of sleep, weight gain etc) all of this makes a lot of sense and hardly surprising that we're not going to feel particularly sexy!

And then add to that the stress of it all raising cortisol levels romance ❤️is the last thing on our mind!

But all is not lost...

We can liven up our libido 🙂

WAYS TO LIVEN UP YOUR LIBIDO

1. Eat Gut-Friendly Food

Eating more gut-friendly food will increase the diversity of your gut's microbiome and improve your wellbeing in general.  Avoid processed food and choose fibre-rich foods instead (more on that in another article)

2. Exercise

Frequent exercise is an excellent way to diversify your gut's bacteria.  Believe it or not, just moving around more sparks a reaction in the gut making the microbes jiggle about and set off a reaction that produces seratonin (that's the hormone that controls libido remember!)

3. Sleep

It's common sense really but we quickly forget how important sleep is.  Poor sleep affects not only your mood but also your libido and if you are suffering from hot flushes and night sweats because of the menopause and hormone imbalance we need to get this under control.  Luckily there are many natural solutions for this.

4. Prioritise Relaxation

Increased cortisol can affect our libido so we need to find "me" time to relax and unwind.  Whatever you do that helps you relax will make a difference.  Personally I love a nice hot perfumed bath but whatever turns you on!

5. Be Honest

Being honest with your partner about how you feel is really important - if they don't know how you feel how can they help you!  You have all the time in the world when you are on the same page.

Just planning a nice evening out can make all the difference

6. Explore Supplementation

Honestly I had no idea that there were natural supplements that could help but there are and because they work directly on the gut biome they can actually help a lot of women (me included)  The range I have tried and use is called Happy Hormones and I recommend these in my booklet Happy Menopause 

Now you know it's time to get the romance back into your life ❤️and at time of writing, Valentines is just around the corner