Some
people have described sex as one of the sweetest things on earth, and
even if it is stressful and requires a lot of strength to do, especially
for men, it is a rigorous exercise many people would gladly undertake
over and over again.
Though, it is no secret that many men
nod off straight after sex, some women also sometimes feel sleepy after
sex but the phenomenon seems more pronounced in men. To women, the
obvious sign of complete ‘shutdown’ by men moments after a passionate
encounter is practically frustrating, and could be accompanied with a
loud buzz of snoring.
Scientists have given men the perfect
excuse for feeling sleepy after sex: ‘they just cannot help themselves,
and not that they are just selfish.’
It is easy to think that men sleep off
after sex because they are tired, but findings have shown that it goes
beyond that. Scientists have said that men really do need to sleep after
sex when they climax because their brains become flooded with
sleep-inducing chemicals such as oxytocin, serotonin and prolactin.
Also, the blood rush after the climax
depletes the muscles of energy-producing glycogen and because men
typically have higher muscle density than women, they become more tired
after sex.
In other words, the answer to the
question, ‘why do men fall asleep after sex’ may be as simple as saying
that they have very little control over their bodies at that point;
hence, it literally shuts down.
When a group of scientists led by a
French Neuroscientist, Serge Stoleru, in a study scanned some men’s
brains before and during orgasm, they found that the cerebral cortex,
which is the ‘thinking’ area, shuts down almost immediately after
orgasm. After this, two other areas, the cingulate cortex and amygdale
direct the rest of the brain to deactivate from sexual desire.
Stoleru, whose research was published in
the Journal Neuroscience and Biobehavioural Reviews, said the human
brain is involved in all the successive steps of sexual behaviour.
Also, neuroimaging scans show that,
after orgasm, men tend to experience decreased activity in the
prefrontal cortex, the area of the brain associated with consciousness,
information processing, mental activity and responding appropriately.
This, according to scientists, helps to explain why men feel sleepy
after sex.
As this happens, a surge of chemicals
such as oxytocin and serotonin flood the brain creating a powerful
sleep-inducing effect while reducing stress levels, boosting relaxation
and sleepiness.
To take it further, when prolactin
chemical associated with feeling satisfied is released into a man’s
system during orgasm; it is likely that it causes the man to feel
sleepy, which further explains why men feel sleepier after intercourse
than after masturbation. However, previous research showed that men who
have lower prolactin are less tired and tend to feel less sleepy after
sex.
Stoleru added, “After men have an orgasm
they usually experience a refractory period when they cannot be
aroused, while women don’t seem to have such a strong refractory period
and may be asking for more or some intimate attention when their
partners just want a rest.
A businesswoman, Mrs. Oni Juliet, said
she had been wondering why her husband slept after sex adding that she
expected more from him, being a young man.
She said, “Most of the time, he sleeps
off shortly, or even almost immediately after he reaches orgasm, while I
would be left hanging, longing for him to hold or kiss me. But he would
just be beside me, like someone who has shut down completely. It could
be frustrating, you know.
“Really, I expect more from him because
we are still both very young. He deflowered me on our wedding night, I
have not had any experience before now, but I find it very disturbing.
Once he goes for first round, he knocks out, and the next thing is to
start snoring.”
A Director of Sleep at the University of
Surrey, United Kingdom, Dr Neil Stanley, said as frustrating as it is
for most women that their male partners just roll over and fall asleep
after sex, men are not completely at fault and are not entirely to
blame. “Humans are the only animals in which sleep and sex are linked
and while often seen as just a poor excuse, there are scientific reasons
why men feel tired after sex,” she said.
More reasons it could be wrong timing to
hope to have a conversation with your man after sex, because you may as
well be talking to yourself.
Some reviewers of the study said a
constructive way to tackle the problem could be for wives to express
their distress to their husbands and ask if they could try to dedicate
few minutes after making love to them. Another could be to have sex
outside the bedroom, possibly earlier in the day, maybe in the bathroom,
having glasses of their favourite drink by the tub to make the
experience more sensual.
However, one thing is for females to get
used to it, because it is not likely to change anytime soon. In fact,
it could be worse in some cases because a recent survey of 10,000
English men revealed that 48 per cent actually fall asleep during sex,
so, be grateful if he falls asleep after, and not during sex.
A Consultant Psychologist, Prof. Toba
Elegbeleye, said sex takes a lot of energy to complete and that there is
tendency for the brain and the entire system to want to rest when such
intense energy is exhibited. He cautioned that where the sexual activity
took place also determined if the sleep would be possible or not.
He said, “When you indulge in sex, which
usually takes place at night when people sleep naturally, it comes with
a level of intensity that involves all your energy and whatever you can
muster to make it have a shaking effect, after which the multi-nerve
ends are relaxed. This makes people sleep easily.
“It also depends on where you do it.
Usually, if it is a legal encounter, which takes place in your own
bedroom where you are comfortable, you might sleep, which is different
from when you do it in your car or somewhere else under duress, that is
not so comfortable.
“Another factor that could aid sleeping
well after sex is eating good food prior to the act because you may not
be able to do it well if you are hungry and the body entertains only one
urge at a time and hunger is as strong an urge and a drive as sex is.
Other factors could be to have a pleasant room atmosphere with a good
bed and if there is no thought of threatening financial burden or
security issues in mind.”
A Clinical Psychologist, Mr. Femi
Agberotimi, said there are certain physiological reactions during and
after sex that occur in both genders that have been identified to
induce/enhance sleep.
“The neurotransmitter dopamine, released
during orgasm triggers a stress-reducing, sleep-inducing response that
may last up to two hours. Hormones such as Oxytocin and Prolactin which
are released in a much quantity during sex than in the usual state have
also been identified to enhance sleep because of the good feelings they
produce.
“Other physiological changes that occur
during sex which could translate to getting tired and falling into sleep
include the increase in heart rate, respiration and blood pressure as
well as changes in the muscle tone which could put the body in the same
state with someone who ran 100meter race,” he added.
Source: The Punch
