Featured Image Credit: Getty Images/Witthaya Prasongsin
Topics: Christmas, Health, World News, Sex and Relationships
Liv Bridge
Topics: Christmas, Health, World News, Sex and Relationships
Apparently, there's one day in the annual calendar that most of us couldn't care less about getting frisky.
While men and women typically have different times they prefer to get down and dirty, with women reportedly feeling in the mood for sex at night while men feel turned on in the morning, there is at least one day we are apparently all in agreement is a no-go.
That's at least according to data compiled by sexual health clinics which have cleverly sussed requests for a contraception pill and tests for sexually transmitted infections drop rapidly on a certain date, meaning we're least likely to get it on the day before.
Dr. Babak Ashrafi, an expert with Superdrug Online Doctor uncovered the phenomenon falls in the winter.
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While you might think the colder months make for the perfect 'Netflix and chill' cosy nights in with your partner, doctor Ashrafi has some bad news.
He says there is a medical phenomenon, horrifyingly dubbed 'winter vagina', where changes to the body by the end of the year can make sexual activity less enjoyable.
The doc explained: "A drop in temperature can make skin and hair become dry and dehydrated, but not many people know that the temperature change can also have an effect on your vagina.
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"A lack of moisture in the air is partly to blame, as well as heating indoors being used more often,” he added. “The vagina and surrounding area can become dry, itchy, and irritated, resulting in uncomfortable sex.”
As for the dreaded date most of us are apparently turned off, Dr Ashrafi said sexual health clinics receive the least requests for contraception and STI testing on December 16, making the most sexless day of the year a little over a week before Christmas, on December 15.
Festive stress and 'winter vagina' aside, which sound like pretty compelling enough reasons to me, the doctor said there could be even more to it.
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The loss of daylight hours during this time of the year is renowned for adversely affecting our circadian rhythms, the internal clock that is responsible for controlling our sleep patterns, hormones, appetite, body temperature and digestion.
“Less sunlight exposure and spending more time indoors also results in vitamin deficiencies, which can make you feel more tired in winter months,” Ashrafi continued. “As energy levels are much lower due to tiredness, this can affect your libido and sex drive.”
However, the week before Christmas is undeniably a factor in the phenomenon as most of us are winding down at work while ramping up at home with all the shopping, gift wrapping and jam-packing the fridge freezer with enough food to feed a small village.
Ashrafi explained further: "Stress and worries can impact your sex drive, as well as other areas of your life, which is why it’s important to improve the ways you manage stress."