By Yu Zhouwei (Master of Neurology)
A few days ago, a young lady asked me:
“Doctor, is it normal for my male ticket to fall asleep in seconds?”
This question needs to be answered in two ways:
1. Is it normal to sleep in seconds?
2. Is it normal to fall asleep in seconds after sex?
Sleep in seconds first.
Frankly speaking, if you just talk about sleeping in seconds, you really need to pay attention to whether you have sleep problems. Because it takes a period of time for normal people to go from being awake to falling asleep, the professional term is called “sleep latency”.
Image source: Zhanku Hailuo
So, how little sleep latency is abnormal?
Unfortunately, at present, there is no standard answer in the academic world, that is, so far, the normal sleep latency has not been determined. The reason is:
1. There is currently no large, systematically collected database of average sleep latency in healthy individuals.
2. Even in healthy people, sleep latency fluctuates widely.
So, you can’t just rely on “falling asleep quickly” to determine whether there is a sleep problem. However, if you are second sleep + daytime sleepiness, then be careful, you need to assess whether there is a serious lack of sleep time, or a rarer disease: narcolepsy.
So, this lady, whether your male ticket has sleep problems depends on his mental state during the day. If he is sleepy during the day, it may be a sign of a sleep problem.
Let’s talk about the “pop” issue.
I fall asleep soon after sex, is this normal? If you have to give an answer, this phenomenon is also reasonable.
Image source: Zhanku Hailuo
Many people will have this life experience: It seems to sleep better after sex. You may have thought that it was caused by fatigue, but it is not. The truth is related to the changes in hormones in the body.
Get the facts first: Sex does make it easier to fall asleep.
This is because sex increases the release of oxytocin (which makes you feel close to your partner) and lowers cortisol levels (cortisol is a stress-related hormone).
Also, orgasm releases a hormone called prolactin, which makes you feel relaxed and sleepy. So, a satisfying sex life can put both parties into a comfortable, lethargic state.
For women, sex also has an added benefit — raising levels of estrogen, the hormone that solidifies your REM sleep stages and makes you sleep deeper.
A satisfying relationship can improve sleep, and in turn, unsatisfactory sleep can affect your libido.
I once had an outpatient patient who suffered from decreased libido due to severe snoring and sleep apnea (OSA). Of course, people in the workplace who usually stay up late and work overtime cause lack of sleep are also prone to decreased libido.
Image source: Zhanku Hailuo
So, this young lady, you fell asleep in seconds after the male ticket was finished. From the analysis just now, it is not an abnormal event.
To sum up, sex before bed can help you fall asleep faster. Also, if you feel a recent drop in libido, self-assess if you are sleep deprived.
If you toss and turn and can’t fall asleep next time you’re in bed, well, you know what to do.
References:
sleep.org: Is Sex Helping or Hurting Your Sleep?
This article comes from the public account “Sleep and Science”, please contact the original author for reprinting.