Libido changes happen to everyone, but more and more people are finding relief with CBD. Discover how CBD may positively influence your libido.
Reading Time – 8 min
Libido is another name for your sexual drive or sexual desire. And other than those cringy commercials, people don’t tend to talk about libido changes. Sometimes it can feel uncomfortable to bring these issues up to your doctor, but if it affects your overall wellness then it’s important. Plus, you’re not alone. A surprisingly large number of men and women experience libido changes across a range of ages.
More and more people, however, are finding relief with CBD. Cannabidiol, the non-psychoactive cannabinoid from the industrial hemp plant, interacts with your body in several ways to promote balance. That might mean more balanced stress responses, sleep cycles, and so much more. Read on and discover how CBD may have a positive impact on your libido.
Disclaimer: While CBD is considered a safe and mild supplement, you should always talk with your doctor before adding CBD to your routine.
What Causes Changes To Your Libido?
Honestly, there are so many factors that influence libido. The physical and psychological aspects of human sexuality are complex. What can further complicate things is how two people with wildly different libidos can still be happy and satisfied. So, before going any further, it’s important to understand that everyone’s idea of a “healthy” libido can look different. Comparing yourself to someone else, in this instance, might not be helpful.
To a certain extent, libido fluctuations are very natural. Lifestyle and relationship factors can have a big influence. For example, those who become athletic later in life may notice an increased libido, while those who become more sedentary tend to notice a decrease. Big life changes can also impact your sex drive. Things like having children, losing a loved one, or starting a high-stress job can have a major influence.
It could also be something as simple as not getting enough sleep or feeling dehydrated. Other times, you and your partner might be particularly busy and just haven’t had time to connect lately. It’s also important to remember that certain medical conditions, hormone changes, and even medications can influence sex drive.
However, when you experience a change in libido that you’re unhappy with, that’s when it’s time to take note. It’s always best to check with your doctor to ensure an underlying medical condition isn’t causing changes to your libido. Once they’ve given you the all-clear, here are a few ways to try and naturally bring balance back to your sex drive:
- Make sure you’re getting adequate sleep
- Practice mindfulness to manage stress and anxiety
- Don’t scroll through your phone in bed (morning or evening)
- Be more physically active
- Engage in quality time with your romantic partner
- Counseling
Recently, however, more and more people are turning to CBD to bring balance back to their sex drives. And depending on what’s causing changes to your libido, CBD may provide relief for you too.
Can CBD Influence Your Libido?
Yes, but it depends on what’s causing changes to your libido. Let us explain…
CBD is a compound extracted from the industrial hemp plant. It interacts with your endocannabinoid system (ECS) to bring different physiological systems back into balance. Your body naturally produces endocannabinoids to accomplish these tasks. Because the structure of CBD is so similar to these naturally occurring compounds, CBD is able to interact with ECS receptors throughout your body.
But what exactly does this have to do with your libido? Surprisingly, a lot.
CBD Can Help If Stress and Anxiety Are Impacting Libido
It’s easy to write off stress and anxiety, but they can seriously influence your physical and mental wellness. Don’t believe us?
A good example of how your mental health influences your physical health is the gut-brain axis. This is the term used to describe the complex relationship between your digestive system and your brain. If you’ve ever experienced gastrointestinal distress from stressful situations, you already know what we’re talking about. An even simpler example is how just looking at or thinking about food can sometimes make your mouth water. Basically, your physical body IS influenced by your thoughts and emotions.
So, the idea that stress and anxiety might influence your libido really isn’t that far-fetched. Particularly when you consider all the different ways stress changes your body. Chronic stress, say from a high-pressure job or managing a hectic household, can make it hard for your body to know when it’s time to stop producing stress hormones. Long-term, that can lead to sleep problems, headaches, cardiovascular issues, and even changes to libido.
For men, stress hormones like cortisol actually inhibit testosterone. Conversely, stress can also cause people to crave sexual intimacy as a form of distraction, stress-relief, etc. Everyone is different, but the bottom line is that stress influences libido. Luckily, if stress and anxiety are negatively impacting your libido, CBD can help.
While CBD doesn’t cure anxiety, there are several studies indicating it may offer relief for several anxiety disorders. Specifically, it appears that the ECS has a safety measure that boosts GABA levels. GABA is the neurotransmitter that helps us feel calm and inhibits neural activity. Without enough GABA, we experience racing thoughts, mania, and anxiety. The idea is that by using CBD, you’re giving your ECS more tools to do its job more effectively.
Many people use CBD Oil once a day to keep their stress and anxiety in check. However, others also use CBD Gummies as needed for times when anxiety spikes unexpectedly.
CBD Can Help If Fatigue is Lowering Your Libido
Simply being too tired to engage in sexual activities is fairly common. Our lives demand a lot from us, and even once we’re home for the evening there’s still a world of responsibilities to manage.
The National Sleep Foundation says women experiencing sleep deprivation are more likely to experience reduced sexual desire and arousal, and that men who don’t get enough sleep are more likely to experience erectile dysfunction. Oddly enough, they also say, “evidence so far demonstrates that quality sleep can promote a better sex life, and a healthy sex life can facilitate improved sleep.” The trick is breaking the cycle, and CBD can help.
If lack of sleep is causing libido problems, using a high-strength CBD Oil thirty to forty-five minutes before bed should help you fall asleep faster and stay asleep longer. Even those with insomnia have found relief by using full-spectrum CBD products. Research indicates the ECS can help regulate the sleep/wake cycle through a series of complex cell signaling. And when you get the sleep you need, you’ll have more balanced energy throughout the day.
CBD Can Help If Chronic Pain is Impacting Your Libido
It’s hard to get in the mood when you’re in pain. Simple as that. This is often an issue for those with painful inflammatory conditions or for those with labor-intensive jobs. Sometimes, at the end of the day, your body simply hurts too much to think about anything other than putting your feet up.
Depending on what’s causing your pain, CBD can provide relief in several ways. First, CBD can influence the neurotransmitters in your brain that communicate pain signals. Second, CBD can help reduce painful inflammation. This is particularly helpful for those whose inflammation reduces mobility. Not only can CBD help relieve pain, but it can also make it easier to go about your day and move around. It’s so effective in this regard, that some athletes are even swapping their NSAIDs for CBD.
So long as you can safely engage in sexual activity without risk of further injury, both CBD Gel and CBD Oil have helped people find relief from chronic pain. If pain and inflammation impact your day-to-day life, incorporating CBD Oil into your routine will improve more than just your libido. If you only occasionally experience localized pain, gently massaging a CBD Gel on the area will help the CBD absorb, promote circulation, and is also very relaxing. You can also safely combine CBD Oil and CBD Gel for maximum pain and inflammation relief.
Can CBD Help With E.D. or Menopause-Related Libido Changes?
The jury is still out on whether CBD can directly assist with things like erectile dysfunction or menopause-related libido fluctuations. There’s evidence from holistic practices indicating CBD may relax blood vessels and, consequently, alleviate erectile dysfunction. However, the mechanism behind this function isn’t well understood.
For menopausal women, however, several studies have confirmed a link between the endocannabinoid system and the endocrine system (the system in charge of hormones). Anecdotal evidence suggests women may find relief from many symptoms caused by hormonal fluctuations (such as low libido and vaginal dryness).
It’s important to note that there aren’t enough human studies to definitively say whether or not CBD can increase estrogen or progesterone levels for menopausal women. If you believe your libido changes are related to menopause or some type of erectile dysfunction, you should talk to your doctor.
Add CBD To Your Routine To Balance Your Libido Today
If you or someone you know is interested in balancing their libido with CBD, be sure to check out our shop for a variety of different products. And, as always, feel free to contact us with questions. We firmly believe that CBD can provide relief for a variety of issues, and we want you to be able to find the products that are right for you.
Feel Better. Live More.