Not tonight, dear

There's an old stereotype about sex. Actually, there are quite a few, but the one we're thinking about in particular relates to the old stand-by excuse for why heterosexual couples may not be having as much sex as they could. You know the one we're talking about... the old "Not tonight, I have a headache" stereotype, which firmly places the blame for a lack of libido on the woman.

Well, we've finally found a researcher who's work we can get behind, and her name is Professor Monica Andersen. She's a Brazilian sexual health specialist, and she's recently determined that couples not having sex cannot attribute it to whether or not women should be taking more ibuprofen. In fact, the blame rests with men, and the fact that too many are depriving themselves of sleep.

But how can sleep deprivation lead to a loss of sex? Well, according to Professor Andersen's research, not getting enough sleep lowers the libido in men, and can lead to other symptoms, such as erectile dysfunction. She points out that often these problems get blamed on things like stress, when a good nap could help to set things back to right. This lack of sleep can even lead, in rare cases, to sexsomnia, where sex is initiated (and performed) while asleep.

Of course, some men reading this may be thinking, "Well, of course, I'm too tired for sex. I work a lot of hours, and it takes a lot out of me." This, of course, is wrong thinking. After all, sex is part of the human condition, being one of the species that engages in sexual acts for something more than procreation. And, if anyone wishes that they would be lucky enough to have sexsomnia, may we just point out that you're asleep when this happens? Which means that your own benefit would be akin to a vivid sex dream, or perhaps watching Cinemax after 10pm?

We cannot let this trend continue, people. Make time for yourselves. Steal naps when you can. Take something like Sominex before bedtime, to ensure getting enough sleep. Duck out of work early if you have to, so that you can get some rest. If nothing else works, have sex in the morning, when you're refreshed from a night of rejuvenating sleep. We have to take a stand to make sure that the long work days don't lead to a lack of long "work" nights.

And if none of those things work, may we suggest turning to the old standby of alcohol? After all, if simply getting more sleep won't increase the libido, maybe lowering inhibitions will help out. It's worked for centuries, so why should we turn our back on it now?