When it comes to getting laid, every hour counts. Every hour of sleep, that is.
Scientists at the University of Michigan Sleep and Circadian Research Lab recently conducted a study with 171 college-aged women and found that the more shut-eye they got each night, the more amorous they felt the next day.
The study subjects slept an average of seven hours, 22 minutes. But those who were able to turn in earlier or sleep later reported a greater level of physical arousal. The researchers crunched the numbers and figured out that each additional hour of sleep increased the next day’s possibility of sealing the deal by 14 percent.
That’s not exactly a rigorous scientific analysis.
Okay, so the study was small and lasted just two weeks. And there were no sex tapes. (Meaning, the researchers didn’t monitor the women’s sleep and sex, in a laboratory setting. Rather the women kept journals, which they later handed over.)
That being said, the study did break some new ground — and shake a few bedposts — as one of the first to assess the all-important relationship between shut-eye and sexy time.
This is the first study ever on sleep and sex?
Past studies have drawn a link between short sleep duration and increased body mass index (BMI) — i.e., you lose sleep, you pack on the pounds. Others have looked at how sleep loss can negatively impact hormone levels, which may cause changes in desire and arousal.
This is the first study to directly conclude that “obtaining sufficient sleep is important to the promotion of healthy sexual desire and genital response” — so, it’s also great for keeping the gear in game condition. Sufficient sleep will also increase “the likelihood of engaging in partnered sexual activity.”
A bonus of hitting the sack an hour earlier: You’ll have less free time to raid the fridge for those late night snacks, so you’ll keep the weight off. According to a 2011 study published in the journal Obesity, night owls consume an average of 248 calories more per day, and most of those are racked up after 8 p.m.