Having a hard time sleeping through the night? A study has revealed a sleep hack you just might already be doing.
According to a new study, having some intimate fun before bed—whether solo or with a partner—might be the key to improving your quality of sleep.
The study tracked the sleep patterns of 14 people aged 26 to 29 over 11 nights.
They experienced three different conditions: no sex, solo masturbation and partnered sex. Each morning, they logged their sleep quality, how intense their orgasm was and how ready they felt to face the day.
A couple is intimate in bed together.
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The results? Engaging in either solo play or sex with a partner led to better sleep and less wakefulness compared to nights with no sexual activity at all.
Moreover, those who had sex with a partner before bed reported feeling more energized and ready for the day when morning came.
“Our findings suggest that engaging in sexual activity before bedtime may contribute to improved sleep quality, particularly by reducing nighttime wakefulness and enhancing sleep efficiency,” sleep research and study lead Michele Lastella of Central Queensland University said in a statement.
But before you break out the sultry music and rose petals, know that there’s the catch—sex might delay your bedtime, the team warn.
“Bedtimes were considerably later for participants when they engaged in solo masturbation,” the study authors wrote.
Masturbation delayed sleep by 35 minutes, while sex with a partner delayed it by 26 minutes, compared to not having sex at all. But while you might be getting to sleep a bit later, sexual activity is likely to help you sleep more soundly once you’re there.
A strong orgasm is even more effective
The intensity of orgasms also seemed to have an impact. Those with stronger orgasms reported better sleep and more motivation the next day. Researchers attributed this orgasm connection largely to hormones.
Oxytocin, prolactin and cortisol are the orgasm-related hormones responsible for the improvement in sleep quality, the team said—although beneficial psychological effects, like mood changes, also result from sexual activity.
In the study, women’s bedtimes were found to be delayed by around 40 minutes when engaging in masturbation than when going directly to sleep.
The researchers credited this to how women have a “difference in sexual response” to men, and might take longer to achieve orgasm. It might be important, they added, for women to set the scene for self-pleasure and ready themselves emotionally for solo masturbation.
While the study concludes that sex may help boost sleep quality, such also comes with caveats. The researchers cautioned that the study’s small sample size—14 healthy sleepers—means these results should be taken with a grain of salt.
“Future research should focus on expanding the sample size and incorporating participants with sleep disorders to thoroughly investigate if sexual activity before bedtime can improve sleep,” they recommended.
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Reference
Lastella, M., Miller, D. J., Montero, A., Sprajcer, M., Ferguson, S. A., Browne, M., & Vincent, G. E. (2025). Sleep on it: A pilot study exploring the impact of sexual activity on sleep outcomes in cohabiting couples. Sleep Health. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sleh.2024.11.004