Following sex, some men have unexpected feelings – study

A new study shows that some men’s reaction to sex is not what you’d expect, resulting in a condition previously observed in women.

* This article is a repost which originally appeared on BigThink.com

A new study shows men’s feelings after sex can be complex.
Some men reportedly get sad and upset.
The condition affected 41% of men in the study

Our culture tends not to trouble itself with how men feel after sex—it’s presumed that as the ultimate goal of much of male energy and desire, sex can only lead to feelings of pleasure. But a first-of-its-kind study found that men can get sad after sex, exhibiting a condition called “post-coital dysphoria” (PCD) that has previously been observed in women.

PCD is characterized by feelings of sadness, tearfulness or irritability following sex.

The study, authored by the masters student Joel Maczkowiack and Professor Robert D. Schweitzer from Queensland Uniersity of Technology (QUT) in Brisbane, Australia, analyzed the data from an international survey of mostly heterosexual 1,208 men from the United States, the U.K., Australia, New Zealand, Germany, Russia, and other countries.

What they concluded is that 41% of the participants experienced PCD in their lifetime. 20% reported it happened to them in the preceding four weeks. 4% said they suffered from it regularly.

Maczkowiack said that the feelings reported by the survey’s subjects varied from “I don’t want to be touched and want to be left alone” to “I feel unsatisfied, annoyed and very fidgety. All I really want is to leave and distract myself from everything I participated in.”

Some talked about feeling “emotionless and empty”.

Professor Schweitzer thinks the results of the study show that how men view sex is much more complex and varied than assumed previously.

“It is commonly believed that males and females experience a range of positive emotions including contentment and relaxation immediately following consensual sexual activity,” said Schweitzer. “Yet previous studies on the PCD experience of females showed that a similar proportion of females had experienced PCD on a regular basis. As with the men in this new study, it is not well understood. We would speculate that the reasons are multifactorial, including both biological and psychological factors.”

Not only do men experience PCD, this condition can interfere with the interactions of the couple following sex. Maczkowiack stressed that the postcoital stage—”the resolution”—is very important for building the intimacy of the couple. Those that “engage in talking, kissing, and cuddling following sexual activity report greater sexual and relationship satisfaction,” he added.

What is the cause of PCD? Scientists don’t yet know but theorize it may have to do with the “dopamine rebound effect” when dopamine levels are lower after the sexual rush.

You can check out the new study in the Journal of Sex and Marital Therapy.

In an era of continuous over-stimulation and high stress, a good night’s sleep is becoming increasingly hard to come by. More and more individuals are developing sleep apnea, chronic insomnia, and other sleep disorders, creating a “sleep market” — worth $28.6 billion in 2017 — focused on curing sleepless Americans. Over-the-counter and non-prescription drugs are on the rise, while sedatives such as Ambien and Lunesta remain as the most commonly prescribed drugs for insomnia.

As the side effects of sleep medications can be debilitating, insomniacs are increasingly turning to more natural solutions. A new, drug-free approach to targeting insomnia and other anxiety-related sleep disorders has been growing in popularity over the past two years. Weighted blankets, or gravity blankets, are being marketed as the latest solution for insomnia, nighttime anxiety, and stress. Filled with plastic beads or pellets, these blankets tend to range in weight from 3 to 20 pounds and are meant to mimic a comforting hug, lulling users to sleep naturally.

Sales of weighted blankets have surged in recent years, although there is little clinical evidence supporting their efficaciousness in treating insomnia.

Weight Therapy

Whether there are any health benefits to using weighted blankets remains a matter of debate, with some experts even cautioning against their use for children. However, weight therapy has a significant basis in medical practice. Commonly used as a calming strategy for children with autism or behavioral disturbances in psychiatric units, weight therapy relies on “deep touch pressure” which helps calm arousal levels in the nervous system by stimulating the release of serotonin and dopamine.

Weighted blankets attempt to mimic the calming effect of swaddling newborns, increasing feelings of comfort and security through pressure and envelopment of the body. BlanQuil, Gravity Blanket and other companies selling blankets recommend buying one that weighs 10% of your body weight to achieve the maximum soothing effect. Prices can range from $100 to upwards of $250 per blanket, making this potential new solution to insomnia costly despite little scientific backing.

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Do They Work?

Few reputable scientific studies have been conducted to evaluate whether weighted blankets can indeed cure sleeplessness and concrete evidence is lacking. Randomized clinical trials testing the efficacy of blankets would be difficult to achieve as a blind comparison is impossible; participants can immediately tell if a blanket is weighted or not.

A study funded by blanket manufacturers revealed calmer, higher quality sleep in 31 adults with moderate insomnia over a 2-week period. The most recent independent research was published in 2016 in the Journal of the Formosan Medical Association and did not examine the correlation between weighted blankets and sleep patterns. Instead, researchers evaluated nervous system activity in participants undergoing wisdom tooth extraction and found that people who wore a weighted blanket during the procedure showed higher activity levels in areas responsible for lowered stress response.

While there is no robust body of scientific evidence to support marketing claims that weighted blankets are a cure-all solution to nighttime anxiety and insomnia, there are few risks associated with trying them. Caution should be advised in individuals who suffer from sleep apnea, certain sleeping disorders, respiratory problems, and other chronic medical conditions as the use of weighted blankets could be detrimental for them. For most other healthy individuals, this new approach may provide a good alternative to sedative medications and their associated side effects. Regardless of sleep irregularities, proper sleep hygiene – which includes turning off electronics at night and keeping the bedroom environment conducive to sleep – is the essential first step in ensuring a good night’s rest.

BY: ZUZANNA WALTER

* This article is a repost which originally appeared on The A4M Blog.

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Day: May 29, 2019