As hot weather continues across the UK, for some, the thought of sex is unbearable. It doesn’t seem coincidental that following the great heatwave of 1976, birth rates in 1977 were lower than at any other period between 1960 and 2012.
But rising temperatures can raise libido, says Gemma Nice, a sex and relationship coach. “For some people, the heat and the sun boost the production of hormones responsible for joy, pleasure and connection like serotonin and dopamine. For others, the heat causes fatigue and irritability. For them, being touched can set off an anxiety response.”
Nice has heard her fair share of stories about couples trying to keep the spark alive in heatwaves. “I worked with a couple who decided to bring a bag of frozen peas into the bed to keep things cool while they fooled around. Within three minutes, the bag split, the peas had defrosted, and they ended up rolling around in a lukewarm, soggy mess of mushy vegetables. It completely killed the mood and resulted in no sex at all.”
Nice says if your body doesn’t feel comfortable and safe, your libido is going to lock down completely. You have to work with the heat, not against it. “When it is simply too hot for any sexual or physical contact, you have to move towards mental and emotional intimacy, whether that’s self-pleasure, mutual masturbation or other ways to keep the spark alive.” Here she outlines some ways to stay intimate during a heatwave.
