Experts claim to have identified the unluckiest day of the year when it comes to…getting lucky.
According to an analysis of demand for sexual health services – like emergency contraception prescriptions and STI tests – December 15 is the date that the least amount of people will be having sex.
Dr Babak Ashrafi, a family physician who works in the UK, said that, based on his analysis, the day with the least demand for sexual health specialists was December 16th.
‘The day before is possibly when people are least sexually active,’ he said.
This makes sense, given the ‘multitude of reasons why someone’s sex drive might be lower in the winter months or why people have less sex than usual’.
Dr Babak Ashrafi, a general physician from the UK said colder months can cause the vagina and surrounding area to become dry, itchy, and irritated, resulting in uncomfortable sex’
One reason is a little-known and bizarre condition that some healthcare professionals have termed ‘winter vagina’.
This is when the dry, cold air causes the genitals to enter ‘drought mode’.
Dr Ashrafi, who is an online doctor for Superdrug Online Doctor in the UK, said: ‘A drop in temperature can make skin and hair become dry and dehydrated, but not many people know that the temperature change can also have an effect on your vagina.
A lack of moisture in the air is partly to blame, as well as heating indoors being used more often.
‘The vagina and surrounding area can become dry, itchy, and irritated, resulting in uncomfortable sex,’ says Dr Ashrafi.
Other factors include stress leading up to the festive period.
Dr Ashrafi said: ‘Stress and worries can impact your sex drive, as well as other areas of your life, which is why it’s important to improve the ways you manage stress.’
The shorter days in the period, which mean less time out in daylight, can impact our cardiac rhythm – the intricate bodily processes that determine our sleep and wake patterns.
It is this reason why seasonal affective disorder – a type of depression that is triggered by a change in season – results in low mood for roughly five percent of Americans every winter.
And then there’s exhaustion.
‘Less sunlight exposure and spending more time indoors also results in vitamin deficiencies which can make you feel more tired in winter months,’ said Dr Ashrafi.
‘As energy levels are much lower due to tiredness, this can affect your libido and sex drive.’
But Dr Ashrafi says there are multiple steps that could combat some of these barriers to intimacy.
For vaginal dryness: ‘I would recommend using a lubricant, or if the problem persists, then please speak to a healthcare professional.’
Doctors also recommend taking warm rather than hot showers, as the hotter the water is, the more moisture will be removed from the skin.
Shorter showers are also preferable, as is not showering more than once a day, because excessive showering can disrupt the natural bacteria all over the body.
Avoiding scented products can also help, as they can increase dryness by stripping the skin of its natural oils.
As for mood-boosting, Dr Ashrafi suggests getting outside, and into sunlight, as many times a day as you can.
If low mood is making it difficult to continue with daily tasks, doctors suggest visiting a family physician to talk about potential antidepressant treatments, like psychological therapy and medication.
Studies have shown that regular exercise can not only improve symptoms of stress, depression and exhaustion, it also boosts blow flow to the genitals – triggering a rise in libido.
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Read more at DailyMail.co.uk