Science Wants You to Get Enough Sleep So You Can Have More Sex

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published 18 March 2015

Scumbag science has been on the warpath recently trying to take away the things we love (strawberries (opens in new tab), not moving (opens in new tab), Jamie Dornan (opens in new tab), the whole Fifty Shades franchise (opens in new tab), etc.), but for once, it's not being a jerk. In fact, now it's encouraging you to sleep more so you can have more sex. Cool!

According to a new study (opens in new tab) published in the Journal of Sexual Medicine, every extra hour spent catching zzzs increases the likelihood of sexual activity the next day by 14 percent.

"The influence of sleep on sexual desire and arousal has received little attention in the field, but these findings indicate that insufficient sleep can decrease sexual desire and arousal for women," said Dr. David Kalmbach, lead author of the study, in a press release. "I think the take-home message should not be that more sleep is better, but that it is important to allow ourselves to obtain the sleep our mind and body needs."

Sold. The only part I'm not clear on is what kind of schedule you'd have to be on. Is it like an every-other-day thing? Do you have to take turns? It's like a nine-hour minimum, right? (Call me, Dr. Kalmbach—I need answers.)

You should also check out:

10 Sex Truths They Don't Teach You in High School (opens in new tab)

4 Reasons Porn Is Actually Really, Really Good for Women (opens in new tab)

18-to-24-Year-Old Women Watch More Porn Than Their Male Counterparts (opens in new tab)

Chelsea Peng is a writer and editor who was formerly the assistant editor at MarieClaire.com. She's also worked for The Strategist and Refinery29, and is a graduate of Northwestern University. On her tombstone, she would like a GIF of herself that's better than the one that already exists on the Internet and a free fro-yo machine. Besides frozen dairy products, she's into pirates, carbs, Balzac, and snacking so hard she has to go lie down.