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CBD For Sex 2024: 3 Ways CBD Can Enhance Your Sex Life
Updated on
- Written by Jennifer Anyabuine, Former Health Writer
Medically reviewed by
Gopal Ramakrishnan, Ph.D.
When people think of the benefits of CBD oil, improving your sex life is probably not one of the first things that pop up your head.
You might be surprised to learn that your sex life too can also be improved with CBD use.
3 Ways CBD Can Improve Your Sex Life
Cannabidiol (CBD) could be great for your sex life because it:
- Reduces anxiety and stress
- Increases libido
- Relieves pain
How CBD Can Help Improve Sex
CBD and THC are the two major cannabinoids in cannabis plants. THC gives cannabis users a high while CBD does not have psychoactive properties.
In recent years, CBD use has increased exponentially. It is believed to help improve chronic pain and anxiety.
However, your sex life could benefit from CBD use. Conditions that make you uncomfortable during sex and dampen your experiences such as performance anxiety, stress, or pain, could be improved with CBD use.
CBD could also help with arousal and libido through its effect on your brain and blood flow to your genitals.
Reduces Anxiety And Stress
Relieving anxiety and anxiety-related disorders is one of the major reasons why people use CBD.
Performance anxiety could negatively affect your sexual interaction. Worrying about your sexual performance before or during your sexual interaction might only cause you an unsatisfactory sexual encounter.
CBD is excellent at relaxing your nerves. You can focus more on enjoying sex than worrying about how you will perform.
Stress too can dampen your sexual function.
Work, school, family, and finances can all contribute to stress. Lots of people turn to alcohol for stress relief. However, it does more harm than good for your health and sex life.
Under stressful conditions, your body goes into conservation mode. The hormone cortisol mediates most of the changes you experience under stress.
Cortisol can steal some of the pleasure from your sex life. Some women might be robbed of their sex drive completely while men might find it difficult to get and sustain an erection.
Furthermore, under stressful situations, you are less likely to focus on intimacy. You might find your mind drifting to other matters. Hence, attaining a climax might be difficult or almost impossible.
Excessive alcohol consumption[1] is linked to liver disease and other health conditions. Alcohol also dampens your sensitivity. Therefore, it could turn down your sex drive.
Consuming excess alcohol to manage stress will only bring on more trouble.
Instead of attempting to drown your stress and anxiety in wine or beer bottles, consider CBD.
CBD is not as damaging to your body as alcohol is. Rather, it offers other benefits for your health such as weight loss, stress relief, and pain relief.
With CBD oil or CBD gummies you can feel more relaxed and pay more attention to your intimacy to enhance sexual pleasure.
Less stress and anxiety equal more sexual pleasure.
Increases Libido
CBD works by activating receptors of the endocannabinoid system (ECS) in your body. The ECS also responds to cannabinoids produced by your body.
Studies have identified these ECS receptors in various parts of your body including your brain and sexual reproductive organs.
Some studies find that excessive cannabis use in males decreased their sex drive while others support CBD use for improved libido.
Anxiety and stress could be responsible for decreased libido in some individuals. Therefore, CBD’s ability to reduce stress and anxiety could translate to improved libido.
Sadly research into CBD use for improved libido is limited and there are no dosage recommendations.
Anecdotal evidence from users supports CBD use to boost libido and sexual satisfaction.
Therefore, you could give it a go. You will have you monitor the effects of CBD on your sex life to decide if it is doing a good job of improving it.
Some studies[2] show a higher prevalence of erectile dysfunction amongst cannabis users. However, CBD use could help you with erectile dysfunction. The cannabis plant[3] and CBD products have been used in some cultures to improve erectile dysfunction. The mechanism through which CBD could help erectile dysfunction is barely understood due to limited research.
People with low sex drive might benefit from CBD use. Some studies show that cannabis could activate parts of the brain[4] that control sexual arousal. Therefore increasing your sex drive.
CBD could also be beneficial for more enjoyable sex and might be linked to increased sexual function in men[5]. A study found that 72% of men and 76% of women admitted to experiencing stronger orgasms with CBD use.
As a vasodilator, CBD can help reduce blood pressure[6]. Therefore it could increase blood flow to your genitals to encourage arousal and satisfaction.
Most of these sexual effects of CBD on libido and sex drive have not been fully established by scientific research.
You might know a friend who knows a friend whose sex life has benefited from CBD use. So, consider taking a few hemp-derived CBD products moderately with your doctor’s approval and gauging their effects on your sex life.
Relieves Pain
Pain relief is one of the popular uses of CBD oil or CBD gummies and this could come in handy for your sex life.
If you are having painful sex, it could be due to endometriosis, depression, vaginismus, or anxiety.
Painful sex is almost a taboo topic. Yet, it is more prevalent than you probably realize.
The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists estimates that three out of four women will experience painful sexual intercourse at some point in their life.
Trauma, muscular tension, or inflammation could affect your sexual experience.
If you feel embarrassed to discuss your painful sex with anyone, it is not unusual. Many people have trouble discussing such intimate matters and seeking medical help.
However, you should never feel ashamed to seek help for your sexual and reproductive health.
If anything is making you uncomfortable during sex, discuss it with your healthcare provider during your next appointment.
You could also supplement your medical treatment for painful sex with a holistic approach.
CBD could help decrease your discomfort during sex. It is popular for reducing anxiety which could make sexy time uncomfortable.
Furthermore, vaginal dryness could also be responsible for painful sex. In that case, lubricants containing CBD oil can be helpful due to their anti-inflammatory properties.
Getting The Most Out Of CBD For Sex
Simply getting into CBD use without prior experience might not yield positive results. However, with the right tips, you could make the most out of CBD use for your sex life.
Use Quality CBD Products
Good product quality means you are likely to get the best from CBD use. Some shady companies contain less CBD than they state on their packaging.
They might also contain fillers that offer zero benefits.
Therefore, when choosing CBD products consider going for established brands with lab results to back their claims.
Do not just stop there.
Read what real people like you have to say about the product. Reviews can help you understand how effective a product truly is.
Do Not Wait To Use It
Do not wait till you are in the middle of sex to use CBD. Sometimes, CBD might need some time to work on your endocannabinoid system.
Therefore, you might not necessarily feel its effects immediately.
Consider using your full spectrum CBD products about 60 minutes before sexual activity so that they can have some time to work.
Use Your Ideal Dose
Taking too much or too little CBD might mean that you will not get the results that you would like.
So, how much CBD do you need to take?
You will have to figure it out yourself. It will take some trial and error, experimenting with different doses to get the best one for you.
Of course, start slow and work your way up to the best dose for you.
Conclusion
You can improve sexual wellness with CBD intake.
CBD is popular for reducing anxiety, stress, and pain, all of which could negatively impact your sex life.
Furthermore, CBD oil or CBD gummies for sex could promote blood flow to your genitals to encourage arousal and libido for a more satisfying sexual experience.
To get the best from CBD use ensure you are using a high-quality product, use your ideal dose, and give it time to work.
+ 6 sources
Health Canal avoids using tertiary references. We have strict sourcing guidelines and rely on peer-reviewed studies, academic researches from medical associations and institutions. To ensure the accuracy of articles in Health Canal, you can read more about the editorial process here
- Rehm J (2011). The risks associated with alcohol use and alcoholism. Alcohol research & health : the journal of the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, [online] 34(2). Available at: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22330211/#:~:text=The%20most%20common%20disease%20categories,and%20unintentional%20and%20intentional%20injury.
- Pizzol, D., Demurtas, J., Stubbs, B., Soysal, P., Mason, C., Isik, A.T., Solmi, M., Smith, L. and Veronese, N. (2019). Relationship Between Cannabis Use and Erectile Dysfunction: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. American Journal of Men’s Health, [online] 13(6), p.155798831989246. Available at: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6893937/
- Chauhan, N.S., Sharma, V., Dixit, V.K. and Thakur, M. (2014). A Review on Plants Used for Improvement of Sexual Performance and Virility. BioMed Research International, [online] 2014, pp.1–19. Available at: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4151601/
- Androvicova, R., Horacek, J., Tintera, J., Hlinka, J., Rydlo, J., Jezova, D., Balikova, M., Hlozek, T., Miksatkova, P., Kuchar, M., Roman, M., Tomicek, P., Tyls, F., Viktorinova, M. and Palenicek, T. (2017). Individual prolactin reactivity modulates response of nucleus accumbens to erotic stimuli during acute cannabis intoxication: an fMRI pilot study. Psychopharmacology, [online] 234(13), pp.1933–1943. Available at: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28401285/
- Bhambhvani, H.P., Kasman, A.M., Wilson-King, G. and Eisenberg, M.L. (2020). A Survey Exploring the Relationship Between Cannabis Use Characteristics and Sexual Function in Men. Sexual Medicine, [online] 8(3), pp.436–445. Available at: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7471121/
- Jadoon, K.A., Tan, G.D. and O’Sullivan, S.E. (2017). A single dose of cannabidiol reduces blood pressure in healthy volunteers in a randomized crossover study. JCI Insight, [online] 2(12). Available at: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5470879/
Written by:
Jennifer Anyabuine, Former Health Writer
Medically reviewed by:
Medically reviewed by:
