9 ways in which hypopressives improve your sex life

Do you feel your sexual desire is decreasing? Would you like to feel greater pleasure or gain control over your sex organs? Do you think a more intense sex life would foster your relationship?

Hypopressives are a kind of exercise (easy, painless and free!) whose followers claim to experiment an increase in desire, sensation and control during the sexual practice.

Not only will this technique improve your sex life, but it is also been shown to:

• sculpt a toned and fit mid-section
• reduce waist circumference and waist-to-hip ratio
• decrease urinary incontinence
• better physical performance and respiratory function
•  improve back health, posture and balance
•  treat and prevent hernias and prolapses
•  fight constipation
• aid with depression, post-partum recovery and scar healing

To know more about it see my previous post Wish I had known them before: Hypopressives.

As promised, today we are going to go deeper into the effects of hypopressives on sexual function and learn 9 ways in which they make your sex life more enjoyable.

1. Better proprioception and awareness of the pelvic floor muscles

During the performance of a HP there is a phase of abdominal vacum in which your gut is completelydecreases ligament tension, resulting in the repositioning of your internal organs, both in the short and long term.

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In 2011 it was proven through magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) that HT relocate your viscera and can be used as a proprioceptive resource (mechanism that enhances the capacity to feel the position of your own muscles).

Bear in mind that most women are unable to even contract their pelvic muscles or identify their genitals, mainly because of poor proprioception and body squeme. Thus, better proprioception and awareness of the pelvic floor muscles will greatly intensify sexual sensitivity and genital control.

2. More testosterone, more libido, more sexual desire.

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Testosterone is a sex hormone produced mainly in the gonads but also in the adrenal glands of both sexes.

 It is an androgen: it activates the development of male features. Thus, its concentration is greater in man than women where it is essential for the maturing of male reproductive organs and sperm.

 It is also responsible for indicating the body to create blood cells, ensuring the strength of bones and muscles, regulating the secretion of follicle stimulating and luteinising hormones, and enhancing libido.

Testosterone deficiency is detrimental during foetal development as it will lead to sex development issues. Low levels during puberty will hinder the boy's sexual development and growth. He will also suffer from poor strength and endurance as his limbs grow disproportionate with the rest of his body.

Testosterone levels naturally decline with age (it is even referred to as the men menopause or andropause). Unfortunately, low levels are associated with:

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·                     Loss of muscle tone
·         Loss of body hair in men
·         Parchment skin
·         Mood swings
·         Increased body fat
·         Erectile dysfunction
·         Poor sexual performance
·         Bone decalcification or osteoporosis
·         Lack of concentration
·         Memory loss
·         Sleep problems

Testosterone, key hormone in sexual desire and libido, can be increased through physical exercise. This stressor induces the body to make hormonal changes in order to adapt to it. The response varies depending on intensity, type of training and personal factors, but testosterone is generally increased after intense physical activity, whether aerobic or anaerobic, chronic or acute.

Hypopressives strongly stress the body as the exercises not only require great muscular activation, but also create an intermittent oxygen deficit. Consequently, testosterone can be effectively increased, resulting in all the aforementioned benefits.

3. Let that endorphin rush kick in

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Physical exercise is known to trigger the release of endorphins. These are neurotransmitters: a type of brain chemical that transmits electrical signals from one neuron to the next, and which are mainly synthesised and stored in the pituitary gland.

Endorphins activate opiate receptors in the brain and diminish our perception of pain, just like morphine or codeine. However, these neuropeptides do NOT have the adverse effects of opiate drugs, like addiction or dependence.

Not only is pain reduced, but endorphins also produce a strong feeling of euphoria, regulate appetite, release sex hormones (like testosterone, see previous epigraph) and enhance the immune system. Endorphins alleviate pain and stress, bringing well-being and pleasure in order to reward us for doing something convenient, like exercising, feeding, or having sex. Their task is to motivate us to continue doing those activities and to draw us into a reward circle, a feedback loop in constant search for pleasure.

4. No more erectile dysfunction (ED)

Studies suggest that between 10 to 52% of men, especially between 40 to 70 years old, suffer from ED. Unfortunately, this condition is increasingly common and is set to double by the year 2025.

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The explanation for the rising prevalence may be the typical American lifestyle, as several studies have shown that sedentary behaviors and obesity are strongly correlated with ED, whereas active healthy males have a better sexual function.

Hence, enrolling in any kind of physical activity, like hypopressives, will have a positive impact on ED and lead to more pleasant and enjoyable sex life.

5. Increased genital and perineal vascularisation

The female gonads are very rich in mechanoreceptors, which are sensory organs that give information about vibration, touch, pressure, and cutaneous tension to the central nervous system, and are therefore responsible for the sensations felt during sexual intercourse.

The area needs to be highly vascularised in order to improve irrigation and hence the attainment of pleasure.

It is widely accepted that physical exercise promotes angiogenesis, which is the creation of new blood vessels.

Furthermore, it is been shown to significantly increase genital sexual arousal after only 15 min (after 5 min of exercise it was marginally decreased) through sympathetic nervous system (SNS) activity.

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A 2013 study showed that exercise may be especially beneficial for women taking antidepressants, which have sexual adverse effects in 96% of the cases. Women reporting the greatest sexual dysfunction had the largest increase in post-exercise sexual arousal.

Wherefore, we can conclude that exercise may help reach orgasm and augment vaginal discharge.

More specifically, hypopressives have been proven to better femoral venous return which can be extremely helpful for people suffering from varicose veins.

6. Reduced stress

Nowadays everyone is subject to stress, which is just your body's reaction to any perceived challenge. Stressors turn on the sympathetic nervous system, which in turn activates a fight-or-flight response that involves the release of steroid hormones, including glucocorticoids such as cortisol.

These are known to inhibit gonadotropin releasing hormone (GnRH), the body's main sex hormone, resulting in low sperm count, no ovulation and impaired sexual activity.

In addition, stress also triggers the production of gonadotropin-inhibitory hormone (GnIH), which undermines reproduction even more by suppressing GnRH.

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Hence, it is no surprise that both, erectile dysfunction and premature ejaculation are associated with stress.

Besides, stress also causes low testosterone: steroid hormone essential for bone, hair and muscle growth, sexual function, appropriate levels of red blood cells and feeling trim and healthy.

As explained before, exercise, including hypopressives, effectively increases testosterone levels. Therewithal, it will decrease anxiety, stress and depression while increasing dopamine and serotonin, neurotransmitters involved in the regulation of movement and emotional responses, and in the transmission of nerve impulses, respectively. 

(For more physical, mental and cognitive benefits of exercise see my previous post Watching TV means impaired health and intelligence?)

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7. Better physical and respiratory parameters

It is no surprise that having an efficient body will make your sexual experience more enjoyable.

Even patients with chronic stable heart failure (CSHF) can improve their sexual function in the short term with moderate exercise.

Moreover, hypopressives, which emphasize proper breathing and posture, are known to increase forced volume and maximum exhaling flow after 6 weeks of training.

This is because HT efficiently work your diaphragm, which plays a key role in breathing, as well as the muscles in charge of inhaling and exhaling, resulting in an improvement of respiratory (peak flow) parameters and respiratory conditions like asthma.

8. Higher self-esteem

Hypopressives will result in a toned and fit body which in turn improve self-esteem and self-respect.

Having a positive body image will make your sexual life more enjoyable, enhance your initiative and enable you to amuse yourself without inhibition.

High self-esteem might also improve your capacity to deal with stress which, as mentioned before, is detrimental for sexual desire.

Moreover, low self-steem and emotional distress are associated with unhealthy sexual behaviours like having risky and/or multiple partners, and unprotected sex. Likewise, they were also correlated with initiating sex earlier and having more partners per year of sexual activity.

9. Stronger pelvic floor, increased sexual arousal

Several studies have concluded that pelvic floor tone and strength is directly related to increased sexual arousal, better sexual function and orgasms.

A 2014 cross-sectional study of forty women between 20 and 28 years showed that those with stronger pelvic floor muscles scored higher in desire, excitement, and orgasm. Pelvic floor muscle pressure was moderately correlated with sexual satisfaction and lubrication.

A 2010 study of one hundred seventy-six women aged 26-48 years revealed that those with strong or moderate pelvic floor muscles (PFM) scored significantly higher on the FSFI orgasmic and arousal domains, concluding that "both the orgasm and arousal function are related to better PFM function."

Hypopressives have been shown to efficiently tone your pelvic floor muscles:

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In a 2007 study, 100 women with poor pelvic tone and urinary incontinence performed 20 min of HP everyday for 6 months, resulting in an increase in pelvic floor tone by 58% and in shock absorption capacity by 48%. Furthermore, there was a 20% increment in contractile muscle strength and a significant 6% reduction in waist girth.

A 2014 study on professional female rugby players showed that hypopressives increase perineal and abdominal contractile strength.

That same year, a blind cross-sectional study of forty-two women aged 20-65 years who performed 30 daily minutes of hypopressives three times a week for 8 weeks revealed a significant increase in pelvic floor muscle tone.

This study also reported a decrease in waist circumference and waist-to-hip ratio (WHR), better dynamic and static posture, balanced spine curvatures, an increase in hamstring extensibility, reduced lumbalgia and feelings of satisfaction and well-being.

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