Women's Health - USA (2019-06)

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110 / WOMEN’S HEALTH

Real postcoital bliss, as an adult: a more relaxed, productive,

and happy day. It’s time to make morning magic happen.

Rise and Shine

By Marissa Gainsburg

If the term

morning sex

sounds like an

oxymoron, then

no offense, but you’re in

need of a wake-up call. Don’t

worry, though...it’s a fun one.

“Most couples habitually

have sex at night, because

that tends to be when it’s

most convenient,” says

Vanessa Marin, a sex thera-

pist in San Francisco. “But

our bodies are actually

primed for stronger orgasms

right after we wake up.” The

a.m. brings surges of testos-

terone to both men and

women, increa sing libido and

heightening genital sensitivi-

ty—particularly the strength

of his erection. (It’s called

morning wood, not morning

cork, for a reason.) Not to

mention, it should be easier

to reach climax in the first

place, since Murphy’s Law

(anything that can go wrong

will go wrong) hasn’t had a

chance to set in.

But there are major men-

tal perks to early romps too:

Sex is, hands down, a fabu-

lous stress reliever, mood

lifter, and relationship en-

hancer (courtesy of a release

of feel-good hormones). So

by getting frisky first thing,

you set yourself up for a

calmer, happier day. Plus,

for most, doing the deed in-

creases energy, a recent sur-

vey shows, surprisingly.

Not to say that nighttime

sex is a waste, but you defi-

nitely get more, uh, bang for

your buck by mixing up your

mating schedule. Of course,

we know mornings can be a

bit frantic—and, well, seri-

ously unsexy. Here’s how to

flip the script for action as

hot and stimulating as your

trusty cup of coffee.