Long Covid and Your Sex Life | Aldult Toys Blog

Like a recent article from Cosmo states with equal precision that Covid-19 and its long-term effects “can be a real catastrophe”.

As if the symptomatic crisis of Covid-19 wasn’t bad enough, many of us must deal with the reality of lingering symptoms, even after the contagion itself has long since dissipated. It’s hardly surprising that these lingering effects can be detrimental to one’s sex life.

Update on long (and medium!) Covid

Covid can manifest itself in a variety of ways, with long-term physical and mental effects, such as hair loss, mouth ulcers, or loss of smell and taste. “Long Covid” can leave you feeling unwell, unwell, and short of breath, sometimes long after the initial supposed “10-day” recovery period.

Most of us have heard about the disruptive effects of “long Covid,”defined as “having physical or psychological symptoms more than 12 weeks after contracting COVID-19.” People who are hospitalized while recovering appear to be at higher risk of these side effects, which can include more than 100 different symptoms.

And, to make things more complex, even though you may not end up with a disabling case of long Covid that leaves you bedridden, it’s much more common than most people think to take several weeks to fully recover — a condition increasingly recognized as “mid-COVID.”

A 2021 Survey A study by the Office for National Statistics in Britain surveyed more than 20,000 participants who had tested positive for Covid-19 in the previous year and found that one in five reported experiencing symptoms after five weeks. At 12 weeks, that figure was still 13.7% (nearly one in seven). The most common symptoms experienced at five weeks were fatigue (11.8%), cough (11%), headache (10%), muscle pain (7.7%) and loss of taste and smell (6.3%). At 12 weeks, the prevalence of symptoms was only slightly lower.

Particularly given the status quo of messaging from health authorities, COVID symptoms that last for weeks can come as a surprise. In December 2021, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced that people who tested positive for the coronavirus can end isolation after just five days if they have no symptoms. But this recommendation focuses on the period during which a person is considered contagious and says nothing about persistent or recurring symptoms beyond that period. So it could easily have the effect of suggesting that most people recover fairly quickly.

But many Covid survivors can experience symptom relapses at any time, and those symptoms can vary in intensity.

Who feels sexy?!

Long Covid and your sex life

For many Covid survivors, getting back to normal means being able to start working out again.

“Sex is essential to feeling alive” explains psychosexual therapist Silva Neves“Psychologically, it is a major element of our enthusiasm and our joy of living. Sex is essential to the connection with oneself.”

While sex and intimacy are undeniably among our basic needs, it’s not hard to understand how they can take a back seat when dealing with a chronic Covid pandemic.

While women’s sexual health is most commonly affected by the stress-inducing aspects of the virus that decrease confidence (e.g., through temporary hair loss), energy levels, and libido, some men are experiencing even more direct impacts on their sexual health. For example, some men begin to develop erectile dysfunction (ED) after their Covid-19 infection. Studies shows that men are six times more likely to develop erectile problems after Covid. research shows a range of symptoms caused by Covid that can impact sex, including testicular damage, testicular pain or swelling, difficulty reaching orgasm, decreased libido, low testosterone and urinary problems. Yeah, right?

Keep calm and masturbate

Those who aren’t yet well enough to attempt sex with their partner, and/or who simply enjoy solo sex for its own sake, can use masturbation as a way to feel alive again. When they feel well enough, of course. Sexual stimulation is an incredible way to reconnect with your body (and yourself!). After all, masturbation And orgasms They have been proven to significantly reduce anxiety and stress.

“The brain chemicals involved in orgasm (serotonin, dopamine, endorphins and oxytocin) are what are called feel-good hormones,” Neves points out. “Oxytocin (the calming hormone) and endorphins (the pain-relieving hormones) are particularly useful for increasing sexual desire during illness.”

Be kind and patient with yourself

Moderate exercise like walking or gentle yoga can help, as well as triggering a release of the pleasure hormones mentioned above. Lifestyle changes like eating healthy, quitting smoking, and getting enough sleep can also help. Communicating openly with your partner about your anxieties can also make a world of difference. Talk openly about what’s going on with your libido and energy levels, as well as any other symptoms you feel might be impacting your willingness/ability to experience things.Pleasure. If you know you just need a little more time to recover, express it. Patience is a mutual commitment, after all.

Ultimately, loving yourself means being patient with your body’s process, and honoring and respecting its needs, even if that means delaying sex for a while (or exploring sex differently). Covid leaves many of us with no choice but to be patient withourselves – perhaps the best we can do is find blessing in it. <3