Sexual health encompasses a person’s sexuality in terms of physical, mental, and social well-being, according to the World Health Organization. Sexual satisfaction is just one aspect of sexual health, and one that has a very fluid definition.
In long-term relationships, especially in elderly couples, sexual well-being is often not given enough attention in relation to discussions about successful aging. This is despite the fact that sexual activity and satisfaction are linked to many emotional benefits. For instance, pleasurable sexual activity is known to reduce risks of depression while increasing psychological well-being.
Oftentimes, sexual well-being is associated with the absence of sexual dysfunction. However, it doesn’t always mean that if there’s nothing wrong with your sexual capability, that you’re automatically sexually satisfied, and the same goes for your partner.
Unfortunately, not all couples are up for the challenge of maintaining sexual satisfaction in their relationship. Based on a recent study, here are five ways to maintain a passionate and sexually satisfying relationship.
#1 Take Time To Have Sex Often
You can’t have any sexual satisfaction when you’re not having sex at all. On the other hand, having sex frequently is highly correlated with sexual satisfaction. Couples who often take time to enjoy each other sexually tend to have a stronger connection with each other.
In many studies, involving both married and unmarried couples, it has been shown that the more frequent the couples are engaging in sexual intercourse, the higher their levels of sexual satisfaction get. What’s even more important to note here is that sexual satisfaction is more likely if the partners are in agreement with how often they should have sex.
Even if it’s just once a week or twice a week, if both partners agree that that’s how often they want to have sex, it still engenders feelings of sexual satisfaction. Compare that to couples who have sex as often as every day but one of the partners feels obligated or that everyday is just too much. In the second scenario, instead of feelings of sexual satisfaction, you’ll more likely to feel resentment towards the other partner.
#2 Oral Sex Strengthens Feelings Of Intimacy
In one study that asked participants how often he/she received or performed oral sex in the past month, there were participants who answered that they were not that intimate with their partners. This means that people often think of giving or receiving oral sex as a measure of their level of intimacy with their partner. As a corollary, when you perform oral sex on your partner, it engenders in her a stronger feeling of intimacy. This, in turn, positively influences how sexually satisfied your partner feels.
In the same study, it was shown that men who received oral sex often were more sexually satisfied and reported more passion in their sex lives. It was also indicated that sexually satisfied men were more likely to give oral sex when they also often receive oral sex from their partners.
#3 Don’t Be Afraid To Try New Things
Injecting variety into your sex life is a sure way to keep it exciting. It also makes having sex something to look forward to and not just a routine act for which you have to go through the motions just to be able to say your sex life is still alive.
But sexual variety in the context of achieving and maintaining sexual satisfaction in your relationship is not limited to acts that you have to do while you’re in bed with your partner. It can be as simple as wearing a new pair of sexy lingerie, or setting a date night, or even just taking a shower together.
As long as these acts are associated with the idea of having sex with your partner, it’s considered as sexual variety. And what’s great about constantly introducing variety into your sex life is that it doesn’t even have to be something big or expensive or requiring too much effort. These are usually just little things that are shared together intimately, just like watching porn movies together.
Of course, sexual variety is also fun and exciting. Like shopping for sex toys together or trying out new sex positions. There are so many things you can do to make sure your sex life doesn’t become boring. The important thing here is that you and your partner agree to do it, and you actually do it together.
#4 Invest In Setting The Mood
Setting the mood for sex serves as your signal to focus on each other. Often, sex becomes routinary because there’s no more emotional setting or context associated with the act. You just strip your clothes off, get on top of your partner, and after a few minutes, it’s all over, a classic example of just going through the motions.
When you invest in setting the mood, on the other hand, like when you light candles and play background music, it allows you to zone in and focus on your partner and your lovemaking. Setting the mood also enables you to focus your senses. Hearing the background music or seeing the candle lights flicker – these are stimuli to your senses. And when your senses are fully heightened, each sensation during sex is also heightened and felt with more intensity. In short, setting the mood is simply a preparatory step for you and your partner to fully experience the upcoming mind-blowing orgasms. Which is reason enough for you to invest your time and effort in it.
#5 Talk About Sex
Sexual communication plays an important role in keeping your sex life satisfying. It gives you and your partner the channel you need to express your sexual desires, complaints, fantasies, demands, and compliments. The last one is actually very important because when you compliment your partner about something she did during sex, or if your partner complimented you, it’s one way of affirming each other, which is another way to keep the relationship strong.
Sexual communication is not just about sharing your fantasies with each other. It’s also about sharing feedback about something you want your partner to do or how your partner did during sex. The fact that you both openly provide and receive feedback is an indication that you want your sex life to improve. And when you have that kind of attitude, you can surely maintain your sexual satisfaction.
