Why does sexual desire increase in summer?

Although it is said that "Spring alters blood" It seems that it is not the most auspicious time, although all may be. We will try to find out why sexual desire increases in summer.

Our libido increases in summer due to several circumstances that we have divided into two large groups: socio-labor and physiological.

Socio-labor factors that increase sexual desire in summer

There is a wide variety of socio-labor factors that can influence the increase in sexual desire in summer. For example, We have more free time and less labor obligations. In turn, personal relationships are enhanced and there are more opportunities for meeting. Other factors are:

• More tourism is done and we can coincide with people who arouse our sexual desire.
• The incentive of being outside our usual environment makes us more bold and determined, with less inhibitions and prejudices.
• There are large concentrations of people: concerts, beach, parties and many other environments that They are the perfect opportunity for germination of sexual desire in summer.
• More flexible schedules than they allow us to relax without thinking about the alarm clock and extend the evenings, letting the desire free.
• The dress itself that exposes parts of the body that, at other times of the year remain hidden.

Free time, social gatherings and summer dress itself can influence the increase in sexual desire that occurs at this time.

Physiological factors that cause sexual desire to increase in summer

Organic functions, for the most part, are regulated, influenced or modulated by our endocrine system through hormones. The same happens with sexual desire.

In general, sun and heat increase the production and secretion of hormones involved in sexual desire, and That would explain why sexual desire increases in summer.

The sun's rays have the capacity to generate up to 90% of the body's vitamin D. As a study published in International Journal of Endocrinology, Men who have sufficient amounts of this vitamin have a higher level of testosterone, the male sex hormone.

Read also: How the seasons change our emotions

Other physiological factors are:

• Estrogens and progesterone increase around the days of ovulation and make the woman present greater sexual desire and be more likely to consume it. Something similar happens under the influence of heat and sunlight.
• Serotonin levels that are called the «Pleasure hormone». Another factor that influences this effect, in addition to the sun and heat, is the physical exercise that is practiced most in summer.
• Pheromones, which influence sexual appetite, also They are more active in summer.
• Oxytocin and endorphins also increase in the summer due to exercise, sun and heat.
• The increase in the hours of sunlight causes melatonin levels to decrease (a hormone that regulates the sleep-wake cycles) and, apparently, also They contribute to increased libido in summer.
• The external heat, by itself, It is considered the libido fuel because it favors the start-up of the internal heat produced by desire.
• As the medical journal highlights Duodecim in one of his publications, sunlight, by affecting alertness and energy in humans, It can increase sexual activity.

According to some studies, sunlight and its ability to generate vitamin D in the body are one of the reasons why libido increases during the summer.

The sexual desire from the inside

Sexual desire activates neuronal areas of our brain that are deactivated after it is satisfied. The activation and inhibition of sexual desire is carried out in the limbic system, regulated by the hypothalamus, and has its maximum activity on days with more hours of sunlight as it happens in the summer.

The hypothalamus is also responsible for the modulation of emotions, heart rate and blood pressure. These brain areas they are the ones that regulate the emotional effects of the events of our life and can also influence the increase in sexual desire.

It can arise spontaneously without any intention on our part to an external stimulus or, on the contrary, Be stimulated by the evocation of our imagination and fantasies.

Sexual desire in women and men

The mechanisms that launch sexual desire in men and women do not settle on the same stimuli. Every man and woman are unique and therefore they can develop mechanisms of desire different. In any case, in general they have some gender-dependent features.

The sexual desire in women

Desire in women has a more complex mechanism than in men and, above all, many more nuances. It is built on the fly, through internal stimuli such as fantasies or external ones such as caresses, kisses, etc.

The sense of hearing seems to play a very important role. It is stimulated by words, whispers and gasps. It is influenced in an important way by the mood of women. Stress and fatigue make the accompaniment of excitement to desire more difficult.

It may interest you: Sexual desire in men: Same as in women?

The sexual desire in men

In the male desire visual stimuli are important, as well as imagination and sexual fantasies. It usually appears before the sexual encounter and therefore, it begins with a higher level of excitement.

It is usually related to desire and erection, the latter being the factor that maintains it, in general, until ejaculation.

These are some of the explanations of why sexual desire increases in summer: temperature increase and hours of sunshine that influence the synthesis of hormones and mediators, They improve the mood and make us more likely to live the summer meetings.