{"id":791,"date":"2025-11-23T09:05:23","date_gmt":"2025-11-23T09:05:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/badvibes.live\/?p=791"},"modified":"2025-11-23T09:05:23","modified_gmt":"2025-11-23T09:05:23","slug":"everything-that-happens-to-your-brain-during-sex","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/badvibes.live\/?p=791","title":{"rendered":"Everything that happens to your brain during sex"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Being in the throes of a particularly hot, steamy\u00a0sex session<\/a>\u00a0can be discombobulating.<\/p>\n

The combination of hormones flooding your brain is an especially heady combination \u2014 and these mind-altering effects continue after climax, to the point you might struggle to think straight afterwards.<\/p>\n

However, according to a\u00a02023 study<\/a>\u00a0from Lovehoney, not all of us are focusing while we\u2019re in the midst of the deed.<\/p>\n

One in eight admit to worrying about how\u00a0good the sex<\/a>\u00a0is and 53% are concerned about not finishing too quickly, while 51% say they ponder whether the sex is better or worse than it usually is.<\/p>\n

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Interestingly, 38% have also found their thoughts wandering to a person other than their partner, and 29% were preoccupied with household chores. Hey, when the bin needs emptying, it needs emptying, right?<\/p>\n

Actual content of our sexy thoughts aside though, what\u2019s\u00a0actually<\/em>\u00a0going on inside our brains in the moment? We asked the experts.<\/p>\n

Your brain floods with dopamine<\/h2>\n

As Sachchidananda Maiti, a gynaecologist at Pall Mall, tells\u00a0Metro<\/strong>, an orgasm can be likened to a \u2018full-body fireworks show,\u2019 setting off reactions everywhere, from your brain to your skin.<\/p>\n

\u2018When you reach climax, your body goes through a\u00a0rollercoaster of changes<\/a>, some obvious, others surprisingly weird,\u2019 he explains.<\/p>\n

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\u2018Your brain floods with\u00a0dopamine<\/a>, oxytocin, and endorphins, the same chemicals linked to deep relaxation and happiness.\u2019<\/p>\n

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In case you need a refresh, dopamine is a neurotransmitter responsible for helping us to feel pleasure and motivation \u2014 the one people living with\u00a0ADHD<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Parkinson\u2019s Disease<\/a>\u00a0are deficient in. Alongside sex, things like listening to music, exercise, and getting enough sunlight can all help boost it.<\/p>\n

Brain scans show that, when it comes to this, an orgasm lights up the same areas of the brain that certain drugs do, which would go some way towards explaining that \u2018post-orgasmic daze\u2019.<\/p>\n

Dopamine isn\u2019t the only big name here, either: it might be the party hormone that\u2019s responsible for that feel-good vibe, but serotonin (impacting everything from mood and sleep to appetite, digestion, and blood clotting) also skyrockets after climax, leaving you feeling both \u2018happy and calm.\u2019<\/p>\n

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That said, it\u2019s worth noting that\u00a0orgasm\u00a0<\/a>isn\u2019t always the end-goal of sex, and it can be just as satisfying whether you get there or not.<\/p>\n

Women in particular may not reach climax every time; a 2022 study from\u00a0YouGov<\/a>\u00a0showed that women are much less likely to finish during intercourse, with just three in 10 (30%) reporting orgasming every time they had\u00a0partnered sex<\/a>, compared to 61% of guys.<\/p>\n

Still, just because the\u00a0Orgasm Gap<\/a>\u00a0positions women\u2019s fulfilment as \u2018less than\u2019 men\u2019s, there\u2019s no benchmark when it comes to great sex, and putting pressure on yourself to do anything will only worsen the experience. If you\u2019re enjoying it, that\u2019s what matters.<\/p>\n

Parts of your brain \u2018shut down\u2019<\/h2>\n

During orgasm, the brain also closes off what Sachchidananda refers to as its \u2018thinking and worrying centres\u2019 (but if you want to get fancy, the scientific name for this system is the nucleus accumbens and ventral tegmental area) to let you \u2018fully enjoy the moment.\u2019<\/p>\n

\u2018Meanwhile, the part of your brain responsible for pleasure and motivation \u2013 the reward centre \u2013 becomes highly active,\u2019 he explains, adding that in turn, this facilitates \u2018intense feelings of enjoyment.\u2019<\/p>\n

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In addition, function in the part of the brain responsible for judgement (the oft-referenced pre-frontal cortex) slows, which as Sachchidananda says, might help you to feel \u2018less self-conscious or anxious.\u2019<\/p>\n

Basically, if you\u2019re stressed, maybe you just need to get down and dirty to clear your head.<\/p>\n

Your emotional centre becomes more active<\/h2>\n

It comes as little surprise that your emotions can also be stimulated by sex \u2014 again, if you\u2019re into it, the nerdy word for the area where these are controlled is the amygdala.<\/p>\n

This can make your feelings stronger and heighten excitement, triggering the body\u2019s command centre to create physical responses like an increasing heartbeat or breathing pattern, as well as dilated pupils.<\/p>\n

\u2018During orgasm, your brain coordinates a big celebration in its \u201cpleasure, emotion, movement, and imagination\u201d regions, while the \u201cworry and control\u201d section takes a break,\u2019 Sachchidananda concludes.<\/p>\n

\u2018This lets you really let go and enjoy the experience, whether\u00a0you\u2019re\u00a0alone or with someone else.\u2019<\/p>\n

Is it just sex that impacts your brain chemicals?<\/h2>\n

It\u2019s not just full-on sex that can change your brain chemistry; more generally, physical touch can be hugely beneficial.<\/p>\n

In fact, Gigi Engel, sexologist and sex educator at\u00a0sextoys.co.uk<\/a>\u00a0tells\u00a0Metro<\/strong>\u00a0that studies suggest physical touch can actually increase our longevity.<\/p>\n

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She explains: \u2018There are a lot of people whose lifespan decreases because they\u2019re experiencing what\u2019s called touch starvation, which is when humans aren\u2019t experiencing the physical touch that you get from your partner.<\/p>\n

\u2018Another thing that can happen during non-sexual touch, such as hugging, is a thing called co-regulation, which is when your nervous system takes on the same cadence as the person you\u2019re being physically intimate with.\u2019<\/p>\n

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So, as Gigi explains, when you hug someone, if they\u2019re feeling calm, that sentiment might rub off on you, too, automatically soothing your nervous system and bringing back that grounding sense of tranquility.<\/p>\n

What about after sex?<\/h2>\n

While we\u2019ve explored the idea that sex isn\u2019t exclusively about orgasm, Gigi explains that those who do reach this sexual chapter will feel a more intense \u2018release\u2019 than otherwise, one which can essentially reset your nervous system.<\/p>\n

The show doesn\u2019t necessarily end there either, as post-orgasm, the brain releases a neurochemical called prolactin, which Gigi describes as a \u2018calming hormone\u2019 that can make you feel sleepy.<\/p>\n

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If you\u2019ve ever had a partner who\u2019s in the land of nod before you\u2019ve even got your bearings after sex, that\u2019ll be why.<\/p>\n

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  Being in the throes of a particularly hot, steamy\u00a0sex session\u00a0can be discombobulating. The combination of hormones flooding your brain is an especially heady combination \u2014 and these mind-altering effects continue after climax, to the point you might struggle to think straight afterwards. However, according to a\u00a02023 study\u00a0from Lovehoney, not all of us are focusing […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":797,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-791","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t