Impact of Lifestyle on Sexual Health

Sex is important not just for reproduction, but also for the pleasure and emotional connection between partners. A healthy sex life brings essential benefits to both men and women, which directly impacts their happiness and health, and overall quality of life. The state of your sexual health typically mirrors your general health condition.

Research indicates that an active sex life provides various health advantages to people. The body releases endorphins during sex, which act as feel-good chemicals that enhance mood and strengthen immune function. The release of the hormone oxytocin during sex helps people reduce stress while building emotional intimacy.1

Libido is a term from psychology that refers to a person’s natural sexual drive or desire, which motivates humans to reproduce.2

A mix of social, psychological, and biological factors can influence libido. Hormones such as testosterone and estrogen play a key role. Testosterone affects libido in both men and women, while estrogen is particularly important for sexual desire in women.

Mental health, self-esteem, relationship satisfaction, and overall well-being also significantly impact libido.3

A sedentary lifestyle involves spending most of the day sitting and doing activities that use very little energy, with minimal physical movement.4

Typical examples include activities like watching television, playing video games, using a computer, sitting for long hours at work or school, and spending time commuting.4,5

People who lead a sedentary lifestyle face higher chances of premature death while developing major health issues, including heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and obesity.

Living a sedentary lifestyle increases the risk of developing cancers such as breast, colon, endometrial, and ovarian cancer. In addition, such a lifestyle causes chronic knee pain, depression and cognitive decline.5

Regular physical activity helps people maintain better sexual health while improving their relationships. The practice of moderate exercise leads to improvement in sexual desire, improved erectile function, arousal and satisfaction.1

Natural testosterone decline accelerates when people do not engage in physical activity.

The following factors decrease testosterone levels among inactive individuals:6

Regular moderate physical exercise has been shown to elevate testosterone levels in the body. On the other hand, extreme endurance training and overtraining decrease libido and testosterone levels.

The World Health Organisation (WHO)recommends 150–300 minutes/week of moderate-intensity physical activity or 75–150 minutes/week of vigorous-intensity activity.7

Some of the key benefits to an active lifestyle include:7

Physical activity boosts mood and helps reduce symptoms of anxiety and depression at the same time

Enhances sleep quality

The practice of physical activity helps prevent heart disease, alongside hypertension, diabetes and specific cancers

Physical exercise helps older adults preserve bone density while reducing their risk of falls

Exercises that have been shown to increase testosterone and that are safer and more sustainable than using medications or advanced therapeutic approaches inlcude:7

Short-term endurance exercises such as running, cycling, or swimming, can boost testosterone levels. However, doing these exercises in high volume over a long period may actually lower testosterone levels

Strength training or weightlifting usually helps increase testosterone levels over time

Working out bigger muscle groups like the legs and back tends to boost testosterone more than training smaller muscles

Compound exercises, such as squats or deadlifts, that activate multiple muscle groups at once produce stronger hormonal reactions in the body

High-intensity, short-duration workouts are ideal

Sticking to a regular workout routine is important, as occasional exercise is less effective

Proper recovery from training is essential because overtraining without it can decrease testosterone production

Natural testosterone maintenance and sexual health improvement occur through the combination of exercise, proper diet, and adequate sleep

Obesity tends to reduce a person's ability to find partners or participate in sexual relationships.

Research indicates that men with elevated body mass index (BMI) tend to have less frequent sex, while in women, BMI doesn't seem to affect sexual activity frequency much.

It was also found that young adults aged 18–27 with higher BMIs showed reduced sexual activity. The researchers proposed that men with lower body weight receive more opportunities for sex because they appear more attractive to others.

Obesity frequently causes mental health problems, which include depression and anxiety, together with low self-esteem and negative body image. Obesity can negatively impact both sexual desire and performance by causing conditions such as erectile dysfunction, among other issues.

Visceral fat, also known as belly fat, can turn testosterone into estrogen, which lowers your overall testosterone levels. It also releases certain chemicals that cause inflammation in the body. The accumulation of fat tissue in the body also leads to other health problems, including high cholesterol, high blood sugar, high blood pressure, insulin resistance, heart disease and chronic inflammation. The presence of these health issues creates damage to sexual function.1

A nutritious diet supports testosterone production and helps reduce oxidative stress and inflammation. Losing weight, especially belly fat, through a low-calorie, low-fat diet can raise testosterone levels and improve sexual function. A balanced diet rich in lean proteins, fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and healthy fats supports testosterone production.

Some of the popular diets that can aid in fat loss, including but not limited to:1,7

Western Diet: High in red/processed meats, sugar, salt, and refined grains. Low in fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. It is associated with increased risks of heart disease, cancer, obesity, diabetes, and general poor health

Mediterranean Diet: Abundant in vegetables, fruits, nuts, legumes, fish, and olive oil.Low in red/processed meats. Associated with a lower risk of heart disease, stroke, diabetes, some cancers, and improved sexual health (including erectile function)

Vegetarian Diet: Avoids red and processed meats. Lower in saturated fat and cholesterol. It can reduce the risk of heart disease and some cancers

Apart from diet, alcohol, smoking, and drugs can have negative effects on sexual function, so they should be avoided.1,7–9

Stress causes sexual desire to decrease and disrupts performance. Chronic stress alters hormone levels and damages the immune system. It also leads to anxiety and depression and unhealthy behaviours such as smoking, alcohol use and poor diet, which all have a bad impact on reproductive health. The prolonged presence of stress elevates cortisol levels, which disrupts testosterone production by affecting the functioning of key reproductive glands.

If stress is interfering with your sexual drive, you can try the strategies mentioned below:7,10

Mindfulness & Relaxation: Meditation, deep breathing, and relaxation exercises improve hormonal balance and reduce stress

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT): Helps manage negative thoughts and improve mental health

Physical Activity: Regular exercise boosts mood through endorphin release and helps reduce stress

Social Support: Talking to friends, family, or support groups can relieve emotional stress and improve overall well-being

Healthy Lifestyle: A healthy lifestyle that includes proper nutrition and sufficient sleep, together with the avoidance of caffeine, alcohol and smoking, helps both stress management and supports good reproductive health

Irregular sleep patterns can upset hormone balance and lower testosterone levels. This is because the stress hormone cortisol interferes with testosterone production. Deep, restful sleep is important for making enough testosterone in the body. Chronic lack of sleep can speed up the ageing process and is linked to reduced testosterone levels.

These harmful effects can be avoided by practising good sleep hygiene. Sleep hygiene refers to habits and practices that support good sleep quality and daytime alertness.7

Now to the main question and to summarise this article – Yes, a sedentary lifestyle can lower libido through multiple mechanisms. It not only directly affects sexual health but also harms overall well-being, which in turn further impacts libido.

The hormone testosterone, which drives libido in both men and women, experiences a significant decrease as one of the primary effects of sedentary behaviour. The combination of exercise deficiency causes reduced blood flow, weight accumulation mainly around the abdomen, muscle atrophy, sleep disturbances and elevated cortisol production, which together reduce testosterone production.

The strong connection between obesity and sedentary behaviour leads to negative effects on libido. The condition leads to decreased self-esteem, causes anxiety and depression and raises the possibility of developing other sexual problems such as erectile dysfunction. Men who have a higher BMI tend to have less sexual activity, and excess weight often disrupts hormone balance and sexual function.

The body's natural hormone rhythms become disrupted because inactivity creates chronic stress and poor sleep patterns. Elevated cortisol levels suppress testosterone production while damaging key reproductive organs. Similarly, sleep deprivation impairs testosterone synthesis and accelerates ageing, further lowering libido.

Regular physical activity promotes sexual health through better blood circulation, stress reduction, higher testosterone levels, improved mood and sleep quality, which support a healthy sex drive.

In short, a sedentary lifestyle causes physical and hormonal changes that significantly diminish libido, while an active lifestyle helps preserve and even restore sexual health.

Peng J, Xiang B, Yang J, Tang Y, Li D, Tang Z. What Affects Male Sexual Activity: A Comprehensive Review. Health [Internet]. 2023 [cited 2025 Aug 4]; 15(12):1366–89. Available from: https://www.scirp.org/journal/doi.aspx?doi=10.4236/health.2023.1512089.

Nash J. Libido. In: Leeming DA, editor. Encyclopedia of Psychology and Religion [Internet]. Cham: Springer International Publishing; 2020 [cited 2025 Aug 4]; p. 1359–60. Available from: https://link.springer.com/10.1007/978-3-030-24348-7_385.

Cappelletti M, Wallen K. Increasing women’s sexual desire: The comparative effectiveness of estrogens and androgens. Hormones and Behavior [Internet]. 2016 [cited 2025 Aug 4]; 78:178–93. Available from: https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S0018506X15301677.

Carlson J. Lifestyle, Sedentary. In: Gellman MD, editor. Encyclopedia of Behavioral Medicine [Internet]. Cham: Springer International Publishing; 2020 [cited 2025 Aug 4]; p. 1293–4. Available from: http://link.springer.com/10.1007/978-3-030-39903-0_1148.

Park JH, Moon JH, Kim HJ, Kong MH, Oh YH. Sedentary Lifestyle: Overview of Updated Evidence of Potential Health Risks. Korean J Fam Med [Internet]. 2020 [cited 2025 Aug 4]; 41(6):365–73. Available from: http://kjfm.or.kr/journal/view.php?doi=10.4082/kjfm.20.0165.

Wilson JJ, Trott M, Ilie CP, Pratsides L, Shah S, Tully MA, et al. The potential role of physical activity in the management of male sexual dysfunction. Trends Urol & Men’s Health [Internet]. 2023 [cited 2025 Aug 4]; 14(3):10–4. Available from: https://wchh.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/tre.917.

Emokpae MA, Brown SI. Effects of lifestyle factors on fertility: practical recommendations for modification. Reprod Fertil [Internet]. 2021 [cited 2025 Aug 4]; 2(1):R13–26. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8812443/.

Mollaioli D, Ciocca G, Limoncin E, Di Sante S, Gravina GL, Carosa E, et al. Lifestyles and sexuality in men and women: the gender perspective in sexual medicine. Reprod Biol Endocrinol [Internet]. 2020 [cited 2025 Aug 4]; 18(1):10. Available from: https://rbej.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12958-019-0557-9.