Want better sex?
Sex is a personal topic that is unique to each individual’s preferences, comfort, and emotions. While many articles urge you to purchase sex toys and games, or read sex tips for better sex, there are some other things that you may not know you can easily do to enhance your sexual experience and boost libido naturally, and that is to stimulate and take care of your nervous system.
Read on to understand how these systems work, and how the SWS Method can help.
What is the Parasympathetic Nervous System?
This system is part of the autonomic nervous system, responsible for a number of bodily functions that you don’t need to think about to control. These include your blood pressure, digestion, heart rate, sweating, urination, and LIBIDO! Remember this is the “ Rest, Digest and Mate” side of the nervous system.
The parasympathetic system can be compared to the river of your body. When this system is activated, your muscles are relaxed, your heart rate slows down, digestion improves and your body is in a state prepared to pass on its genes through sex. When this side of the nervous system is activated and in charge the body feels like it's in a safe place and conception would be considered ideal and libido goes up.
What is the Sympathetic Nervous System?
The sympathetic nervous system is also a part of the autonomic nervous system, but is responsible for activities which require a great output of energy. Your mind does have to think about the work your body is doing in order for this system to work properly, and your mind is typically alert and in “fight” or “flight” mode. An example of times at which the sympathetic nervous system is at work includes working a shift of physical labor, exercising and experiencing psychological stress.
If the parasympathetic nervous system is the river of your body, the sympathetic nervous system is the fire. When this system is activated, your adrenaline increases, your heart rate increases, your digestion stops, and your mind can feel cloudy. It is normal, and even healthy, for these reactions to occur, however when there is a continuous activation of this system, chronic fatigue, insomnia, anxiety, high blood pressure, and low sex drive can occur.
What does the parasympathetic nervous system do?
Your parasympathetic system’s job is to reduce the activities your body is involved in, causing increased relaxation.
Your parasympathetic nervous system affects different parts of your body to cause rest and relaxation:
Nose and Mouth: Causes the glands in our mouths to produce saliva, and those in our nose to produce mucus. Though it doesn’t sound like it, this mucus allows us to have greater rest throughout the night. That is why you sometimes drool after a long night of sleep!
Eyes: Constricts and shrinks our pupils to allow how much light enters our eyes, improving our vision and protecting our eyes from brightness.
Heart: Lowers our heart rate after physical activity – or sex!
Digestion: Increases our ability to digest food properly, helping insulin to release and sugars to break down for cell use.
Reproductive System: Manages your body’s bodily functions, producing erections in people with penises and lubrication for those people with vaginas.
What does the sympathetic nervous system do?
In contrast, your sympathetic nervous system’s job is to get your body stimulated and ready for action, and reacts naturally to positions of stress, danger, or excitement.
Your sympathetic nervous system affects different parts of your body to cause reflex, endurance, and strength:
Heart: Causes your heart rate to increase in order to pump oxygen to different areas of your body.
Eyes: Enlarges your pupils to allow more light in, and improve your vision.
Lungs: Relaxes muscles that allow air in to let more oxygen into the lungs.
Digestion: Slows digestion so energy is diverted to different parts of the body.
Reproductive System: If your body is under stress from the sympathetic system being activated, it will be difficult to relax, feel sexually stimulated, and enjoy your time with others. For a person who has a penis, the sympathetic system being activated can make it difficult to have an erection, and for a person with a vagina, it can be difficult to produce lubrication.
Sex and the Parasympathetic and Sympathetic Nervous Systems
In order to have comfortable and serene sex, the parasympathetic and the sympathetic nervous systems need to be in balance. If you are too excited or nervous (sympathetic) you won’t be able to become turned on, and if you are too relaxed (parasympathetic) you may fall asleep before the sex even occurs!
While the sympathetic nervous system is responsible for producing desire and testosterone, the parasympathetic nervous system is responsible for sexual arousal and relaxation. In order to produce a balance between the two nervous systems for good sex, the parasympathetic system must be stimulated to control the initial nervous attraction of the sympathetic nervous system.
How to Stimulate the Parasympathetic System: Relax the Sympathetic System
To learn how to stimulate the parasympathetic nervous system, you should approach it like you would train for a sport. There are many different exercises that help the sympathetic nervous system relax, and they involve relaxation of the mind and body.
Certain types of Yoga, meditation, breath-work and stretch therapy, if restorative in nature can be done to relax your mind and body. These activities help balance the two systems because they require conscious breathing and mindfulness (parasympathetic) alongside movement (sympathetic) to reduce stress. If these activities are performed regularly, it will become routine for your body to fall into a healthy, balanced state during sex, making sex better for you and your partner!
How the SWS Method balances the Parasympathetic and Sympathetic Nervous Systems
The SWS Method is an evidence-based stretch therapy and mindfulness program developed by Shannon Watson, a Registered Nurse with over 14 years of experience specializing in enhancing Human Performance.
Her approach combines Stretch Therapy, Evidence Based Restorative Yoga and Mindfulness to improve flexibility, mobility, and focused attention, while reducing pain, and optimizing sleep quality.
After working with professional athletes, business executives, and private clients, she has designed an 8-week program available to the public virtually, the “8 Week Total Body Reset.” The program consists of once a week Restorative Style classes which blend deep stretch flows, mobility, breathwork, and mindfulness-based relaxation together to align and recover the whole body and mind.
Better Sex with the 8 Week Total Body Reset
The sessions involved in the 8 Week Total Body Reset promote balance between the parasympathetic and sympathetic nervous systems through mindful stretches and movements that impact the mind and body. However, there are a few stretches that improve sex in general alongside balancing these systems through the power of stretch:
Hip Stretch
Lunges
Back stretch
Cat Cow
Looking for a practice designed to balance the parasympathetic and sympathetic nervous systems?
The Total Body Reset, a program from the SWS Method does just that. The breathwork techniques included in this practice were carefully designed to stimulate the parasympathetic nervous system, as the movement practice enhances mobility throughout the entire body.
Overtime, mindfulness enhances all pleasurable experiences and self confidence is boosted with continual practice. All of these elements combined enhance the sexual experience and elevate all aspects of life.
To learn more, visit swatsonsolutions.com.
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