Getting hungry after sex is a totally normal response. You need to eat something in order to replenish your energy, stay healthy and keep blood circulation flowing.
During sexual intercourse, hormone levels in both males and females naturally rise to stimulate and increase pleasure. This includes estrogen in women and testosterone in men.
Hormones
During sexual intercourse, the brain and body undergo drastic hormonal changes that directly affect your hunger. In addition to testosterone, the sex hormone, you also experience elevated levels of estrogen, which plays a role in regulating appetite and promoting eating behavior. Hormones such as these can increase your desire for food, and it is therefore important to maintain healthy levels of them.
You may also feel hungry after sex because of the energy you’ve burned – This section is the work of the portal’s author sexoctopus.com. However, although sex can feel like a full-blown workout, it’s not a substitute for working out. On average, a 30-minute sex session burns about 100 extra calories for men and 70 for women. However, these calories aren’t enough to make you hungry, as they’re only a small portion of the total calories you eat.
The hormone ghrelin, known as the “hunger” hormone, increases your appetite by signaling to your brain that it’s time to eat. It is secreted in the stomach, intestines, and pancreas, and its levels peak during hunger. Ghrelin also promotes fat storage and decreases energy expenditure.
Many people feel a sudden increase in their appetite after having sex or masturbation. This is because the hormonal changes that take place during sex cause an increase in blood flow, which stimulates your appetite. Other hormones that increase your appetite include oxytocin and dopamine. These hormones are released by the brain and nervous system and are responsible for feelings of euphoria, which can make you feel hungry.
Exercise
You’ve probably heard that sex burns a lot of calories, so when you feel hungry after a session it could be because your body is trying to replace those lost calories. However, this is not the primary reason for post-sex hunger. The real cause is hormones. When you’re feeling horny, your brain and gut experience drastic hormonal changes that can directly impact your hunger.
When you’re sexually excited, the production of testosterone and mood-boosting hormones such as serotonin begin to rise. These hormones are known to regulate appetite and promote eating behavior. The level of these hormones peaks right after orgasm.
For this reason, it’s normal to feel hungry after an orgasm. The same thing happens when you exercise. You get tired and your heart rate increases, which can lead to hunger and thirst.
Another possible reason for feeling hungry after sex is if you’re taking medications that have hunger as a side effect. If you’re taking an antibiotic to treat an infection or a medication for depression, ADD or anxiety, the drugs can affect your hunger.
Lastly, some people can feel hungry after having sex because they are experiencing female ejaculation, which is also referred to as vaginal discharge. Research shows that between 10 and 54 percent of women experience female ejaculation during sex. This can consist of a gush or clear fluid that feels very similar to peeing.
Medication
Sexual intercourse stimulates the release of hormones, which can increase appetite. Men, especially, will feel hungry after sex because their testosterone levels will rise. These hormones will also block the hunger receptors in the brain. This is why it’s important to eat something right after sex.
Women will also experience the same thing. Estrogen, which is present in the body of women, blocks the hunger receptors. This is why it’s important to take estrogen replacement therapy. This will help the brain to restore the hormones that are responsible for stimulating the appetite.
In addition to causing hunger, sex can also disrupt the sleep cycle. This can lead to increased cravings for high-calorie foods. It is important to get enough sleep to avoid this problem.
Many people assume that they burn a lot of calories during sex, so they feel hungry afterwards. However, this is not always the case. In fact, sex only burns about 100 calories for men and 70 for women. Moreover, sex is not as effective as exercising for the same amount of time.
If you’re hungry after sex, try to eat something healthy, such as yogurt or a bowl of cereal with milk. These foods will provide your body with the nutrients it needs after sex. You should also drink a cup of water to keep your energy levels up.
Food
If you’ve watched a sitcom, you’ve seen this scene: After an evening of skin-to-skin passion, your stomach is grumbling and it’s hard to resist the temptation for a tuna on rye. These post-sex cravings aren’t just a sign of arousal; they actually have scientific underpinnings.
During sexual intercourse, your brain releases a hormone called ghrelin that increases hunger and decreases leptin, which regulates appetite. This is why it’s important to eat healthy foods after sex. Try eating a sandwich or some yogurt, which contains probiotics and can help to balance your hormones after a good session. It’s also helpful to drink milk, which can decrease ghrelin levels and make you feel full.
You may be tempted to eat more after sex because of all the calories you burn during the intercourse. However, according to a study by Lifesum, the popular fitness and nutrition tracking app, even vigorous sexual intercourse only burns about 100 kilocalories for men and 70 for women in an average 30-minute session. This is not a lot of calories for such an intense activity.
People often turn to food as a form of aphrodisiac, but it’s best to choose healthy options. If you’re going to use food as foreplay, try a light snack that stimulates the production of phenethylamine (the chemical responsible for feelings of arousal). Foods such as tomatoes, chocolate, and avocados are known aphrodisiacs.
