Why do men fall asleep after sex?

Why do men fall asleep after sex? (Photo: iStock)

The human body is very unique. If you stop and think about simple everyday activities like sleeping and eating, you realize that there are so many amazing things about our bodies.

When it comes to sex, there might be a few things that are so natural that we don't always notice. And one of them is how men tend to fall asleep right after sex.

This can feel a bit disappointing for some women because we often want to cuddle or get some type of reassurance after sex. So when your man finishes, rolls over and snores away, it feels very unromantic.

Turns out that it's not your guy's fault that he just wants a proper snooze after bedroom fun. There are some surprising reasons why this happens.

Read on:

• They are physically exhausted

It's not a secret that men often do the hard work when it comes to the bedroom. Of course, this isn't always the case but, they tend to use more energy to please their partners, which is kind of like a workout.

By the time you're done, he will most likely feel tired. And the next natural response to that is to fall asleep. This is the body's way of replenishing all that energy that's been used up during the process.

• Prolactin fluctuations

Prolactin is a hormone in our bodies that is responsible for different functions in both men and women. It suppresses hormones that make you alert, it increases feelings of satisfaction and induces sleep. In fact, there is a strong correlation between high prolactin levels and sleepiness.

So after an orgasm when the brain releases this hormone abundantly, men will find themselves feeling drowsy.

• They are in a relaxed state

Besides prolactin, there are more hormones that are produced after an orgasm, one of them being oxytocin. Oxytocin increases feelings of love, trust and relaxation, which fights off stress hormones like cortisol.

Since sex is relaxing, unlike other stressful activities that might make him feel anxious, he feels calm. That calm environment quickly makes him drift away to dreamland.

• They are in sync with their bedtime

Sex can happen abruptly at any time of the day. But, a lot of the time, it happens at night in the bedroom. That calm environment, along with the fact that bedtime is near, lets their brains know that they should be winding down soon.

Therefore, the combination of hormones, exhaustion and the body's expectation to sleep soon will make him fall asleep after sex.

The brain will also associate being in the bedroom, on the bed, with sleep so this is another reason why this might happen during the day as well.

• It might be linked to a bonding instinct

Some suggest that the more times a man sleeps after sex, the stronger the bond. This sounds confusing but apparently, there is something in a man's brain that makes him feel more connected when he snoozes post-sex.

And when he wakes up and you're still there with him, he might feel strongly bonded to you, which could energize him to go another round.