The Science of Stronger Orgasms
Research-based ways to a bigger finish.
Orgasm — the toe-curling, body shivering, punch the pillow, scare the cat, and wake the neighbors rush of pleasure.
Yeah, you can have that.
You can experience the tingling that expands through your body until you scream.
Science can make your orgasms even better.
Trigger the Triangle of Pleasure
Orgasms require three essential elements. I call these the “triangle of pleasure.”
Hit all three elements and you get earth-shattering orgasms.
What is the triangle?
- Blood flow
- Tension in your muscles (Kegel contractions)
- Light up the opiate region of the brain
Let’s sum it up as blood flow, muscle tension, and the opiate system.
2009 research links the opiate system with intense pleasure, even addiction. In addiction science, a drug high is sometimes referred to as a “pharmacogenic orgasm.”
There are many ways to trigger the triangle.
One of the easiest and best ways is through strategic “sexplay.”
Sexplay is foreplay without the “before the action” or “prequel to the game” connotations. It’s the same thing with a more expansive and inclusive definition of sex.
In other words, foreplay is the beginning of sex not the forerunner to sex.
A 2004 study published in the Journal of Sex Research found that approximately 20 minutes of sexplay was optimal for most men and women to experience the strongest orgasms.
Orgasm O’clock
If you want better orgasms, timing is incredibly important.
As a woman, science strongly encourages you (with orgasms) to have sex during ovulation. Research from the American Psychological Association (APA) also suggests that men find you more attractive during this time period, so a male partner will also reap the orgasmic benefits.
If you want the biggest and baddest orgasms, try to line up with your “O” days.
Partly due to increased blood flow (sound familiar?) to your pelvic region, you’ll also likely feel a boost in your sex drive.
How’s that for even more reason to track your monthly cycle?
For men, the increased testosterone in the morning usually results in a more explosive orgasm.
To summarize, when men and women do the deed, do it in the morning when the woman is ovulating (Note: If you are able to get pregnant, you may want to consider birth control).
Orgasm Diet
I’ve written before about how Sex coffee increases blood flow. But there are other foods and drinks that will also give you a damn good orgasm.
Combined, I call them the “orgasm diet.”
The following foods accelerate circulation:
- Olive oil
- Avocados
- Red wine
- Dark chocolate
- Garlic
- Pomegranates
- Fish
- Spinach
- Beets
- Hot peppers
- Watermelon
- Oranges
- Eggs
- Oysters
- Strawberries
- Caffeine (in moderation)
- Asparagus
You’ll also want to avoid fatty foods and too much alcohol, as these might decrease circulation and therefore be considered part of the “anti-orgasm” diet.
Sweaty Science
Anything you can do to increase blood circulation magnifies your orgasms.
There are two simple activities that you can incorporate into your daily life. One of those activities is physical activity.
A 2015 study in Physiological Reviews says:
We highlight the very high muscle blood flow responses to exercise discovered in the 1980s. We also discuss the vasodilating factors in the contracting muscles responsible for these very high flows.
Exercise can improve circulation in a couple of different ways.
For one thing, it causes the heart to pump more vigorously, resulting in more blood flowing throughout the body.
This increased blood flow is a good thing, as it helps to keep things moving through your body.
The best activities to increase circulation are aerobic exercises, like running or biking. Such activities increase heart rate and breathing, resulting in greater blood flow to the muscles.
Yoga, massage, and elevating your feet can also help blood flow.
Research from Harvard suggests two additional methods:
- Hot baths
- Saunas
Harvard Health Publishing reported:
The Finnish tradition of sauna bathing dates back thousands of years. On average, Finnish people take saunas two or three times a week, staying in the wood-lined rooms of hot, dry air for up to 20 minutes.
In 2018, a team of Finnish researchers published a review of health benefits of sauna bathing in Mayo Clinic Proceedings.
According to the authors, these benefits may stem from better blood vessel function, improved cholesterol levels, and less inflammation observed in frequent sauna users.
Sexual Accelerators
The eternal wisdom “know thyself” is etched into the side of Apollo’s temple in Greece.
Certified sex coach Gigi Engle says it this way:
Everyone has sexual brakes and accelerators. These are things in the brain and body that ramp up our desire or slow it down. This means figuring out what it takes for both you and your partner to get in the mood and fully aroused.
Get to know yourself and your partner.
Once you understand your “brakes and accelerators,” remove all the brakes and include all of the accelerators.
Keep in mind that some of your accelerators may be brakes for your partner.
Ideally, with some open communication and comprise, you’ll find mutual accelerators. Once you find them, all that’s left is to accelerate each other to orgasm.
Brush Your Blood
As crazy as it sounds, this is real.
Body brushing, also known as dry body brushing, helps with cell turnover and blood flow.
First, you want to make sure that the bristles of the brush are stiff enough to provide some resistance against your skin while you’re brushing.
Here is what a body brush looks like:
There are different sizes and shapes of body brushes.
Begin with your feet and hands. Using large circular motions, start applying light pressure and brush upwards and inward towards the heart.
This encourages blood flow to the surface of your skin, which helps improve circulation and can relieve symptoms associated with common issues such as arthritis, fatigue, muscle aches, and digestive disorders.
Warning: Don’t brush your face, breasts, or genitals.
Try not to use downward strokes on your legs as it discourages lymphatic drainage (which has a detoxifying effect), instead, use long strokes up the legs towards the heart to encourage lymphatic drainage.
Continue this process on your torso and arms until you’ve covered every area of your body.
It may be helpful to break the process down into sections if you have a larger body area (i.e. do half of your back before moving onto the other half).
If you feel like your skin is itchy, red, or irritated, the bristles might be too rough.
Try a softer brush with less pressure to avoid scratching your skin.
You might feel a tingling sensation in your body after you brush or when you shower.
For the best results:
- Brush your body before you shower
- Brush gently
- Brush a few times per week (you can increase to daily if you don’t see results)
- Use lotion to moisturize your skin after your shower
Try These Two Moves For Better Orgasms
According to a 2018 study published in the Journal of Sex Research, there are two moves that can increase both the frequency and intensity of female orgasms.
Here are those two moves:
- Rocking your pelvis back and forth
- Direct clitoral stimulation
In the research, there was a direct connection between body movement and more orgasms.
Bonus Tips For Better Orgasms
In my research, I’ve also found a few other ways to multiply the power of your orgasms.
These “one-off” methods didn’t fit neatly into a single category, so I thought I’d include them here.
Here are the miscellaneous science-based tips:
- Wear socks to bed
- Use compression socks
- Sext for a few hours leading up to intercourse
- Feeling emotionally safe in a relationship
It may be instructive to note that sex more than once per week or having more sexual partners over a lifetime did not correlate to better orgasms.
Final Thoughts
As a slightly hilarious aside, BuzzFeed writer Joanna Borns tried body brushing.
She said there were only three reasons she might use body brushing in the future:
If I need to relax. The massaging action of the brushing was the biggest benefit for me.
If I’m ever entering a skin smoothness contest.
If my boyfriend was thinking about leaving me and running away with a dolphin because he preferred the texture of the dolphin’s skin, I might use skin brushing as a last-ditch effort to save my relationship.
Thanks for reading!
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