The Best Sex Of Your Life Is Still To Come: The Age Satisfaction Actually Peaks At
Out of all the things we expect to get better with age, I don’t think sex necessarily tops that list. Surely in our 20s and 30s, with youth on our side (and – ahem – flexibility), our sex lives should be in their glory days?
Well, as it turns out, we couldn’t be more wrong. According to a new study, it’s actually incredibly likely that you’ve not even had the best sex of your life yet. Talk about something to look forward to, eh?
The new research from leading digital health and wellness platform Hims, shared exclusively with HuffPost UK, reveals that sexual satisfaction peaks at 55 for women, and 56 for men.
In fact, over half of the respondents to their survey (53%) aged 50+ said sex improves or may improve after the age of 50 – a far cry from the assumption that our needs will begin to ‘fizzle out’ as we age.
According to Dr Peter Stahl, Head of Men’s Health at Hims, this doesn’t come as a surprise to someone who works in the field: “In my experience as a urologist for more than 20 years, fulfilment is rarely defined by fitness peaks or stamina.”
It’s not physical vigour that makes sex better decade after decade – it’s the joys of increasing experience, confidence, and deeper emotional connection.
Over a quarter of respondents (27%) told Hims that they’re more confident during sex now than when they were younger, and 28% attribute better sex in later life to being more confident in their body. Additionally, 24% of all respondents report they’ve become better in bed with age – practice makes perfect, right?
As Dr. Stahl puts it: “Greater emotional maturity, stronger self-awareness, and more stable, trusted partnerships often come with age. Those factors can meaningfully enhance sexual wellbeing and experience.”
The biggest surprise in the data however? Their finding that the age reported as the lowest age for sexual satisfaction was just 27. It certainly backs up the idea that emotional maturity has a huge impact on how much we enjoy time between the sheets.
“In early adulthood, many people are still building self-confidence, navigating new relationships, and learning how to express themselves and their sexual needs. Sexual satisfaction is defined by much more than physical performance,” Dr. Stahl adds.
However, that’s not to say sex as we age doesn’t come with its own set of issues. Almost one in ten men surveyed (9%) stated that they have experienced erectile dysfunction, while the research also found that low libido for men and women (15%) and vaginal dryness (12%) have had an impact on some respondents’ sex lives.
Luckily it’s not the be all and end all for your sex life – as Superdrug Online Doctor previously told us at HuffPost UK: “The most effective approach for couples to enhance intimacy and revive their sex life in the presence of erectile dysfunction is to prioritise the journey rather than solely focusing on the end goal.
“Often, sex becomes too focused on achieving penetrative intercourse and orgasms, couples can benefit from cherishing the connection and intimacy they experience by simply being physically and emotionally close to one another.”
So, if you’re sitting reading this in your 20s or 30s and feeling as though you’re in a sexual satisfaction rut, never fear – the best is yet to... come.