Tiredness/fatigue and sexuality in everyday life: Findings from an ecological momentary assessment

Tiredness may be associated with increased or decreased sexual experience and behavior while fatigue seems to have a predominantly negative effect, although evidence is scarce. This ecological momentary assessment study is the first to examine associations between tiredness or fatigue and concurrent / subsequent sexual desire or sexual arousal and previous / subsequent sexual activity in daily life, including event-based measurements and considering gender differences. Healthy heterosexual individuals (n = 63), aged between 19 and 32 years and in a relationship, indicated their tiredness, general fatigue, physical fatigue, sexual desire, and sexual arousal on an iPod seven times daily over 14 days, and any event-based occurrences of sexual activity. The data were analyzed using multilevel models. Sexual desire was associated with lower concurrent physical fatigue, while sexual desire and arousal were associated with lower (in men) or higher (in women) subsequent physical fatigue. Tiredness was associated with higher subsequent sexual desire and arousal in men only. Although previous physical fatigue was not significantly associated with subsequent sexual activity, cross-level interactions showed that physical fatigue was associated with a lower probability of subsequent sexual activity in men, with a slightly opposing trend in women. The functions and mechanisms underlying tiredness or fatigue and sexual experiences and behavior seem to differ between men and women; this finding suggests that potential interventions should be gender-sensitive in nature. The detected associations between tiredness or fatigue and sexual experiences or behavior highlight the relevance of these factors, and interventions should specifically address tiredness and fatigue as an end-point.