As if the sneezing, sniffling and watery eyes weren’t misery enough, a new study suggests people with allergies could be having less sex.
According to the study, published in Allergy and Asthma Proceedings, 83% surveyed who had allergic rhinitis also reported that their flare-ups had impacted their sex lives, CNN.com reports.
“If you can’t breathe, and your nose is running, and your eyes are itchy, and you’re sneezing, and you feel awful and you feel tired, you don’t feel very sexy,” a lead author of the study, Dr. Michael S. Benninger, told CNN.com.
Dr. Benninger, the chairman of the Head and Neck Institute at the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio, and a colleague surveyed responses from over 700 people. Divided into groups of allergy sufferers, non-sufferers and a control group, they found that of those with allergies, only 17% said it never affected their sex lives.
Allergy sufferers also logged more complaints of fatigue and sleeplessness, CNN.com reports.
While the researchers didn’t ask participants why allergies were hampering their sexual activity, the study suggests a few possibilities.
“It can be speculated that the chronic obstruction, runny nose, sneezing and decreased smell may all result in impacting the satisfaction of sexual activity,” they wrote.
“Even the simple act of kissing may be altered by these symptoms. Many people may not feel ‘sexy’ or may actually be embarrassed by their symptoms so that they would avoid intimate contact.”
While the research suggests this is a widespread problem for allergy sufferers, some physicians fear it’s off the radar when patients go to the doctor’s office.
“They’re not talking about it with their practitioners. And their practitioners are probably not asking about it,” a medical director at Allergy and Asthma Care of New York, Dr. Clifford Bassett, who did not participate in the study, said. “I think we need to do a better job discussing this with patients.”
Ultimately, CNN.com reports, Dr. Benninger hopes that his research will change the dialogue between patient and doctor.
“The most important thing is allergies should not be a factor that impacts intimacy and sexual activity,” he said.
You may also want to read...
- Tokyo Set to Begin Recognizing Same-Sex Partnerships
- What Drives Your Sex Drive And Why Does It Change With Age?
- Man Broke His ‘Package’ During Sex, Here’s What Made The Fracture More Unusual
- Civil partnerships extended to mixed-sex couples
- Couples who have sex once a week are happiest — having any more doesn't make a difference
Layout of this blogging site is DAMN Very good. I prefer it.