The Sex Files: Why we should have more sex in winter

When we're cold, we crave closeness and warmth. Photo / Getty Images.

Many people may feel like they're at the beginning of the sexless season. I'll admit, I'm one of them. I think I probably have less sex between June and September than I do when it's warm.

What's my reasoning? Anything more than 2m away from a heat source seems a struggle.

I always have socks and maybe even slippers on in the house – not sexy, and an easy passion-killer.

My woolly jumpers are large and unflattering, my grooming standards are lowered, and I almost never see my own naked body because I'm so focused on getting from the shower to the wardrobe in as little time as possible.

In short, when I'm freezing, I want to keep my clothes on, not take them off.

According to research, though, apparently, we want to have more sex in the winter. We just might not be aware of our own impulses.

See, when we're cold, we crave closeness and warmth, and we convince ourselves we are colder than we really are. A 2008 study connected the fact that because people are less likely to leave the house during colder months, they therefore become lonelier.

Social isolation makes you feel physically cold; it's not just an emotional experience.

What does the inner caveman in all of us subconsciously desire to cure this? Hitting two birds with one stone by having sex.

Another study has proven that socially-isolated humans actively seek out warmth-providing activities in the winter, like hot baths and long showers.

But those don't give you any human contact and won't do the full job, now will it? Better to have sex, which will make you feel a sense of togetherness AND warm you up at the same time.

Men are scientifically hornier in winter too. Researchers have found that testosterone levels peak at the beginning of winter, probably owing to the fact we begin to get more sleep and our bodies fully recover overnight. Testosterone, naturally, is key in a guy's libido.

What's more, a Polish study found that men actually find women's bodies more attractive during winter.

Here's why: women are more layered up, so the sight of skin is rarer. When you do see it, you get a spring of sexual excitement. Conversely, when it's summer and skin is on display all the time, it seems more normalised and less stimulating.

Unfortunately there isn't the same data out there for women, but there is a myriad of health benefits in the female orgasm to take advantage of during winter sex.

Not least, it boosts your immune system. When you're having sex just once a week, the body's levels of immunoglobulin A (IgA), an antibody that helps fights infections and getting a cold, are 30 per cent higher than if you're not having any at all.

An apple a day might keep the doctor away, but a shag each week is what you really should seek.

As for logistics, don't go past good old missionary during the winter months. It'll warm you up really fast because there is essentially full-body to full-body friction the whole time.

Jump under the duvet completely to keep the heat in, and when you're done, then you can partake in one of those other heat-seeking activities like taking a hot bath or shower... made all the more body-warming by doing it together.