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

## TL;DR

This study explores how tiredness and fatigue affect sexual desire and behavior in daily life, finding gender differences in these associations.

## Contribution

The study is the first to use ecological momentary assessment to examine real-time links between tiredness/fatigue and sexual experiences, including gender differences.

## Key findings

- Sexual desire was associated with lower concurrent physical fatigue.
- Tiredness increased subsequent sexual desire and arousal in men only.
- Physical fatigue was linked to lower sexual activity in men but showed an opposing trend in women.

## Abstract

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.

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s00702-025-03008-9.