7 tips to strengthen your sex life

You know who they are. That couple down the block who’ve been together for 25 years and still canoodle like newlyweds. They seem to have the intimacy and magic you and your partner once

shared. How do they do it? There are plenty of obvious reasons some couples lose their intimacy mojo over time: too much stress, too much conflict, too many health issues. But there are also

plenty of healthy people in otherwise healthy relationships who aren’t getting their fair share of lovin’. What’s separating the sexually successful from the carnally challenged? We took a

peek under the sheets and discovered some unexpected habits that have nothing to do with your relationship and can help any couple regain their romantic mojo. 1. SEX-CESSFUL COUPLES USE THE

BEDROOM — FOR SLEEPING Women who sleep an extra hour at night experience more sexual desire the next day and a 14 percent increased likelihood of having sex, according to one study. Maybe

it’s because their partners are better rested as well: Not getting enough sleep has been linked to erectile dysfunction and a lack of testosterone in men. “A lot of your hormones and sex

hormones are actually produced during good sleep,” says Graham King, M.D., a family medicine physician with Mayo Clinic Health System. Aim for at least seven to nine hours per night;

anything under six on a regular basis could be setting you up for trouble. Video: Sex and Your Libido One key to better sleep and better sex: Don’t bring your smartphone to bed. A study

conducted by tech solutions company Asurion looked at the bedroom habits of 2,000 U.S. adults and found that 35 percent of respondents said their sex life had been impacted by their or their

spouse’s bedtime phone use. “The phone acts as a barrier to intimacy by distracting attention away from your partner, creating distance between you,” says Lori Beth Bisbey, a clinical

psychologist and host of the _A to Z of Sex_ podcast. “Great sex needs both people to be present and focused on each other — and little else, actually!” 2. SEX-CESSFUL COUPLES NEVER CRASH

DIET Almost every trendy approach to losing weight, from keto to intermittent fasting, involves cutting out certain food categories and thereby restricting calories. Maybe they’re fat or

carb or protein calories, but the fact is that not getting proper nutrients can have an impact on your sex drive. ARE YOU IN THE MOOD? AARP’s exclusive destination just for members has a new

sex column where experts answer the questions you are too embarrassed to ask. Visit AARP’s Members Edition to read the latest column. “We need protein, we need fats to be able to build

those sex hormones and keep our different muscular systems, including our genitals, working right,” says King. Sex, he says, requires a lot of blood flow, an array of hormones, and

precursors to different kinds of amino acids we need for vasodilation “and, of course, ultimately, orgasms. So if we’re malnourished, we don’t have the fuel to get there.” If you’re trying

to lose weight, do it intelligently. Eat a well-balanced diet high in produce, lean meat and fish, and whole grains, with a minimum of sugar and ultra-processed foods. (AARP’s best-selling

guide to 50-plus nutrition, _The Whole Body Reset__,_ is now available in paperback.)