Sex the night before a sporting event has long been banned by coaches.
But a new research suggests that having sex the night before athletic competition may boost your performance.
These results are surprising, considering the common view that abstinence from sexual activity can boost athletic performance.
“Abstaining from sexual activity before athletic competition is a controversial topic in the world of sport,” said lead study author Laura Stefani, Assistant Professor of Sports Medicine at the University of Florence, Italy.
“We show no robust scientific evidence to indicate that sexual activity has a negative effect upon athletic results,” Stefani said.
For years, coaches and sportsmen have perpetuated the advice that sexual activity before an important game or event is likely to ‘drain’ the body – of both testosterone and energy, leaving athletes without the aggression and determination needed to win.
The idea that sex and sport don’t mix is thought to have originated with Ancient Greek sophists like Philostratus, who wrote that men were often notably less potent in the gymnasium when arriving directly from the bedroom. Though there has been very little scientific research into the subject, it has become very common for athletes to abstain from sex in the days before major contests.
