The purpose of this study was to determine whether sexual activity the night before competition impairs athletic performance. No concrete answer has been established about the influence of sexual activity on athletic performance yet the majority of young male athletes nonetheless report practicing abstention before an event, believing that sexual activity can impair athletic performance. In a repeated
measures design, participants underwent a battery of performance-predicting exercise tests under 3 conditions. On the night before each testing, they were either: 1) abstinent and inactive, 2) sexually active only and 3) did yoga, only. Vital signs, morning relaxation levels, saliva, urine and blood glucose samples were collected at the beginning and end of each testing session and in addition the following performance tests were completed and analyzed for significant differences between conditions and relationships between variables: Aerobic capacity, grip strength, leg power, reaction time, hamstring flexibility, muscular endurance, testosterone, cortisol, blood glucose concentrations and blood pressure.
No significant difference was found between performance test results between the 3 conditions. A strong, negative correlation was found between systolic blood pressure on the morning following sexual activity and orgasm rating, notably with the emotional intimacy component.
Our findings indicate that sexual activity does not create short term impairments to athletic performance, no less then a yoga session. Furthermore, our findings indicate a possible long term beneficial effect of sexual activity on athletic output and blood pressure.