A ground breaking new study shows a link between sleep and sexual arousal. Each additional hour of sleep increases the likelihood a woman will have sex by 14 percent. Additionally, genital response and sexual desire are also greater in women who have good nights sleep.

Many studies have examined why some women experience sexual problems. Prior research has mostly focused on factors relating to psychological disorders, medical illnesses, and relationship dissatisfaction. However, the study published in the Journal of Sexual Medicine earlier this week set ought with the aim “to examine the influence of nightly sleep duration, sleep quality, and sleep onset latency on daily female sexual response and activity,” according to the study’s abstract.

The researchers spoke with 171 college-aged women every morning for two weeks. They asked questions regarding sexual activitiy such as “Did you have sex (oral, anal, hand, vaginal, etc.) with another person within the past 24 hours?” and “Did you masturbate within the past 24 hours?”. They also asked the participant to rate their sleep quality using questions such as “How many hours of sleep did you get last night?” and “How long did it take you to fall asleep last night?”

Over half of the participants said they had at least one sexual partner at the start of the study and none were currently being treated with antidepressants. The average amount of sleep time for the women was 7 hours and 22 minutes. Those who slept more reported greater sexual desire the next day compared with those who did not get enough sleep.

“The message is that sleep health is important for many areas of our daily living,” said David Kalmbach, an author of the study and a researcher at the University of Michigan Sleep and Circadian Research Laboratory. “Good sleep has been shown to improve mood, energy, concentration, overall health, and, now, sexual desire and arousal.”

It should be noted that this preliminary study only proves an association between sleep and sex, not a cause and effect. Regardless, the results are highly compelling and will most likely lead to more in depth research.

“It there’s anything women or their partners can do to help promote good sleep for one another,” said Kalmbach. “Whether it’s helping out around the house to reduce workload, planning romantic getaways, or just practicing good sleep hygiene, it could help protect against having problems in the bedroom.”