Do you know that having a TV in your bedroom can enhance your sexual life? –Study

Beyond the fun of watching your favourite movies in the comfort of your room, a new study has revealed that having a television in the bedroom could spice up the relationship between husband and wife and enhance their sexual lives.

According to the study, even though having a television in the bedroom may tamper with sleep cycle, it could double the frequency of sex between couples.

The research conducted bywww.VoucherCodesPro.co.uk looked into the relationships of 2,431 people to see how the TV in the bedroom affects their sex life, if at all. Those who had TV in their bedrooms were about 74 per cent.

Of those surveyed, more than half, in fact, about two third believed that their sex life was healthier because they had a television in their bedroom, and 50 per cent of that group were totally stoked that they could watch their favourite show while having sex.

When the results were collated, those who had a TV in their bedroom had sex, on average, twice per week, out of which 67 per cent agreed that the presence of the television made them have a healthier and more frequent sex life, while the couples without a TV in their bedroom had sex, on average, once a week.

According to the study, about one third said they like to have TV in their room because they can watch their favourite shows or some erotic programmes at the same time as making love and that it brings them closer to their partners.

It was also gathered that half of those who do not have a TV in their bedroom said they wanted it but their partners did not.

However, some of those opposed to TV-in-the-bedroom idea argued that the presence of a television in their bedroom could distract them during sex, more so if they find the show on the TV boring, while some supporters said watching an interesting show in the middle of sex would make the lovemaking explosive.

A spokesperson for VoucherCodesPro.co.uk, who commissioned the research, said even though it was understandable and better for the health to use the bedroom as a place to sleep and the living room as a place to watch TV, it seems that the addition of a plasma TV could spice things up and improve couples’ sex lives.

“It was a little surprise that Britons who have a TV in their bedroom have a more active sex life than those who don’t, but it makes more sense when you look at the possible reasons why. Technology is becoming such a pivotal part of everyday life and it is becoming much more common to have a TV in your bedroom than to not, whilst it is much better for your health,” the spokesperson added.

Apart from simply getting bored with sex, or losing the habit of making love as a product of illness, stress, over-tiredness and children who wake in the night or want to sleep in your bed, such a partner could be turned on sighting an interesting, humorous or erotic show on the TV in the bedroom.

According to a marriage counsellor, Michele Weiner-Davis, sex, apart from being an extremely important part of marriage, is a powerful tie that binds. When it is good, it offers couples opportunities to give and receive physical pleasure, to connect emotionally and spiritually. It builds closeness, intimacy and a sense of partnership, while defining their relationship as different from all others.

While having an intimate discussion about sex has been advocated as an easy and affordable therapy for couples who have troubled sex lives, the location, atmosphere and other complementary activities could make the conversation fun and a pleasant adventure.

It is believed that making the bedroom warm and atmospheric with some soft music, dim lights, would, not only aid a heart-to-heart conversation, but also put couples in the mood. Hence, watching interesting TV programmes together in the bedroom could easily light things up between couples.

According to married.answers.com, spontaneously meeting your partner in the shower, rubbing his or her thigh while watching television, or snuggling up next to your partner in bed without any clothes on can make a huge difference to your sexual relationship.

A consultant psychiatrist, Dr. Adeoye Oyewole, said it is not just the television or the programme that enhances intimacy, the couples must have worked hard to be intimate; talk to each other when they wake up in the morning, relate as friends, among others, before the television-in-the-bedroom idea could be meaningful.

He added that for couples who do not agree on anything and have strong incompatibility issues, having a television in the bedroom might make them to box themselves.

“They must have found ways of interacting and harmonising between themselves because it is rare for people who have not been talking well before to have favourite films or programmes they watch together. There must be some degree of compatibility and communication between them for it to work because what the television does is that it deepens it.

“It is not the television that gives them the enhanced intimacy. Couples need to learn that intimacy is work on its own. There is need to understand each other’s world, that is when you would know what your partner likes to watch. If they have been watching it together and they now find a way of doing so together in the bedroom, it enhances intimacy, of which sexual intercourse is part of because intimacy is more than sex.

“So I wouldn’t want to take it in isolation, that any couple who puts television in the bedroom would enjoy it, if care is not taken, they would beat each other,” he said.

Another psychiatrist, Dr. Oluwabunmi Buhari, said putting a television in the bedroom is usually discouraged because it disturbs the sleep pattern. However, she added that when couples do things together, like watching movies, doing exercises, talking, etc, they understand themselves more and are able to relate better.

“The truth is when they communicate, share things together, and are committed, the relationship is smoother and more stable. It is not about the frequency of sex, but the fact that they would have a more stable relationship.

“When couples have sex, hormones are released, same as when they do exercise together. These hormones help to lift their moods and make them more happy, and when they are happy, positive things can come out of it,” she said.

Buhari cautioned that in spite of the advantages, bedrooms are for resting and sleep is important. “Sleep time is a time for rejuvenation, having done a lot during the day, so we need to sleep. They can watch it in the sitting room and move to their room if need be.

“We advise against having television in the bedroom so that people can have good rest because if they don’t sleep, it is stress for them. They should have the TV in other places because it can also be a distraction. The most important thing is for couples to learn to do things together because it helps, not just watching TV alone,” she added.