Ten ways to boost your libido

Here's how you can put the spice back in your relationship! Illustration: Uttam Ghosh

A failing sex drive can be frustrating, but there are a number of things that you can do to perform better in the bedroom.

Sexpert Susan Quilliam has come up with some effective ways, including exercising, taking a break or heading to a spa, to boost your libido, reports the Sun.

10 ways to boost your sex drive are:

1. Sniff his post-gym armpits: "A 2007 study by scientists at the University of California, Berkeley, found sniffing a compound found in male sweat can change mood, sexual arousal, physiological arousal and brain activation in heterosexual women."

2. Exercise: "Aerobic workouts not only improve blood flow to sex organs but can also boost your mood, pumping up 'feel good' brain chemicals called endorphins."

3. Open your Easter Eggs early: "Chocolate contains phenethylamine, a nutrient that enhances mood and is the chemical we produce in our brains when we fall in love."

4. Get a whiff of salad: "The smell of cucumber is one of the best scents to boost arousal in women, according to Chicago's Smell And Taste Research Centre."

5. Take a break: "Too much stress increases the stress hormone cortisol, which causes testosterone to plummet, affecting your libido."

6. Get adventurous: "Recent research shows that partaking in new and challenging experiences both in and outside the bedroom with your partner can boost the brain chemical dopamine, which helps fuel sex drive."

7. Have a sherbet or two: "The pleasure hormones released after drinking moderate alcohol help to release tension and inhibitions as well as testosterone, encouraging flirtatious talk."

8. Eat well: "Too much saturated fat can clog arteries and, in doing so, prevents blood flow of blood from reaching the genital region."

9. Head to a spa: "Studies showed the steam rooms boost blood flow and naturally increase libido."

10. Fantasise more: "Thinking about sex will boost your need for it and -- particularly for her -- make you more likely to initiate it."