Reviewed by Veena Angle, MBBS, MD and Physician Brandon Yew

Improve Sexual Performance: How to Increase Stamina in 6 Simple Steps

Published October 5, 2022| 7 min read

A Year of the Rabbit child is auspicious. Learning how to increase stamina can improve your chances of conceiving before this year ends.

Close-up of a man and woman’s legs as they lie together on a bed

Chinese culture believes the rabbit is the luckiest of the 12 zodiac animals. As the sign represents longevity in Chinese mythology, the Rabbit child is graced with good fortune and happiness.

If you’re looking to conceive in time for a baby to be born in the Year of the Rabbit, but finding that you and your partner are having waned interests in sex, find out how to increase stamina in the bedroom and restore intimacy to your relationship..

Read on to prepare yourself physically and mentally before trying for a child born in the Year of the Rabbit.

The Causes of Low Libido in Men and Women

Woman breastfeeding her child — Breastfeeding can alter hormone levels, increasing a woman’s risk of losing her libido.

There are many possible reasons for having a low sex drive in men and women. Causes could be medical or be due to lifestyle factors.

A medical cause could be lowered male libido due to chronic kidney disease as extra energy is required to cope with physical and emotional changes. Being under medication will make it difficult for men to have or maintain an erection.

Men who’ve received a kidney transplant should wait until their scar starts healing before having sex.

For women, a hormonal imbalance involving a drop in oestrogen levels can trigger libido loss. Vaginal dryness can also happen at any age, thus resulting in discomfort during sex.

Mental health disorders like anxiety, depression, work-related stress and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) can also reduce libido levels in both genders. Anxiety attacks elevate cortisol – a stress hormone in the human body – levels, suppressing libido. Depression destabilises neurotransmitters, which are chemicals in the brain that communicate with the brain and reproductive organs. This also minimises libido.

Lifestyle factors such as excessive alcohol consumption, smoking, and use of recreational drugs, too, may contribute to a loss of libido.

In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), it’s believed that a strong, healthy body equates to sexual vitality.

“A stressful work environment and unhealthy eating practices can provoke body constitution imbalances that impair sexual vitality. These include Cold, Dampness, Damp-Heat, Blood and Kidney Deficiencies, Liver Stagnation, Blood Stasis, and Spleen-Deficiency-Induced Phlegm,” explains Real Health Medical’s Senior Physician Brandon Yew.

How to Increase Stamina? Try These Tips

A holistic approach to treating low libido can how to increase stamina in the bedroom. In TCM, there isn’t a one-formula-fits-all remedy for the latter. Rather, personalised regimens for each unique body constitution are recommended.

Get up and move!

Improving your fitness is one of the best ways to increase stamina. Spend a minimum of 150 minutes performing aerobic exercises weekly. It strengthens the heart, enabling you to participate in physical activities like sex for longer.

Strength and conditioning exercises are good for the health of the muscles and joints. It’ll also help you look and feel better, making you feel more confident in the bedroom. Aim for two training sessions a week.

Take prescription medications

Man dropping a blue-coloured pill into his right palm while holding a medication bottle in his left — Erectile dysfunction can be treated with oral medications.

To correct erectile dysfunction, a healthcare provider will prescribe oral medications. These include sildenafil (popularly known as Viagra), avanafil, tadalafil, and vardenafil. Please remember that these must be taken strictly under a physician’s guidance. Women with vaginal dryness may choose to use a genital lubricant.

Antidepressants can alleviate the symptoms of PTSD, depression, and generalised anxiety disorder. It’s thought that the medication increases serotonin and noradrenaline neurotransmitters in the brain, uplifting mood.

Consult a healthcare provider to find the right medication and dosage for you. Bupropion, mirtazapine, nefazodone, and vilazodone are some of the antidepressants that are less likely to affect your libido negatively.

Undergo hormone replacement therapy

The primary mode of action of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) is to replenish a decline in oestrogen levels. It can help relieve symptoms caused by the decline, such as loss of libido and vaginal dryness. Vaginal dryness resulting in painful sex is a huge turn-off for women.

However, HRT may not be suitable for women who:

Are pregnant
Have liver disease
Have uncontrolled high blood pressure
Have a history of blood clots
Have a history of breast, womb, or ovarian cancer

HRT comes in multiple forms, including gels, rings, tablets, vaginal creams, and skin patches. Consult your doctor to know if you are eligible to receive HRT and the best therapy for you.

Sign up for cognitive behavioural therapy

Behavioural therapy focuses on understanding how current life events and cognitive and psychosocial factors provoke the onset of depression. In severe cases, it may be combined with the use of antidepressants.

The regimen usually spans between five to 20 sessions, for an hour each. They will see you breaking down your problems into thoughts, feelings, and actions.

These will be analysed before a healthcare provider proposes an action plan. The primary goal will be to change unimportant thoughts and behaviours.

Likewise, counselling and sex education may be helpful for couples who don’t suffer from any underlying mental health conditions.

Compliment clinical treatment with herbal formulas and ingredients

Various herbs can be used to improve libido. Examples of these are:

Cordyceps (dong chong xia cao, 冬虫夏草)
Panax ginseng (ren shen, 人参)
Actinolite (yang qi shi, 阳起石)
Cistanche (rou cong rong, 肉苁蓉)
Fluoritum (zi shi ying, 紫石英)
Maca (ma ka, 玛卡)
Circuligo rhizome (xian mao, 仙茅)
Fenugreek seed (hu lu ba, 葫芦巴 )
Chinese leek seed (jiu cai zi , 韭菜籽)
Horny goat weed (yin yang huo, 淫羊藿)
Indian mulberry root (ba ji tian, 巴戟天)
Malaytea scurfpea fruit (bu gu zhi, 补骨脂)
Songaria cynomorium (suo yang, 锁阳)

Specific herbal libido-enhancing medications can be purchased over-the-counter (OTC). These are Shen Qi Wan (肾气丸), You Gui Wan (右归丸), Zuo Gui Wan (左归丸), Liu Wei Di Huang Wan (六味地黄丸), Cong Rong Bu Shen Wan (苁蓉补肾丸), and Wu Zi Yan Zong Wan (五子衍宗丸).

Physician Yew cautions, “OTC remedies can only help treat the common causes of a decreased libido. If you’ve been diagnosed with an underlying condition or unhealthy body constitution, using these medications can potentially cause health complications.”

Instead, he suggests using a medication called Xiang Sha Liu Jun Zi (香砂六君子). It can address low libido that stems from a Spleen Deficiency or weak gastrointestinal function. A tonic formulated with Cordyceps (chong cao, 蟲草) extract can also help men with low libido due to a Kidney Yang (active energy) Deficiency.

For women, improving vaginal dryness is centred on replenishing blood, yin (passive energy), and Kidney jing (essence). Use a Kidney Yin Tonic (Liu Wei Di Huang Wan, 六味地黄丸) and Two-Solstice Pill (Er Zhi Wan, 二至丸) to nourish the Kidneys and Jia Wei Xiao Yao San (加味逍遥片) to clear Qi (vital life force) Stagnation.

Give your body a little nudge

Located on the inner wrist crease, towards the ulnar (little finger) side and about one-fifth of the distance across the wrist.

An illustration of a right foot, showing san yin jiao (SP6) acupressure point — On the inner lower leg, four fingers-breadth above the tip of the inner ankle bone, just behind the shin bone. It revitalises the functions of the Spleen, Liver and Kidneys.

3D illustration of the tai xi acupressure point — Located on the tibial aspect of the leg, posterior to the medial border of the tibia, three finger widths inferior to the Yin Ling Quan acupoint.

3D illustration of the Taichong (LV3) acupressure point — Located on top of the foot, in the depression closest to the first metatarsal space. It revitalises the Liver.

Nei guan is ocated on the front of the forearm, 3-fingers breadth above the transverse crease of the wrist. It restores and enhances the heart’s function for improved qi and blood circulation within the meridians.

Located along the midline of the lower abdomen, 4 fingers-breadth below the navel. It dispels pathogens for improved qi and blood circulation within the lower abdominal cavity and revitalises Kidneys’ yang energy.

Located along the midline of the lower abdomen, 2 fingers-breadth below the navel. It dispels pathogens for improved qi and blood circulation within the lower abdominal cavity and revitalises kidneys' yang energy. — Located along the midline of the lower abdomen, 2 fingers-breadth below the navel. It dispels pathogens for improved qi and blood circulation within the lower abdominal cavity and revitalises kidneys’ yang energy.

Acupuncture point stimulation can benefit your sexual health. The points that may induce a positive effect are shen men (HT7, 神门) san yin jiao (SP6, 三阴交), tai xi (KI3, 太溪), tai chong (LR3, 太沖), nei guan (PC6, 內关), guan yuan (RN4, 关元), and qi hai (RN6, 气海).

To perform acupressure, place your fingers or a massage stick on a point and apply enough pressure to elicit numbness or a sore sensation. Massage them 20 times in a circular, clockwise and anti-clockwise motion. Repeat a minimum of three minutes per point.

Early preparation can ensure you’re physically and mentally primed to try for a child born in the Year of the Rabbit. Adhering to the abovementioned steps on how to increase stamina in the bedroom may help. If you wish to use alternative treatment options, do speak to a TCM practitioner beforehand.