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A new study from our friends at  LELO reveals how we have been connecting with ourselves and with others over the past two months and it’s good news for all as Brits tune out and tune in to their sexual wellness needs.

The weather’s getting hot and heavy but has that translated to our relationships or indeed ourselves since lockdown began two months ago?  A new study from sex and intimacy brand LELO has revealed some interesting trends during this time. With sales increasing for LELO by 73% so far this year it looks like we are all having a bit more fun in the bedroom.

More sex please we’re British

Looks like Brits in couples are making the most of lockdown by spending some more time exploring each other. Nearly a quarter (23%) say they are having more sex. In fact, 49% say they are having sex at least 50% more and 15% saying at least 100% more.

However, when it comes to ages the picture changes. Nearly half (49%) of 25 to 34-year olds say they are having more sex. Closely followed by 18 to 24-year olds (43%). It’s not surprising that the under 35’s are also the most likely to break lockdown to see a partner with 31% admitting they had.

Morning sex is a winner during lock down with 31% saying the desire for it has increased over the period. 

Time to experiment

With this enforced time at home it’s also great to see we have been using the time to do a little bit of self-experimentation. Nearly one in five couples (19%) have said that they have been experimenting more. The top areas of experimentation were:

1. New Positions (65%)

2. Experimenting with sex toys (42%).

3. Role play and dressing up (33%)

4. Dirty talk (31%)

5. Watched porn together (30%)

6. Sense Play (24%)

7. BDSM (19%)

8. With locations where they live (15%) 

Almost one on five Brits have experimented with BDSM since lockdown.

Self-love in self isolation

Single or not we have all been giving ourselves more self-love is lockdown with over a quarter (28%) saying they are masturbating more. Over half 56% say they have been masturbating once a day.  27% twice a day and 18% three or more times a day.

The LELO Soraya 2

Nearly a third (32%) are using sex toys when masturbating and a quarter of these say it was for the for the first time. LELO’s top three selling products so far in 2020 have been:

1. SONA 2 Cruise

2. Soraya 2 

3. GIGI 2 

Keeping the spark alive when social distancing

If we have had to separate from our partners, it’s great to see that nearly a third say they have had regular phone sex with their partner since isolation (32%). Over a quarter (28%) have been enjoying video sex with their partner since lock down and of those half (50%) used a sex toy at the same time. Half (50%) of 25 to 34-year olds are connecting the most with their partners through video sex.

And once lockdown is lifted?

While we all wait for this to happen, we wanted to look at how couples that have been apart would fare going forward. As I am sure we can all imagine most want to get straight into bed with their partner. Over 40% say they will have sex within 24hrs of lock down being lifted with one in five saying (19%) that it will be within two hours. 

Brilliantly 45% of respondents who had been separated from their partner said it’s made them realise how right their partner is for them. Although, sadly for some 8% said it has made them want to be single again.

Kate Moyle LELO UK Sex Expert commented: “What we are seeing in research like this is that people are adapting their sex lives to fit the new set of circumstances that we find ourselves in. Whether this is managing our desires ourselves with solo pleasure, changing our routines, trying new things or moving our sex lives from in-person to being virtual.

“We understand that desire, the want to be sexual is responsive, and context dependent, and that rather than being a fixed entity that it is fluid and so it is impacted by what is going on around us, but also by how we are feeling. It’s great to see that couples are using the time to nurture their sex lives and relationships, focusing their attention on what they want to do differently; as our sex lives, like everything else in life do need care and attention, and it’s not really a surprise then that the times that people are having sex are changing due to spending more time at home.

“As a psycho-sexologist I am hopeful that this prioritising of our sexual relationships and physical intimacy, will carry on after the pandemic; as more recent research ( pre-pandemic) has suggested that due to our increased involvement with technology that our relationships and sex lives get de-prioritised the more that our screens absorb our attention. The more we enjoy the sex we are having, the more we desire sex as it becomes a motivating factor; and people noticing and seeing the impact of investing in their sex lives feels really positive.”

Marcella Zanchi Marketing & Communications manager at LELO commented: “We undertook the research to really understand how everyone is coping with their sexual wellbeing in lock-down. What’s great to see is how many people are experimenting to have a better connection with themselves or their partner whether together or not.”

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Fifi Goldberg

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