The 7 Easiest Things You Can Do to Spice Up Your Sex Life

For men, a mere whiff of pumpkin pie is sexually arousing, found a study led by Alan Hirsch, MD, founder and neurological director of the Smell & Taste Treatment and Research Foundation. Measuring sniffers' erections with a device called a plethysmograph, Hirsch found that an odor mixture of pumpkin pie and doughnut led, on average, to a 20 percent increase in penile blood flow, and a pumpkin-pie-and-lavender blend increased blood flow by a robust 40 percent. There's a direct pathway between the olfactory bulb and a pleasure center in the brain (the septal nucleus) that moderates a man's sexual response, Hirsch explains. These odors could trigger a "Pavlovian response"—by association—because they're nostalgic, homey and/or relaxing, he says. — Jena Pincott

That's right, we're not recommending a lacy, filmy or revealingly clingy little something. Here's why: Researchers have found that warming up the feet leads to warming up other parts of the body. The area of the brain associated with genital sensation is right next-door to the one associated with feeling in the feet, writes Daniel G. Amen, MD, in his book Unleash the Power of the Female Brain. Some scientists think that when our feet are cold, it's harder for us to feel comfortable enough to let go in bed. In an orgasm study at the University of Groningen, half the couples were unable to make it to climax, but once socks were offered, the success rate shot up to 80 percent. — Corrie Pikul

Strengthening your pelvic-floor muscles can help you feel more pleasure and minimize pain during sex. The classic Kegel calls for isolating your pelvic-floor muscles—but with this pelvic clock exercise, you'll be working your core at the same time.

Sit on a physio ball with your hands on your hips, abs and pelvic-floor muscles squeezed, and feet flat on the floor. Keeping your upper body and your legs as still as possible, use your abs to move your hips forward and backward between 12 o'clock and 6 o'clock, then between 3 o'clock and 9 o'clock. You won't get the pelvic-floor-muscle benefits if you don't make a conscious effort to tighten them—you should feel as though you're squeezing a tampon the whole time. Next, move your hips in a circle, completing one go-around then moving back in the other direction. If you don't have a physio ball, stand and mimic a hula-hooping motion, which works the same muscles, says Sari Locker, PhD, a sexuality educator at Columbia University. (If you happen to have a hula-hoop in your house, all the better!) — Emma Haak

The Mediterranean diet, with its emphasis on fish, vegetables, fruit, healthy fats and whole grains, isn't good only for your heart and your waistline—it may also help cure issues below the belt. Studies have found that switching from a diet high in processed food, salt, sugar and fat (i.e., the typical American diet) to the Mediterranean way of eating can spark a new sexual vitality in people with high blood pressure, obesity or type 2 diabetes. Healthy fats like those consumed in Greece, southern Italy and Spain help the heart pump blood to different parts of the body—including the genital area (and that relaxing glass of wine doesn't hurt). — Corrie Pikul

If you are too afraid to voice your fantasies out loud, start a fantasy box and write down your fantasies on little slips of paper. Whenever things get dull, reach into the fantasy box, pull out a fantasy, and act it out! — Dr. Laura Berman

When young women got more sleep, they were 14 percent likelier to engage in partnered sexual activity the following day, research from the University of Michigan found. “These results were independent of any beneficial effects on mood and energy. The bioavailability of sex hormones such as testosterone, which has been linked to sleep quality and quantity, may play a role,” says lead study author David Kalmbach, PhD. — Ginny Graves

Experts recommend the old standby: spend more time alone. We're talking about masturbation—or whatever less-clinical term you like to use. Figuring out what feels good (and meh, and flat-out bad) to you by yourself, and practicing the good stuff regularly both on your own and with a partner, was the very first thing each expert offered up when we asked for their best better-sex tips. — Emma Haak