Why people prefer a coffee before sex?

Coffee is a cultural phenomenon that has found its way into the lives of many. It’s not just an alternative to caffeine but a lifestyle choice with qualities that make it seem more like the beverage of intellectuals and novelists, rather than the beverage of truckers and laborers. You might even say coffee has moved from being the drink for when you needed a boost to being for those moments when you need something a little more cerebral. The reason people prefer coffee before sex might come down to some science: A study from New York's JFK Airport found that out of 182 travelers observed, more than half had ordered caffeinated beverages compared with only 2 percent who ordered decaf beverages. More than a quarter of those ordering decaf drinks were women. So what gives? As a sexologist, I’ve noticed that there are a variety of reasons why people consider coffee to be an aphrodisiac. Some say that it stimulates them but not in the way that alcohol does, so they can remain more in control of themselves. Others report feeling more alert or attentive after drinking a cup and so anticipating sex becomes less anxiety-producing. Still other people claim they feel more positive or lively after an espresso and therefore are even more interested in having sex with their partner as opposed to watching television or grading papers. Many times, however, their partners experience negative effects such as feeling more anxious and wound up. So for these people, especially if one or both partners have a low sex drive (as often is the case with people who have high libidos) or are coming off a period of being sexually abstinent, coffee might be the right thing to help get the party started. Interestingly enough, Dr. Andrew Weil has said that while he doesn’t recommend that people substitute alcohol for coffee in social situations "I do think we would do better to cap our alcohol consumption at two drinks per day." He also writes: "Coffee seems to protect against some forms of cancer and Parkinson’s disease. Drinking more than about 500 milligrams (five cups) per day may increase the risk of certain cancers, however. And those who drink large amounts of coffee may develop insomnia, anxiety, and palpitations." In other words, coffee is not going to harm your sex drive but it may also not enhance it. There has been some evidence that drinking five cups of coffee per day can boost estrogen and lower testosterone levels in men and that it can cause a low sperm count in some males. In women there have been suggestions that coffee causes an irregularity in the menstrual cycle. Still too few studies can really make claims about coffee's role as a contraceptive or its effects on fertility.