# You are wrong Cecil **URL:** \ **Category:** Cecil's Columns/Staff Reports\ **Created:** [April 3, 2010, 1:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-are-wrong-cecil/534794 "2010-04-03T01:01:26Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![DanMel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7ea924/32.png) [@DanMel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DanMel)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2010, 1:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-are-wrong-cecil/534794/1 "2010-04-03T01:01:26Z")
Sorry, but I don’t need a scientific study to prove to me that men get sleepy when they have an orgasm. These days it isn’t as strong as it was when I was younger, but from what I remember back then it was a very powerful sensation–definitly not my imagination. Possibly you have never experienced this, but if that is the case then that’s you and your version of an orgasm, that’s not what every man experiences (I’m not saying that you are unique in that you don’t experience this, I’m just saying that just because you haven’t experienced it doesn’t prove anything). I read your blog/article/note/whatever because I had hoped you knew what hormone was responsible for this effect, needless to say I am disappointed. ---
**Author:** ![SCSimmons](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e495f1/32.png) [@SCSimmons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SCSimmons)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2010, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-are-wrong-cecil/534794/2 "2010-04-03T01:15:09Z")
> [@DanMel](#): > > Sorry, but I don’t need a scientific study to prove to me that men get sleepy when they have an orgasm. These days it isn’t as strong as it was when I was younger, but from what I remember back then it was a very powerful sensation–definitly not my imagination. Well, for heaven’s sake, get your recollections published in a scientific journal so we have some objective evidence of the phenomenon! :rolleyes: There are plenty of subjective impressions that have turned out not to have any basis in reality when examined more carefully. Unfortunately, we don’t seem to have any on this subject (or didn’t, when [the column in question](http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/1140/why-do-men-feel-sleepy-after-sex) was written, anyway). And it’s pretty unreasonable to hope for Cecil to have an answer to a question that nobody’s answered yet–he’s a great one for sifting through the literature and finding the information, but his original research is mostly pretty lacking. ---
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2010, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-are-wrong-cecil/534794/3 "2010-04-03T01:15:26Z")
Hi **DanMel**. Is [this](http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/1140/why-do-men-feel-sleepy-after-sex)the column you are posting about? ---
**Author:** ![DanMel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7ea924/32.png) [@DanMel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DanMel)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2010, 1:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-are-wrong-cecil/534794/4 "2010-04-03T01:20:24Z")
Yes Khadaji, that’s it. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2010, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-are-wrong-cecil/534794/5 "2010-04-03T01:22:15Z")
The article lists the one study that happened. Cecil can’t use more than what exists. He’s a newspaper column writer, not a scientist. He can do some basic experiments, but ones like this are beyond him. It would be just as stupid for someone to come up to you and say, “If you want to know, why don’t you do an experiment?” Any reason you give is probably the same as Cecil’s. ---
**Author:** ![DanMel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7ea924/32.png) [@DanMel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DanMel)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2010, 1:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-are-wrong-cecil/534794/6 "2010-04-03T01:26:55Z")
Well SCSimmons, I thought that it was considered a known an quantifiable phenomenon–I guess I was wrong, but that doesn’t cure my curiosity. ---
**Author:** ![DanMel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7ea924/32.png) [@DanMel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DanMel)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2010, 1:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-are-wrong-cecil/534794/7 "2010-04-03T01:28:55Z")
So you’re saying that what I said was “stupid” BigT? ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2010, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-are-wrong-cecil/534794/8 "2010-04-06T14:46:19Z")
Soon to be removed spam post reported. ---
**Author:** ![StusBlues](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/dc4da7/32.png) [@StusBlues](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StusBlues)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2010, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-are-wrong-cecil/534794/9 "2010-04-06T14:49:10Z")
> [@DanMel](#): > > Sorry, but I don’t need a scientific study to prove to me that men get sleepy when they have an orgasm. These days it isn’t as strong as it was when I was younger, but from what I remember back then it was a very powerful sensation–definitly not my imagination. Possibly you have never experienced this, but if that is the case then that’s you and your version of an orgasm, that’s not what every man experiences (I’m not saying that you are unique in that you don’t experience this, I’m just saying that just because you haven’t experienced it doesn’t prove anything). I read your blog/article/note/whatever because I had hoped you knew what hormone was responsible for this effect, needless to say I am disappointed. If we’re looking for anecdotage here, I’ll contribute that I usually feel quite refreshed after an orgasm. After my girlfriend drifts off(!) I’ll often slip my arm out from under her neck and get some work done in the den. ---
**Author:** ![dhkendall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a9adbd/32.png) [@dhkendall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dhkendall)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2010, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-are-wrong-cecil/534794/10 "2010-04-06T15:32:45Z")
> [@StusBlues](#): > > If we’re looking for anecdotage here, I’ll contribute that I usually feel quite refreshed after an orgasm. After my girlfriend drifts off(!) I’ll often slip my arm out from under her neck and get some work done in the den. Same here - I mean sure it tires me out as much as a long run (moreso now that I’m older - well 38 but older than I was when I lost my virginity!) but I never have found myself sleepy after and usually get up to do things right away (especially since we rarely make love at bedtime any more, it’s usually in the morning or afternoon, or early evening (or, on good days, all three! :D) It’s my wife that’s always tired afterwards (orgasm or not), but then she is tired a lot of the time regardless … ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2010, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-are-wrong-cecil/534794/11 "2010-04-06T15:41:23Z")
Um, sorry. .but what were you going on about? Guess I dozed off there. . . ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2010, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-are-wrong-cecil/534794/12 "2010-04-06T18:06:15Z")
I am masturbating like a motherfzzzzzzz… ---
**Author:** ![Lestrade](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/94ad74/32.png) [@Lestrade](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lestrade)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2010, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-are-wrong-cecil/534794/13 "2010-04-06T18:36:58Z")
> [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > I am masturbating like a motherfzzzzzzz… Man, you get shouty when you near orgasm. Good thing it doesn’t last too long. Tread quietly everyone, he needs his sleep. This is an awfully silly thread for this name. **DanMel** , I am dissapoint. ---
**Author:** ![md2000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/73ab20/32.png) [@md2000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/md2000)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2010, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-are-wrong-cecil/534794/14 "2010-04-12T21:55:43Z")
I heard some comedian talking about this years ago. he said that men are full of the “essence of live” and lively, and women tend to be drowsy. Then the man passes this essence to the woman during orgasm; so suddenly she’s awake, she wants to cuddle and have that serious talk , and he does have that life essence any more and just wants to roll over and go to sleep… ---
**Author:** ![John\_W.Kennedy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_w.kennedy/32/1031_2.png) [@John\_W.Kennedy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_W.Kennedy)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2010, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-are-wrong-cecil/534794/15 "2010-04-13T19:17:58Z")
> [@md2000](#): > > I heard some comedian talking about this years ago. he said that men are full of the “essence of live” and lively, and women tend to be drowsy. Then the man passes this essence to the woman during orgasm; so suddenly she’s awake, she wants to cuddle and have that serious talk , and he does have that life essence any more and just wants to roll over and go to sleep… Go back far enough – maybe even Aristotle, I don’t recall – and you’ll find that as part of an attempted scientific explanation of inheritance. ---
**Author:** ![Geedavey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/f6c823/32.png) [@Geedavey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Geedavey)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2010, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-are-wrong-cecil/534794/16 "2010-04-16T15:09:35Z")
From [She Blinded Me With Science!: Why do guys get sleepy after sex?](http://blindedscience.blogspot.com/2006/09/why-do-guys-get-sleepy-after-sex.html) Research shows that during orgasm, we release a cocktail of brain chemicals, including norepinephrine, serotonin, oxytocin, vasopressin, nitric oxide (NO), and the hormone prolactin. The release of prolactin is linked to the feeling of sexual satisfaction, and it also mediates the “recovery time” that men are well aware of—the time a guy must wait before “giving it another go.” Studies have also shown that men deficient in prolactin have faster recovery times. Prolactin levels are also naturally higher during sleep, suggesting a link between the two. It’s possible that the hormone’s release during orgasm leads to drowsiness. (Side note: prolactin also explains why we are sleepier after intercourse than after masturbation. For unknown reasons, intercourse orgasms release four times more prolactin than masturbatory orgasms, according to a recent study in the Journal of Biological Psychology.) ---
**Author:** ![chorpler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chorpler/32/2888_2.png) [@chorpler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chorpler)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2010, 7:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-are-wrong-cecil/534794/17 "2010-04-17T07:38:20Z")
> [@Geedavey](#): > > (Side note: prolactin also explains why we are sleepier after intercourse than after masturbation. For unknown reasons, intercourse orgasms release four times more prolactin than masturbatory orgasms, according to a recent study in the Journal of Biological Psychology.) What about orgasms that are from sex with a partner that isn’t intercourse, like oral sex or a hand job? Any data on those? ---
**Author:** ![AClockworkMelon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aclockworkmelon/32/10803_2.png) [@AClockworkMelon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AClockworkMelon)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2010, 7:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-are-wrong-cecil/534794/18 "2010-04-17T07:41:17Z")
My personal anecdotes don’t amount to anything in terms of evidence but I always get sleepy after sex. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2010, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-are-wrong-cecil/534794/19 "2010-04-17T15:39:31Z")
> [@chorpler](#): > > What about orgasms that are from sex with a partner that isn’t intercourse, like oral sex or a hand job? Any data on those? If data is lacking, I will volunteer to accumulate raw data. For science. ---
**Author:** ![Sailboat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sailboat/32/461_2.png) [@Sailboat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sailboat)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2010, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-are-wrong-cecil/534794/20 "2010-04-17T17:29:34Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > If data is lacking, I will volunteer to accumulate raw data. For science. Indeed. Gentlemen of the Dope, a scientific challenge has been _laid_ before us!