x is powerful in many ways and studies have found that people, who have more sex, tend to have higher life satisfaction, quality of life and self-esteem. On the other side of the coin, researchers have found links between lack of sex and depression, relationship problems and psychological distress.

The 2013 National Survey of Sexual Attitudes and Lifestyles (Natsal) found that Brits were having less sex than they used to, and more recently in 2015, a study by Relate found 51% of people did not have sex. According to The Independent, medical problems often lead people to abstain from sex, with heart disease, chronic pain, metabolic conditions, personality disorders, substance abuse and poor sleep quality all cited as reasons.

People suffering from heart disease tend to avoid sex as they fear that it could bring on a heart attack. It is also observed that taking certain medications, such as anti-depressants, have been linked to reduced libido which contributes to sexual avoidance. There are differences between the genders too, with studies having found that women are more likely to avoid sex than men — up to 40% will do so at some point in their lives. And this divide begins in adolescence.

Reasons for this vary, but some of the more common ones for women are pain, fear of sexual violence, low libido or memories of childhood sex abuse. Some pregnant women also avoid sex because they’re worried about harming the foetus.