The year in sex: With V-Day on the horizon, a look at what science says about our sexual activity

Sexual education is forever evolving and nowhere more so than the lab. Researchers are always at work analyzing, testing and discovering new facets of the undeniably-pleasurable-but-often-confounding realms of romance, love and sexual activity. So, with Valentine's Day on the horizon, here's a roundup of insightful and interesting findings surrounding sex in recent research since this time last year.

Get to bed to get to bed: sleep and sex

If you're bedroom activities are putting you to sleep, your body may be telling you something. An analysis of data (published in the journal of the North American Menopause Society) examining over 93,000 women between the ages of 50 and 79 revealed a strong correlation between shorter sleep and lower sexual satisfaction. Although the need for greater sleep increased with age (older women are more sexually affected by a loss of sleep), all women getting a poor night's rest (less than 7-8 hours) showed significantly lower odds of sexual activity, even after accounting for other possible sleep disturbances. With sexual dysfunction and poor sleep both prevalent in menopausal women, identifying this relationship could can go a long way in better managing these effects.

Ridin' high: marijuana users have more sex

With the changing laws and attitudes towards marijuana, more research has been done into the lifestyles of marijuana users. A data analysis of 50,000 Americans aged 25-45 found that frequent marijuana users have about 20% more sex. Women who used marijuana daily reported having sex 7.1 times in the past month compared to 6 time for non users. While this is not a causal relationship by any means (getting high won't get you laid), it's an interesting peek into perceptions and behaviours as we enter this new world. Researchers also found that, contrary to popular post-intercourse belief, users across all demographics were more likely to light up before sex.

Old dog, new tricks: sex can brain boost older adults

Sex amongst older adults is an oft-avoided subject, but it can provide some interesting benefits. A joint study (between Coventry and Oxford University) cognitively tested 73 people between the ages of 50 and 83. The results revealed that those participants who engaged in more frequent sexual activity scored noticeably higher in the categories of verbal fluency (the ability to form words in a particular category) and visual/spatial perception, both indicators of higher cognitive abilities. Researchers intend to next examine whether this brain boost is part of general lifestyles or directly caused by the chemicals released during sexual activity.

Young at heart: how old you feel affects the quality of your sex life

Still not convinced about being elderly and erotic? A study from the University Of Waterloo determined that those who felt younger than their biological age, were more likely to have a more satisfying sex life. The 10-year-long study probed individuals in their 40s to 70s and, even though there was a correlation between feeling younger and satisfying sex lives.  There was no correlation between more sexual satisfaction and greater frequency of sexual activity (suggesting that there are more satisfying factors at play than just quantity).

Orgasm pie chart: heterosexual men take the biggest slice

Researchers from Chapman University in California published a study of 52,000 adults (men, women, heterosexual, homosexual, lesbian and bisexual) to discover that straight men usually-to-always orgasm during 95% of their sexual activity, while 65% of straight women could claim the same (89% of gay men, 86% of lesbians, 88% of bisexual men and 66% of bisexual women).

Sexual de-evolution: millennials are having less sex

Millennials are blamed for the "death" of a lot, and sexual activity might be next on the list. Survey data compiled by San Diego State University found that millennials born in the 1990s are twice as likely to be sexually inactive than GenX'ers born in the 1960s. 15% of millennials ages 20 to 24 reported zero sexual activity compared to the 6% of the generation prior. The only generation that had a higher rate of sexual inactivity was amongst those born in the 1920s. Researchers believe that millennial lifestyle adjustments (living longer with their parents, getting married later or not at all) could explain the decline while the explosion of hookup culture across social media could distort the inactive reality.

Orgasms for all: requirements for female climax are unique and diverse

Speaking of orgasms, a study out of Indiana University surveyed over a thousand women, aged 18 to 94, to reveal that 77.5% of them reported a wide range in the consistency and intensity of their orgasms. A deeper delve revealed that many unique stimulation preferences exist; 36.6% always required clitoral stimulation, 18.4% just needed vaginal penetration, and another near 36% didn't find clitoral stimulation necessary, but still helpful. Specifically regarding clitoral stimulation, up and down movements were preferred by 63.7%, 30.6% enjoyed side-to-side and 75% had a proclivity towards circular motions. With a long and rocky history between science and the clitoris, studies like these are finally moving the particulars of female preferences to the forefront.