How To Stop Being Horny – 14 Simple Steps To Be Less Horny

Sometimes sexual desire and constant horniness can interrupt your life. If you find yourself wanting to stop feeling horny all the time, this 14 step guide will show you how.

But first, you need to ask yourself…

Is It Unhealthy to Be Horny?

First, let’s dive into the big question. Is being horny a problem? Nope. Most people have been horny at some point in their lives; although, certain people feel horny more often than others.

Both biology and romance are factors when you are (and aren’t) horny. So if you’re feeling confident, connected to your partner, or perhaps at a certain point in your menstrual cycle, it’s normal if you’re hornier than usual.

Of course, being single doesn’t mean you’re never horny. Relationships can just impact your libido.

Related: Tips on how to increase your sex drive.

If being horny in itself isn’t an issue, can being horny become an issue? As you can probably guess…

Yes.

Like any interest, if it interferes with your work, school, or relationships or if you find yourself in potentially dangerous situations because of your horniness, then it’s time to do something about it.

And we don’t mean becoming a resentful person who thinks they’re entitled to sex from others. It’s about working on yourself, even if that means you need to find out how to cope with horniness when you can’t do anything to not be horny. If that sounds like a suggestion for therapy, give it a serious thought.

Now it’s time to learn…

How to Stop Being Horny

Below you’ll find 14 great techniques to help you be less horny. The perfect solution for you depends on how much of a problem it is and your own circumstances. For example, if you have to prepare for an interview and need to study for a test but find yourself distracted, using these masturbation techniques for a quick release might be just what the doctor ordered.

When it never stops – If your horniness severely impacts your life in the long term, you’ll need to take more drastic and lasting steps to stop being so horny. In these more long-term cases of constant horniness, a medical or mental health professional may be your best resource to cope.

Now on to the techniques to quench your horniness…

1. Have Sex

One of the more enjoyable ways to stop being horny is to have sex. When your sexual needs are satisfied, it’s much easier to focus on chores, homework, childrearing, or whatever else is on your plate.

Of course, this might not work if the sex is unsatisfying. Then, you might just be horny and frustrated. But if your partner is open to a few pointers, start with this no-BS guide to having good sex or these tips to have better sex.

2. Masturbate

If you have no partner or opportunity to have sex or if having sex just hasn’t scratched that itch, masturbating is a great way to stop being horny. In fact, getting yourself off can be easier and take less time than enlisting a partner to help.

Need a refresher or not sure what to do? Learning how to finger yourself and this guide to masturbation for women can help!

3. Avoid Sexual Stimulation

Now, this might seem counterintuitive when the first two items on this list tell you to stimulate yourself sexually to stop being turned on. But sometimes having sex can lead you to want even more. If you’re that type of person, the smartest thing might be to avoid sex, especially when you’ve got other things to focus on.

4. Exercise

Exercise is a good way to get the blood circulating back into your body and away from your genitals, which can you feel less physically horny. Many guys report that exercising or even just flexing muscles helps get rid of those pesky boners.

Similarly, a study found potential benefits of “acute lower-limb exercise for medication induced priapism” [1]. That is, climbing stairs could help patients get rid of unwanted erections that were not caused by arousal or desire. If it works in that case, it certainly doesn’t hurt to try when you don’t want to be horny!

Plus, focusing on your routine takes your mind off of your desire to stop being so horny.

5. Keep Busy

One bit of advice we won’t give you to not be horny is to simply stop thinking about sex. Because it just doesn’t work that way. In fact, trying not to think about something pretty much guarantees that you will. It’s the old pink elephant paradox.

Instead, you should dive into engaging activities. We don’t just mean busy work. Instead, find those things that really capture–or demand–your attention. What can you get lost in for hours?

Before you know it, time will have flown by and you won’t be thinking about sex. Hopefully, your body won’t be horny, either.

6. Shock Your System

When you need to stop being horny in a hurry, you can sometimes shock your system to reset it. What do we mean by that? Jump into a cold shower or ice bath to stop being turned on. You can also give yourself a little pain, not enough to cause permanent harm, but enough to snap you out of your headspace.

7. Meditate

Meditating is good for a whole host of things. It can help with anxiety and stress, for example. Modern mindfulness meditation can help you have better sex. On the other hand, it’s also a way to stop being horny.

How can the same practice help you to get horny and stop feeling horny? Because it’s about noticing your thoughts and then letting them drift away instead of focusing on and feeding energy into them, which gives your thoughts more power.

In this case, you notice that your mind and/or body are horny, but that’s it. You redirect your attention to something else and don’t let yourself become frustrated by how horny you are. Becoming frustrated will only make you think about it even more.

8. Spend Time With Others

It’s a lot harder to be horny when you’re having tea with your grandmother or discussing the weather with your dad. It’s not foolproof, but if that time leads to engaging conversations or activities, you might just find that you forget all about being horny.

Plus, being horny without a partner can make you feel lonely. So spending time with others might be a good way to cope with horniness and loneliness at the same time.

9. Minimize Stimulation In Your Environment

Chances are, you can name a few things that get you horny. Maybe the vibrations of your motorcycle, certain abdominal exercises, a certain song, or your favorite movie get you going. Hell, even the way jeans sit on your hips can be stimulating. Even texting your partner can make you horny.

Related: 100+ Sexting Examples

If you’re not sure what’s making you horny, pay attention to what’s going on when you feel horny. If you can make a connection, you can try to minimize how much time you spend around those things, at least when you have other things you need to do.

10. Focus on Your Mood Killers

It might sound cliche, but if you need a distraction from sex or a way to be less horny, certain things just do the trick. It’s hard to be horny when you’re thinking about moldy food or politics, for example.

And thanks to the Internet, you can find images and videos of all of these things if you need extra help not to be horny.

11. Check Your Medications

Although there’s way more information about medications that interfere with your sex life–from low libido to lack of lubrication to erectile dysfunction to inability to orgasm–some medications can do the opposite. The reason you’re wondering how to stop being horny might be sitting in your medicine cabinet.

If you’ve recently added a medication or changed dosage, it could be the culprit, even if it’s known for killing sex drive (birth control is a great example here). And if this is a serious issue, you should talk to your doctor about alternatives or dosage changes so you can stop being horny and feel your best.

12. Don’t Forget About Other Drugs

Of course, prescription drugs aren’t the only ones you can get your hands on. Some people use drugs specifically because they want to feel hornier or enjoy sex more. Cocaine, methamphetamine, and ecstasy are known for making people horny [2]. So you may want to back off them if it’s become a problem

13. Talk to Your Doctor

Could you be horny because of a condition you have?

Absolutely.

A common example is bipolar disorder, which was once known as manic depression. Those with bipolar experience manic and depressive episodes. In the former, people can engage in risky behavior such as drug use or sexual activity.

As one research paper puts it, “literature points to an increased incidence of risky sexual behaviors in bipolar patients during manic episodes compared to patients with other psychiatric diagnoses” [3].

If you have bipolar disorder, you may not necessarily be super horny. You just might struggle to control your sexual urges. Still, finding effective treatment may be key to stopping being horny all the time and reducing risky sexual and other behaviors during manic episodes.

While bipolar disorder is a more obvious example, it’s far from the only one. Persistent genital arousal disorder, as the name suggests, is another [4].

Hypersexuality can also be a symptom of borderline personality disorder or BPD. According to researchers, “those with borderline personality disorder are more likely to exhibit greater sexual preoccupation” [5]. While it doesn’t have to be a bad thing, it certainly could be if you can’t keep it in check.

Brain damage could make you horny, too, which supports the idea that being exceptionally horny may not be about desire but may be more related to your brain’s inability to conform to social expectations. For example, patients with degenerative brain conditions such as Alzheimer’s and dementia may display hypersexual behavior, too [6, 7]. But physical trauma could also be at play.

Unfortunately, brain damage isn’t necessarily reversible. But if you’re wondering how to not be horny, your doctor might recommend medications or surgery that can help.

And if there’s no underlying condition, your doctor might prescribe some medications to dull your sex drive.

And doctors may not bring up sex first. Unfortunately, doctors don’t receive as much training or education about sexuality as they should. They might not know how to talk about sexual problems or might disregard sexual side effects as inconsequential, especially if your complaint is that you want to not be horny.

14. Check Your Meal Plan

Finally, consider the role that your diet can play in your libido. Certain foods are aphrodisiacs, that is, they’re known for making you horny.

Read More: The 15 Best Aphrodisiacs Backed up By Science

Most people want to know more about aphrodisiacs because they want to become horny. But if you’re accidentally eating a lot of these foods, you can just cut back or cut them out to stop being horny all the time. Of course, it might be a bummer if you love artichokes or chili peppers, but it might be worth making the sacrifice to stop the horniness.

That was 14 techniques you can use to stop being horny. But remember…

There’s nothing wrong with being horny from time to time. As long as it’s not interfering with your life, you might need to focus on accepting your sexuality, instead of trying to be less horny.