6 Guys Reveal the Weirdest Sex Dreams They've Ever Had

Dreams are so unpredictable. Some night's you're falling off a cliff or frantically prepping for a presentation you forgot about. Other nights, you're getting all hot and bothered between the sheets—and often, it's not with the person in bed next to you.

Sex dreams are super common, and they can also be super unsettling. You may dream of having sex with your boss, an ex, or even a family member—gross! But don't worry: Sex dreams don't represent a desire for sex, necessarily. As Lauri Quinn Loewenberg, a professional dream analyst and author of Dream on It: Unlock Your Dreams, Change Your Life, previously told Men's Health, these dreams can represent anything you feel you're lacking in your life. It could be control; self-love; respect.

How to Avoid a Communication Breakdown in Your Relationship

From the outside looking in, relationships seem pretty straightforward. Once you couple up, you have a built-in person to watch Brooklyn Nine-Nine with and wrap your arms around at night. But the hard truth is that relationships take work. Any relationship therapist will tell you that approximately 90 percent of having a successful, healthy relationship is about communication.

So what happens if you never learned how to effectively communicate, especially when it comes to telling your partner how you feel (about them, about your shitty day at work, about the way you feel when they make googly eyes at that one celebrity with the rock-hard abs...)?

The 7 Best Ways to Cut Empty Calories

When you’re trying to slim down or get healthy, cutting empty calories are the easiest way to give your efforts a jump start.

By empty calories, we mean soda, desserts, doughnuts, chips—stuff that you eat and drink that delivers calories with little long-term satisfaction and precious few nutrients. To pare them down, you don’t need to start cooking every meal from scratch (although that’s not a bad idea. See what happened when our fitness director tried it). But you do want your food to be filled with something other than calories. Like hunger-busting and health-boosting fiber, or muscle-friendly protein. And lots and lots of micronutrients that come from plants that your body runs on.

What Happens to Your Sex Life When You're Treated for Cancer

A cancer diagnosis and treatment can affect many aspects of a man’s life, from day-to-day tasks to more personal interactions like intimacy with a partner. After certain treatments like chemotherapy, radiation or surgery, a cancer patient’s body may no longer look or feel as it once did.

Though changes are to be expected, it’s important to recognize the ways a body might respond post-cancer, and how that can affect your sex life. Here are some differences you might notice and ways you can establish new forms of intimacy with your partner.

How to Know if You're in a Rebound Relationship

Finding yourself in a rebound relationship supposedly spells doom for a budding romance. As popular opinion goes, rebounds reek of sadness and regret: One person has just gotten out of a long-term relationship, is likely still hurting from that breakup, and grabs onto another person to bury the pain. It’s not a great situation (though some research says that people who rebound may have better self-esteem than those who don’t).

Want to Fall Asleep Fast? Try These 10 Tips

Although some guys fall asleep the second their heads hit the pillow, many restlessly stare at the ceiling for hours.

Those who toss and turn each night know how frustrating it is to have trouble falling asleep. But aside from making you tired and cranky, not sleeping enough is bad for your health, too. Research has shown you may be at a higher risk of weight gain, diabetes, and depression when your circadian rhythm is thrown out of whack.

"Inadequate sleep and poor quality sleep will affect every organ system," says Men’s Health sleep advisor William Winter, M.D., author of The Sleep Solution: Why Your Sleep Is Broken and How To Fix It.

3 Women Reveal What It's Like to Have Nipple-Only Orgasms

While clitoral and vaginal orgasms might get all the attention, nipple orgasms are another legit way to explore your partner's pleasure in bed. Here, three anonymous women open up about what it’s like to experience nipple-only orgasms.

How did you first discover you could orgasm through nipple stimulation?
Woman A: My family was on a vacation and there was porn on the TV in the hotel. I just tried what I saw and discovered that it felt good.

Woman B: Through foreplay and experimentation with my first boyfriend. We were both very inexperienced at the time and neither of us had had previous sexual partners, so we were exploring each other's bodies. It was a case of "How does this feel? And this?" There was a build-up of pleasure. It was gradual, but quite powerful, so by the time, I orgasmed I wasn't too surprised. I was honestly quite pleased afterward! As far as I'm concerned, it's a brilliant thing — just another way to achieve pleasure.

How Women Want You to Talk Dirty During Sex

About a year and a half ago, I had my first bad experience with dirty talk. I'd been seeing this guy Will* for a few months, and we were having sex. Then, all of a sudden, smack in the middle of it, he leaned down, pressed his lips against my ear, and hissed, “You like that, don’t you, you dirty little slut?”

Now, we’d both done some pretty intense dirty talk in the past. But there was something about being called a slut during sex that stopped me cold. I immediately asked Will to stop what he was doing, and we talked about what had just happened. He was apologetic, and he never used that word again in my presence.

Don’t get me wrong — I love some good dirty talk. But in the wake of the #MeToo and #TimesUp movements, I've been forced to reckon with my own history of harassment. And while I recognize that some women are turned on by hearing words like "slut" and "whore" during sex, for me, it just doesn't sit well.

How Deep Throating Exploded Into America's Bedrooms

The year 1972 will be remembered for a lot of different things. It was then that Bobby Fisher won the World Chess Championship. It’s also when the Watergate scandal broke. But let 1972 also go down as the year that forever changed our relationship with oral sex. Because that was the year Deep Throat premiered in New York City.

The film, which introduced the late Linda Lovelace to the world, and the world to hardcore pornography, follows the struggle of a woman whose clitoris happened to live in her throat. Eventually, she realizes that the only way to stimulate the misplaced pleasure point is to pivot her oral sex technique—She must learn how to open wider and go deeper than ever before. Not before long, audiences began to adopt the same style of fellatio. And that’s how the “deep throat” method trickled off screen and into bedrooms across America.

If You Want Better Sex, You Might Want to Upgrade Your Bedroom

They say you should “dress for the job you want.” The same holds true in the bedroom: If you want to have good sex, you should have a good bed. A man who knows the thread count of his sheets is a man who has his life together. That’s sexy. If you sleep on an air mattress that begins deflating as soon as you hop in, that’s not sexy. You’re going to have to do some pretty extravagant foreplay to make sure she doesn’t refer to you as “air mattress guy” forevermore.

Make sure you’re not violating any of these bed deal breakers.

Here's the Right Way to Ask Somebody Out on a Date

Real talk: Asking someone out is super nerve-wracking.

Now matter how confident you are, putting yourself out there is a big risk—because getting turned down stings. That's why you may end up avoiding asking people out altogether, or acting so nonchalant and non-committal that the person you're asking out doesn't even know if it's a date or not.

This is no way to be. We have all the information you need right here: Everything you need to know about asking someone out in a way that will leave you feeling OK, no matter the answer.

5 Tips for Beating the Holiday Blues This Season

It’s easy to think that everyone loves the holidays—tree lightings, festive gatherings, family parties, and corny White Elephant gift exchanges can be fun.

The truth? “If you sample adults, it turns out there’s a small percentage of people who love the holidays,” says John Sharp, M.D., author of The Emotional Calendar: Understanding Seasonal Influences and Milestones to Become Happier, More Fulfilled, and in Control of Your Life. “Most people find them stressful.”

We’re not saying Bah, humbug to now through January 1, it’s just that if you’re not jazzed by Christmas music, psyched to spend time with family, or—worse—feel more down in the dumps than usual, you’re not alone.

Women Aren't Having Orgasms. Men Don't Know Why. Let's Talk About It.

Sex can be romantic. Animalistic. Should be pleasurable. Egalitarian. Messy, but in a good way. Fun. Often, it’s straight-up confusing. When it comes to a guy’s climax, the routine is fairly simple: You get a little turned on, there’s some touching or rubbing or partnered stimulation of some kind, and then when you’ve reached the point of no return—a release!

But women’s orgasms can be as confounding as a Westworld plotline. First we have to feel generally comfortable around you, then remember whether or not we left our curling iron plugged in this morning, reassure ourselves that we unplugged it, then remind ourselves that we’re making out with a guy we really like. The blood eventually rushes to our genitals, and the touching from then on has to be juuuuust right—not too hard, not too soft, and usually on the exact right spot. Things are going well! We’re feeling it! And even then, sometimes when an orgasm is ascending like a firework—poof!—it turns out it was just a dud.

7 Reasons Your Nipples Hurt

We've got news for you: It’s not just women who deal with nipple pain. Men can get sensitive nipples, too, as well as bleeding, chafing, and other painful symptoms. If this ever happens to you, don’t freak out — chances are, there’s a reasonable (and totally innocuous) explanation for it. Of course, these could also be signs of a medical problem that requires a visit to the doctor.

There are several factors that can lead to nipple discomfort in men, and the good news is that it’s usually preventable and treatable. Here are some reasons you might experience tender or painful nipples, and what you can do about it.

The Most Fattening Holiday Drinks of All Time

Splurging on red cups full of cocoa while you shop and sipping festive cocktails at parties can get anyone in the holiday spirit, but drink with caution. The comforting, seasonal drinks we all love can wreak havoc on your diet and turn you into a serious Scrooge when you step on the scale.

Married Women Orgasm Way Less Than Their Husbands

If you're in a long-term relationship, you probably think you have a pretty good idea of what makes your partner come. But if you're under the impression that your mate is having an orgasm every time you have sex, you might be mistaken, my friend.

According to a recent study out of Brigham Young University, just 49% of married women said they consistently experience orgasm during sex, compared to a whopping 87% of married men.

The study looked at data from 1,683 heterosexual newlywed couples. The men and women were separately asked about personal orgasm frequency, their perception of how often their partner orgasms, and their relationship and sexual satisfaction.

4 Ways to Increase Brain Power that May Prevent Alzheimer's Disease

If you were taught that you’re born with all the brain cells you’ll ever get and it’s all downhill from there, it’s time for a rethink. Mounting research suggests you can improve your brain no matter what your age, making it stronger now and protecting it for the long term.

In fact, while surveys have found that 60 percent of Americans consider Alzheimer’s disease a natural part of getting older, scientists say the opposite. “We’re finally able to use the terms ‘Alzheimer’s disease’ and ‘prevention’ in the same sentence,” says Richard Isaacson, MD, director of the Alzheimer’s Prevention Clinic at Weill Cornell Medicine. And the same may be true for other forms of cognitive decline.

Why Gyms With Childcare Are a Game-Changer for Parents

You’re not likely to find new parents at the gym. Between the sleep deprivation and the diaper changes and the nonstop feedings, there isn’t much time or energy left to make get a work out in. That doesn’t mean as a new parent you have to give up your gym membership. In fact, a baby could land you an upgrade.

Four months after the birth of our first child—a glorious time where my husband and I went from exhausted and overwhelmed to slightly less exhausted and just a little overwhelmed—we discovered an ingenious life hack: gym childcare. Equinox was the luxury brand gym we drooled over but could never justify spending the money on when we were a “Dual Income No Kids” family. When we had a our child, we did the math again.

14 Things Women Want You to Know About Showering Together

Whether you're hopping in the shower together to save time, conserve water, or make an honest attempt at shower sex, sharing a tiny shower stall with a grown man is always treacherous. Most showers are built for one, and shoving two people in one is like the human body equivalent of trying to fit too many clothes in your suitcase. But done right, getting all ~*~wet and soapy~*~ with your partner can be hot. Just be careful not to slip.

1. Yes, feel free to use my shampoo, but go easy on it because that bottle cost me $20. You know how my hair always looks like it's being hit with the beams from a thousand shining suns? That's because my shampoo is top-notch and might have actual flecks of gold in it, so please mind your squeeze.

8 Things You're Not Doing After Sex That You Should Be

There’s a lot of literature out there about what to do before having sex and what to do during sex. (And we mean a lot of literature.) And hopefully, all of this advice has given you more confidence in approaching and executing the horizontal mambo.

But once the dance is over and you’ve both taken your final bow, it can get a little bit awkward. In movies or porn, you often see couples lying in bed after sex, their chests heaving in sweaty ecstasy, before cutting to the next scene. But there are a lot of other details to consider after sex that can make or break a successful sexual encounter.