6 tips for having sex when it's hot out, including ice cubes, showers, and cotton sheets

Crystal Cox/Business Insider

• Summer heat can put a huge damper on your sex life, especially if you and your partner are sweat-averse.
• Insider spoke to five sexologists and sex therapists on how to keep cool while getting steamy in the summertime.
• Cranking the A/C unit or central air might be your first instinct to deal with the heat, but positioning a fan above you or having sex on cooler surfaces like shower tile, kitchen counters, and washing machines can also help.
• Changing your outlook on sweat and body odor can also improve your sex life in the summer.

Sex in the summertime can be a sticky disaster if you're averse to sweat, body odor, and heat.

Though not everyone's libido takes a hit, the heat can make couples more reluctant to get it on and even make it more difficult to cuddle.

"Vigorous sex can be a cardiovascular workout in and of itself, so sex in hot weather can be as challenging on the body as going for a run, for instance," Yvonne K. Fulbright, a sexuality educator & author, told Insider. "Lovers may also be more self-conscious about being sweatier, stickier and smellier than normal, including in their groin area. Body 'farts' from the wetness may also be a consequence, as bodies rub together, and a humorous distraction."

Insider spoke to five sex therapists and sexologists for their best tips on having comfortable sex in hot weather.