Sex is fun but it can be a whole lot more than that. It feels good, it makes you happy and it can have a profound positive effect on your health. People who have sex on a regular basis get to enjoy an array of health benefits. Here are the most important ones.
Strong Immune System
Do you come down with colds too often? If so, you may consider increasing sexy time.
Researchers have found out that people who are sexually active tend to take fewer sick days off work than their colleagues who aren’t that lucky.
The reason for this phenomenon is fascinating. People who have sex at least once or twice per week tend to have higher levels of certain antibodies. These antibodies make it easier for the body to fight off germs and viruses.
To make the effects of a healthy sex life even more pronounced, it’s important to eat the right foods and get enough sleep. This way, you can decrease the number of infections and colds that your body succumbs to during the year.
Healthy Heart
While a healthy cardiovascular system is a prerequisite for good sex (especially for guys), things can go both ways.
Having enough sex has been proven to regulate blood pressure and maintain the good condition of the cardiovascular system.
Several studies suggest that sex with a partner (the same doesn’t apply to masturbation) can decrease the systolic blood pressure – the number that’s taken when the heart relaxes between two beats.
Once again, a healthy diet and weight control will be required to keep blood pressure within a healthy range. If you’re already suffering from the problem, it would be best to see a doctor rather than to cure hypertension through a bigger number of weekly bedroom sessions.
Improved Sleep
This has certainly happened to you – having amazing sex and falling asleep blissfully right after. There’s a scientific explanation for the phenomenon. In fact, sex can improve your sleep quality significantly and help you overcome problems like insomnia.
During sex, the body produces oxytocin – a hormone that’s often called “the intimacy hormone.” In addition, endorphins are produced during orgasm. Separately, these two have highly specific effects. Together, they act as a mild sedative.
It’s interesting to point out that men are particularly susceptible to this combination of hormones. The prefrontal cortex in men slows down immediately after an orgasm and this part of the brain is the one responsible for being alert and responding adequately to the constant influx of new information.
Reduced Pain
The oxytocin produced during sex is much more than a love hormone. It plays several other roles in the body, including reducing uneasiness and pain.
Oxytocin decreases stress and promotes feelings of calmness. In combination with several other hormones released during sex, it produces the powerful feeling of pleasure that we all get to experience. There’s some evidence that the hormonal cocktail produced during sex is capable of blocking out some of the most prominent/chronic aches.
While some people use migraines as an excuse not to have sex, there’s some actual evidence that lovemaking can reduce the prominence of migraine headaches.
Researchers have also found out that sex could provide relief for rheumatoid arthritis pain. According to AARP, the gentle movements during intimacy increase the range of motion of arthritis sufferers. In addition, sexual activity can decrease the inflammation, while the endorphins released act as natural pain killers.
Prostate Health
Regular sex is one of the best ways to keep the prostate healthy as you age.
Frequent ejaculations are the key to maintaining the male organ in a good condition later on in life. Researchers have found out that men who ejaculate four to seven times per week are 36 percent less likely than their peers to get prostate cancer before the age of 70.
A much larger study was carried out as a part of Harvard’s Health Professionals Follow-Up initiative. A total of 29,342 men aged 46 to 81 were asked to report their average number of ejaculations per month during their youth and midlife. Researchers also took notes of lifestyle factors.
The men who ejaculated 21 or more times per month during their youth and midlife were 33 percent less likely to suffer from prostate cancer than guys who climaxed less frequently than that.
Longer And Happier Life
Men who have sex more often tend to lead longer and happier lives than the guys who don’t.
An interesting study took place in 2007. The Planned Parenthood Federation of America presented the experiment carried out in South Wales over the course of 10 years. Researchers were particularly interested in the relationship between mortality and frequency of male orgasms.
The study involved 918 male volunteers aged 45 to 59 at the time of research inception. The men were physically examined prior to the beginning of the experiment and they were asked to record their frequency of orgasms.
At the 10-year mark, the researchers did a follow-up. They found out that the men who had frequent orgasms enjoyed a 50 percent lower mortality rate than the ones that didn’t. For the purposes of the study, frequent orgasms were defined as two or more per week.
This isn’t the only such experiment and the benefits aren’t experienced solely by men. The anti-stress and overall body strengthening effects of intimacy are the ones that probably contribute to a longer lifespan.
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