The benefit of sex extends well beyond the bedroom. Sex not only feels good, it can also be good for you. TEMITOPE DAVID-ADEGBOYE explores some of the health benefits.
Many people associate a healthy lifestyle with habits that are not always the most fun… like engaging in gruelling workouts and skipping meals. But this is a misconception, as many of the healthiest habits are also among the most rewarding.
An example is sex. It counts as moderately intense exercise and boosts numerous aspects of both physical and mental health. As long as you are engaging in safe sex practices, increasing your sexual activity is a surefire strategy to better health.
Regular sex cannot be underestimated as a factor for reducing stress, bolstering self-esteem and fostering feelings of intimacy and bonding between partners.
You don’t really need a reason to have it, but there are many benefits of sex you might not know about. Here are the hidden health perks of great sex.
Improved immunity
People who have sex frequently (one or two times a week) have significantly higher levels of immunoglobulin A (IgA) immune system – the body’s first line of defence. Its job is to fight off invading organisms at their entry points, reducing or even eliminating the need for activation of your body’s immune system. This may explain why people who have sex frequently also take fewer sick days.
You should still do all the other things that make your immune system happy, such as eating right, staying active, getting enough sleep, and using a condom if you don’t know both of your sexually-transmitted infection (STI) statuses.
Heart health
Men who made love regularly (at least twice a week) were 45 per cent less likely to develop heart disease than those who did so once a month or less, according to one study.
Sexual activity not only provides many of the same benefits to the heart as exercise, but also keeps levels of oestrogen and testosterone in balance, which is important for heart health.
Lower blood pressure
Sexual activity, and specifically intercourse, is linked to better stress response and lower blood pressure.
Form of exercise
Sex helps to boost your heart rate, burn calories and strengthen muscles, just like exercise. In fact, research recently revealed that sex burns about four calories a minute for men and three for women, making it (at times) a ‘significant’ form of exercise. It can even help you to maintain your flexibility and balance.
Pain relief
Sexual activity releases pain-reducing hormones and has been found to help reduce or block back and leg pain, as well as pain from menstrual cramps, arthritis and headaches. One study even found that sexual activity can lead to partial or complete relief of headache in some migraine and cluster-headache patients.
May reduce risk of prostate cancer
Research has shown that men who ejaculate at least 21 times a month have a lower risk of prostate cancer. This link needs to be explored further, however, as there may have been additional factors involved in the association.
Improves sleep
After sex, the relaxation-inducing hormone, prolactin, is released, which may help you to nod off more quickly. The “love hormone”, oxytocin, released during orgasm, also promotes sleep.
Stress relief
Sex triggers your body to release its natural feel-good chemicals, helping to ease stress and boost pleasure, calm and self-esteem. Research also shows that those who have sexual intercourse responded better when subjected to stressful situations like speaking in public.
Boosts libido
The more often you have sex, the more likely you are to want to keep doing it. There’s a mental connection there, but also a physical one, particularly for women. More frequent sex helps to increase vaginal lubrication, blood flow and elasticity, which in turn makes sexual activity more enjoyable.
Improved bladder control in women
Intercourse helps to strengthen your pelvic floor muscles, which contract during orgasm. This can help women to improve their bladder control and avoid incontinence. You can boost this benefit even more by practising Kegel exercises during sex. A Kegel squeeze is performed by drawing your lower pelvic muscles up and holding them up high and tight, as if you’re trying to stop a flow of urine.
Helps in bonding
Sex and orgasms result in increased levels of the hormone oxytocin that helps you feel bonded to your partner, and better experience empathic connections.
Anxiety, defensiveness, fear and failure of communication are destructive psychological forces that can take a heavy toll on your libido, whether you are a man or woman, by acting as roadblocks to desire. Stress, too, can dampen your libido and make sex the last thing on your mind (a catch-22, since sex will help to reduce your stress levels significantly).
Taking control of your emotions by learning the Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) can really help in this area to re-ignite your sex life.
EFT is a psychological acupressure technique that can help you effectively address your stress-related thoughts and leave you feeling calmer and more able to face your challenges, whatever they may be, so you’re able to focus on more enjoyable pursuits.