Health Benefits of Sex
By Diane Arnold
Sex not only feels good. It can also be good for you. Here’s what a healthy sex life can do for you.
1.Improved Heart Health — Yes, Sex Is Exercise
“Sex is a really great form of exercise,” Pinzone says. Studies have shown couples burned an average of 5 calories a minute during sex sessions. That is a lot more fun than toiling away on a treadmill.
2.Less Stress and Lower Blood Pressure
Research suggests a link between sex and lower blood pressure, says Joseph J. Pinzone, MD, Amai Wellness. “There have been many studies,” he says. “One landmark study found that sexual intercourse specifically (not masturbation) lowered systolic blood pressure.” That is the first number on your blood pressure test.
3.May help ward off prostate cancer.
A study published in December 2016 in the journal European Urology found that men were who were active sexually were also 20 percent less likely to develop prostate cancer.
4.Helps Keep Your Immune System Humming
“Sexually active people take fewer sick days,” says Yvonne K. Fulbright, PhD a sexual health expert. People who have sex have higher levels of what defends your body against germs, viruses, and other intruders.
Other studies have found that having sex once a week can benefit your health in the following ways:
Fewer colds because of an increase in immunoglobulin a, and antibody that fights infection.
Lower your bad cholesterol and increase your good cholesterol.
Improve your memory because blood flow increases to your brain.
Increased feelings of motivation because of the release of endorphins.
5.Boosts Your Libido
“Having sex will make sex better and will improve your libido,” says Lauren Streicher, MD.
She is an assistant clinical professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago.
6.Improves Women's Bladder Control
A strong pelvic floor is important for avoiding incontinence, something that will affect about 30% of women at some point in their lives. Good sex is like a workout for your pelvic floor muscles. When you have an orgasm, it causes contractions in those muscles, which strengthens them.
7.Lowers Heart Attack Risk
A good sex life is good for your heart. Besides being a great way to raise your heart rate, sex helps keep your estrogen and testosterone levels in balance. A study published in January 2015 in the American Journal of Cardiology found that men who had sex weekly had less risk of cardiovascular diseases, like stroke or heart attack than those who had sex once a month or less. In fact, men who have sex weekly can reduce the risk of developing life-threatening heart conditions by close to 50%.
8.Lessens Pain
Before you reach for an aspirin, try for an orgasm. “Orgasm can block pain,” says Barry R. Komisaruk, Ph.D., a distinguished service professor at Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey. It releases a hormone that helps raise your pain threshold.
9.Eases Stress, Boost Your Self Esteem, and Increases Happiness
Being close to your partner can soothe stress and anxiety. Ambardar says touching and hugging can release your body's natural “feel-good hormone.” Sexual arousal releases a brain chemical that revs up your brain’s pleasure and reward system.
10.Better Sleep.
11.The real benefit of sex is spiritual. When men make love to their wives, the result is a stronger and more intimate connection.