10 Surprising Health
Benefits of Sex
The perks of sex extend well beyond the bedroom.
Sex not only feels good. It can also be good for you. Here’s
what a healthy sex life can do for you.
Sex-Drive Killers Slideshow
1. Helps Keep Your Immune System Humming
“Sexually active people take fewer sick days,”.
People who have sex have higher levels of what defends your
body against germs, viruses, and other intruders. Researchers at Wilkes
University in Pennsylvania found that college students who had sex once or
twice a week had higher levels of the a certain antibody compared to students
who had sex less often.
You should still do all the other things that make your
immune system happy, such as:
Eat right.
Stay active.
Get enough sleep.
Keep up with your vaccinations.
Use a condom if you don’t know both of your STD statuses.
2. Boosts Your Libido
Longing for a more lively sex life? “Having sex will make
sex better and will improve your libido,”..
For women, having sex ups vaginal lubrication, blood flow,
and elasticity, all of which make sex feel better and help you crave more of
it.
3. 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.
4. Lowers Your Blood Pressure
Research suggests a link between sex and lower blood
pressure,
“There have been many studies,” he says. “One landmark study
found that sexual intercourse specifically (not masturbation) lowered systolic
blood pressure.” That's the first number on your blood pressure test.
5. Counts as Exercise
“Sex is a really great form of exercise,”. It won’t replace
the treadmill, but it counts for something.
Sex uses about five calories per minute, four more calories
than watching TV. It gives you a one-two punch: It bumps up your heart rate and
uses various muscles.
So get busy! You may even want to clear your schedule to
make time for it on a regular basis.
“Like with exercise, consistency helps maximize the benefits,”
6. 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.
“When either one of those is low you begin to get lots of
problems, like osteoporosis and even heart disease,”.
Having sex more often may help. During one study, men who
had sex at least twice a week were half as likely to die of heart disease as
men who had sex rarely.
7. Lessens Pain
Before you reach for an aspirin, try for an orgasm.
“Orgasm can block pain,”. It releases a hormone that helps
raise your pain threshold.Stimulation without orgasm can also do the trick.
“We’ve found that vaginal stimulation can block chronic back and leg pain, and
many women have told us that genital self-stimulation can reduce menstrual
cramps, arthritic pain, and in some cases even headache,” http://amzn.com/B00GYBLNY6
8. May Make Prostate Cancer Less Likely
Going for the gusto may help ward off prostate cancer.
Men who ejaculated frequently (at least 21 times a month)
were less likely to get prostate cancer during one study, which was published
in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
You don’t need a partner to reap this benefit: Sexual
intercourse, nocturnal emission, and masturbation were all part of the
equation.
It's not clear that sex was the only reason that mattered in
that study. Lots of factors affect cancer risk. But more sex won’t hurt.
9. Improves Sleep
You may nod off more quickly after sex, and for good reason.“After
orgasm, the hormone prolactin is released, which is responsible for the
feelings of relaxation and sleepiness" after sex.
10. Eases Stress
Being close to your partner can soothe stress and anxiety.
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.
Sex and intimacy can boost your self-esteem and happiness,
too. It’s not only a prescription for a healthy life, but a happy one.
