1. 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. 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:
2. Boosts Your Libido
Longing for a more lively sex life? “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.
For women, having sex ups vaginal lubrication, blood
flow, and elasticity, she says, 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, says Joseph J. Pinzone, MD. He is CEO and medical director
of Amai Wellness.
“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,”
Pinzone says. 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,” Pinzone says.
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,”
Pinzone says.
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,” says Barry R. Komisaruk, PhD, a
distinguished service professor at Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey.
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,”
Komisaruk says.
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, says Sheenie Ambardar, MD. She is a psychiatrist
in West Hollywood, Calif.
10. Eases Stress
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.
Sex and intimacy
can boost your self-esteem and happiness, too, Ambardar says. It’s not only a
prescription for a healthy life, but a happy one.
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