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:
·
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,” 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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