Sex not only feels good. It can also be good for you. Here
is webmd.com’s list of the top 10
benefits of a healthy sex life.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 rateand
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.
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, likeosteoporosis 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.
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 menstrualcramps,
arthritic pain, and in some cases even headache,” Komisaruk says.
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.
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.
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.
