There are probably a couple of answers you can think of right now to the question of why having sex is good for you. Apart from strengthening your relationship, it has many other benefits, particularly health-wise. Regular sexual activity is proven to boost your immune system, fight diseases, as well as to keep your emotional health stable. Since there’s not a specific number of how many times you should have sex, it’s best to see what you and your partner prefer.
However, consider having sex more regularly to keep your body and mind healthy. Here are some of the proven benefits of having sex.
Keeps You Fit
Firstly, frequent sexual activity keeps you fit. After all, it is a form of sport - a pleasurable one, we might say. According to the American Heart Association report, having sex is equal to moderate sexual activity, such as “climbing two flights of stairs”, therefore making you exercise while enjoying intimate moments with your partner.
Lowers Your Bood Pressure
Another benefit of having sex that you probably weren’t aware of is that it can lower your blood pressure. A study published in Biological Psychology says that having sex “is associated with better psychological and physiological function.” It also lowers your blood pressure, meaning it can prevent a heart attack. While having sex, your blood vessels dilate, delivering oxygen and nutrients to the most active parts of your body. The expansion of blood vessels makes your body active but lowers your pressure at the same time.
You surely have heard of people dying while having sex. You can indeed experience a stroke during intercourse. However, the people that are most likely to succumb to a heart attack when having sex are the people at risk, such as elderly and people with cardiac diseases.
Reduces Stress Levels
As your blood flows steadily through the veins and vessels during sex, it automatically lowers stress levels you would typically experience in any other physical activity. Moreover, your glands release cortisol and adrenaline in stressful situations. Cortisol, also known as the “stress hormone,” is a substance that, when binding to the receptors, fights against the “stressful factors.” Since you don’t need to fight against stress during sexual activity and orgasm, most people have a decrease in cortisol levels, which helps them to relax more. Having sex regularly will also reduce the stress levels that you often experience if you have a busy schedule. You will then care for your health without even thinking about it.
Improves Your Sleep
Insufficient sleep can lead to poor performance at work, moodiness, feeling exhausted, and getting sick often. If you frequently have sex with your partner, it will improve your sleep cycle. During sex, your brain releases various chemicals, among which dopamine and oxytocin. The latter also called the “cuddle hormone,” makes you want to bond and get close to another person. In other words, it boosts your libido.
Once you experience the orgasm, however, the levels of oxytocin start dropping. Combined with the release of another hormone, oxytocin gives you the feeling of sleepiness. So, next time you fight insomnia, remember that having sex improves your sleep. Just make sure you have done your condom shopping in advance.
Enhances Memory Recognition
The fifth advantage of having sex regularly has been linked to cognitive functioning. Archives of Sexual Behavior published a study that links frequent sexual activity to better word memory and memory recognition tasks in women. What’s more, sex promotes the development of new brain cells. If you want to improve your brain’s function, consider enjoying sex more.
Helps Your Immune System
Except for keeping you physically fit, sex helps to boost your immune system. In other words, more sex will prevent colds and flu. Relaxation stimulates the production of antibodies for common diseases, thus making us healthier.
As said, sex enlarges your blood vessels, pumping the oxygen faster, which also leads to skin renewal. The nutrients promote faster growth of new cells, and it can make you feel and look younger. Women benefit more from the growth of skin cells since sex stimulates the production of estrogen, which smoothes wrinkles in midlife and older women.
What About Your Sex Life?
Sexually active people have more desire to have sex. Having sex regularly increases libido and can boost women’s natural vaginal lubrication. It also causes your periods to be lighter and your period cramps to not hurt as much.
Men, on the other hand, are less likely to have prostate cancer if they’re more sexually active. Since that’s one of the prevailing types of cancer in men, think about spending more intimate moments with your partner to stay healthy.
Having Sex Makes You Happy
You already know by now that while having sex, your body releases several hormones. One of them is endorphin, which promotes the feeling of euphoria and happiness. Increased endorphin levels reduce the feelings of sadness and keep you in a happy mood. So, sex can make you happy.
We enlisted only a portion of the advantages that sex can have for your overall physical and mental health. While having sex can be a fun and pleasurable activity for both sexes, it is essential to know what you and your partner like and what you can do to enjoy more.