Sex not only feels good. It can also be good for you. Here’s what a healthysexlife can do for you.
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 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.
Getenough sleep.
Keep up with your vaccinations.
Use acondomif you don’t know both of yourSTDstatuses.
2. Boosts Your Libido
Longing for a more lively sex life? “Having sex will make sex better and will improve yourlibido,” 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,bloodflow, and elasticity, she says, all of which make sex feel better and help you crave more of it.
3. Improves Women&39;s Bladder Control
A strong pelvic floor is important for avoidingincontinence, 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 causescontractionsin those muscles, which strengthens them.
4. Lowers Your Blood Pressure
Research suggests a link between sex and lowerblood 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 (notmasturbation) lowered systolic blood pressure.” That&39;s the first number on your blood pressure test.
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5. Counts as Exercise
“Sex is a really great form ofexercise,” 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 onetwo 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 yourheart. Besides being a great way to raise your heart rate, sex helps keep yourestrogenand 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 ofheart diseaseas men who had sex rarely.
7. Lessens Pain
Before you reach for anaspirin, 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 andleg pain, and many women have told us that genital selfstimulation can reduce menstrualcramps, arthritic pain, and in some cases evenheadache,” Komisaruk says.
8. May Make Prostate Cancer Less Likely
Going for the gusto may help ward offprostate cancer.
Men who ejaculated frequently (at least 21 times a month) were less likely to getprostate cancerduring one study, which was published in theJournal 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&39;s not clear that sex was the only reason that mattered in that study. Lots of factors affectcancerrisk. But more sex won’t hurt.
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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 apsychiatristin 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&39;s natural “feelgood hormone.” Sexual arousal releases abrainchemical that revs up yourbrain’s pleasure and reward system.
Sex andintimacycan boost your selfesteem and happiness, too, Ambardar says. It’s not only a prescription for a healthy life, but a happy one.
