The top ten health benefits of sexual intercourseDid you know that having sex is good for your health? Being in a healthy relationship with a loving partner, coupled with an enjoyable dose of sex can greatly enhance your emotional and physical well-being. Here are the top ten benefits of sex.
1. Sex relieves stress
A healthy amount of sex can lower your blood pressure and reduce stress. Sex calms down your mind and gives you a break in your busy life.
2. Sex burns calories
Just half an hour of sex burns about 85 calories or more. Even if this doesn’t sound much to you, it all adds up. It’s good exercise and the good thing about it is that you don’t even have to leave your house or dress up.
3. Sex boosts the immune system
Having sex can improve physical health and bolster the immune system. Sexual intercourse once or twice a week has been linked with a higher amount of an antibody called immunoglobulin A or IgA, which protects against colds and other infections.
4. Sex improves heart health
Researchers have found that having sex twice or more per week reduced the risk of a fatal heart attack by 50% for the 914 men who participated in their study (which took place over the course of 20 years). The study was published in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health.
5. Sex reduces pain
During sexual intercourse, the amount of the hormone oxytocin increases and in turn endorphins increase. Endorphins reduce pain. So if you had a headache before you had sex and after your lovemaking session it’s gone, that’s because of those higher oxytocin levels.
6. Sex improves self-esteem
In a study done by the University of Texas, which was published in the Archives of Sexual Behavior, improved self-esteem was one of 237 reasons why people have sex. So one of the reasons why people have sex is to feel good about themselves.
7. Sex improves intimacy
The levels of the hormone oxytocin, which is known as the love hormone, increase during sexual intercourse. Oxytocin also helps us bond and build trust. In a study by the University of North Carolina and the University of Pittsburgh, 59 premenopausal women were evaluated before and after warm contact with their partners. The contact ended with hugs. The researchers found that the more contact the couples had, the higher their oxytocin levels.
8. Sex reduces risk of prostate cancer
Australian researchers reported in the British Journal of Urology International that frequent sexual intercourse for men in their 20s may reduce their risk of prostate cancer later in life. Some of the men who they studied had five or more ejaculations per week while in their 20s. These men reduced their prostate cancer risk by a third. Another study that was published in the Journal of the American Medical Association investigated the frequency of ejaculations and their effect in older men. The researchers found that older men who had 21 or more ejaculations per month were linked to a lower prostate cancer risk, compared with less frequent ejaculations of four to seven monthly.
9. Sex improves sleep
Researchers found that the love hormone oxytocin that is released during orgasm also promotes sleep, which in turn is essential for good health.
10. Sex strengthens pelvic floor muscles
Exercising the pelvic floor muscles during sex improves pleasure. To identify the pelvic muscles, try to hold the flow of urine in mid-stream. Women, for example, can do a few pelvic muscle exercises (known as Kegels) during sex, which strengthens them and also helps to minimize the risk of incontinence later in life.
