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Giddy up!
By Dr. Ava Cadell — Written on Jan 03, 2023
There are some surprising health benefits to sex that you may not even know about.
Sex with someone you love is the best prescription for good health. It keeps you young, keeps your sexual organs in good working order, and boosts your self-confidence.
Nothing else stimulates all the senses quite like sex. It just puts a glow on you that no other activity does.
Regularly occurring and frequent sex will produce a myriad of health benefits related to sexual activity.
So, what are some of the rewards you stand to reap every time you hit the sheets?
Here are 14 unsexy health benefits of sex:
1. Sex is good for your heart health
A consistently active sex life can be directly beneficial for the cardiovascular system, particularly for men. The increase in heart rate is directly beneficial to circulation and can reduce the likelihood of a heart attack.
The British Medical Journal published an article in 1997 that reported that men who had the highest number of orgasms had a better quality of life and lived the longest.
More recently, in 2010, in the American Journal of Cardiology, researchers found that “...sexual activity in some forms has a physical activity component that might directly serve to protect cardiovascular health.”
Sex and orgasms have also been proven to decrease the mortality rate in men by 50 percent.
2. Sex aids in blood flow
Sexual activity can also regulate and exercise the respiratory organs. In short, that heavy breathing with someone you love is healthy.
Sex benefits neck and back muscles, which increases blood flow to the brain and can alleviate certain types of headaches. So, the next time your partner says, “I’ve got a headache, ” you can say, “Good, let’s make love and get rid of it.”
3. Sex can help you fall asleep
“Sex helps you sleep and more sleep boosts your sex drive.” In the post-coital phase of sex, the relaxation of muscles can even alleviate insomnia. The release of tension can lead to deeper, quicker sleep.
4. Sex can help you in the bathroom
Believe it or not, sex can work as a laxative, toning and controlling the lower abdominal muscles. This means less straining when you've got to go, which means less time overall spent in the bathroom.
5. Sex can relieve pain and menstrual cramps.
Sex as pain medication may sound far-fetched, but consider this: Just before the point of no return, high levels of oxytocin flood the body and release endorphins that relieve pain.
Sexual activity can also help to relieve menstrual cramps.
6. Sex boosts your immune system
No more flu or pesky colds is a good reason to have sex at least once or twice a week. That’s what research showed at Wilkes University in Pennsylvania.
They discovered that people who had regular sex had 30 percent higher levels of immunoglobulin A, an antibody that boosts the immune system.
7. Sex is a workout and burns calories
There’s no better way to lose weight than with increased sexual activity. It not only burns calories but can also help turn fat into muscle more quickly than any other form of exercise.
Sex will burn a significant amount of calories, but overeating will still cause weight gain. The most concise research shows that the act of sexual intercourse burns up to 200 calories, which is equal to running on a treadmill for half an hour.
8. Sex keeps your organs in good health
Having sex keeps your organs healthy.
Just as exercising the other muscles of your body contributes to your well-being, sexual activity contributes to the flow of blood to your organs, especially the brain, heart, and sex organs, and helps to keep everything in good working condition from top to bottom.
9. Having sex reduces stress and anxiety
There are also many wonderful mental health benefits. Sexual activity releases pleasure endorphins from the brain, which flood the body and literally de-stress it.
One of the most important psychological benefits of an active sex life is that it can reduce anxiety. The sedative effect of sexual activity is conducive to fighting the effects of daily tension.
The emotional fulfillment that comes from an intimate sexual encounter results in the relaxation of the muscles in your brain.
Hey, sex makes you happy!
10. Sex works as an effective antidepressant
Sex can be an effective antidepressant because it releases feel-good neurotransmitters from the brain called dopamine. The physical and emotional aspects of sex can work together in improving self-esteem and adds to a sense of confidence.
11. It can help boost your creativity
Sex can help to get those creative juices flowing. Since sexual fulfillment also involves your brain, it can improve a variety of mental functions, including your concentration.
Sex can make the mind more active and an imaginative approach to sex can not only spice up your love life, but it can create that wonderful feeling of sexual anticipation.
12. Sex improves your sense of smell
Sex can improve your sense of smell, because after lovemaking, prolactin, a hormone, flows to the brain and develops new neurons in the olfactory bulb, which is the brain’s smell center.
13. Regular sex leads to more intimacy
The unique sense of intimate connection with the person you love cannot be duplicated by any other activity. Nothing else stimulates all the senses quite like sex.
Having sex on a regular basis leads to more sex, which in turn brings you and your partner closer together.
14. It's good for all aspects of your health.
There has been an enormous amount of research in the field of psychology focusing on the relationship between sexuality and mental health.
Recent medical discoveries by the American Heart Association have confirmed the physical benefits of an active sex life.
The American Association of Urologists and significant medical school studies at the University of California and Indiana, just to name two, have documented studies about the health aspects of an active sex life.
Forbes magazine did a cover story on why sex is good for your health, with statistics from major universities and medical journals.
Let’s face it, sex is really an integral part of a healthy life and can help you emotionally, psychologically, and physically.
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Dr. Ava Cadell is an author, clinical sexologist, sex counselor, founder of Loveology University, and president of the American College of Sexologists International. Her mission is to empower people to overcome sexual guilt and shame so they can enjoy the benefits of healthy, sexual relationships.
This article was originally published at Sexpert.com. Reprinted with permission from the author.