Sexual Health
- When you're in the mood, it's a sure bet that the last thing
on your mind is boosting your immune system or maintaining a healthy
weight. Yet good sex offers those health benefits and more. That's a
surprise to many people, says Joy Davidson, PhD, a New York psychologist
and sex therapist. "Of course, sex is everywhere in the media," she
says. "But the idea that we are vital, sexual creatures is still looked
at in some cases with disgust or in other cases a bit of embarrassment.
So to really take a look at how our sexuality adds to our life and
enhances our life and our health, both physical and psychological, is
eye-opening for many people."
- Sex does a body good in a number of ways, according to Davidson
and other experts. The benefits aren't just anecdotal or hearsay -- each
of these health benefits of sex is backed by scientific scrutiny.
Sex Relieves Stress
A big health benefit of sex is lower blood pressure and
overall stress reduction, according to researchers from Scotland who
reported their findings in the journal Biological
Psychology.
They studied 24 women and 22 men who kept records of their sexual
activity. Then the researchers subjected them to stressful situations --
such as speaking in public and doing verbal arithmetic -- and noted
their blood pressure response to stress. Those who had intercourse had
better responses to stress than those who engaged in other sexual
behaviors or abstained.
Sex Lowers Blood Pressure
Another study published in Biological Psychology found that
frequent intercourse was associated with lower diastolic blood pressure
(the lower, or second, number in a blood pressure reading). This study
focused on people living with their sex partner.
Still further research found a link between partner hugs and lower blood pressure in women.
Elevated blood pressure is a risk factor for coronary artery disease, heart attack, kidney disease, and stroke.
Sex Boosts Immunity
Good sexual health may mean better physical health. Having
sex once or twice a week has been linked with higher levels of an
antibody called immunoglobulin A or IgA, which can protect you from
getting colds and other infections. Scientists at Wilkes University in
Wilkes-Barre, Pa., took samples of saliva, which contain IgA, from 112
college students who reported the frequency of sex they had.
Those in the "frequent" group -- once or twice a week -- had
higher levels of IgA than those in the other three groups -- who
reported being abstinent, having sex less than once a week, or having it
very often, three or more times weekly.
Sex Counts As Exercise
"Sex is a great mode of exercise," says Patti Britton, PhD, a
Los Angeles sexologist and president of the American Association of
Sexuality Educators and Therapists. It takes work, from both a physical
and psychological perspective, to do it well, she says.
The benefits of sex as a form of exercise are many - sex can
improve your cardiovascular fitness, strength, flexibility, and balance,
not to mention your emotional health.
Sex Burns Calories
Thirty minutes of sex burns 85 calories or more. It may not
sound like much, but it adds up: 42 half-hour sessions will burn 3,570
calories, more than enough to lose a pound. The number of calories
burned during sex is about the same as the number burned by walking at 2
miles per hour.
Doubling up on the 30 minute sessions, you could drop that pound in 21 hour-long sessions.
Sex Improves Cardiovascular Health
While some older folks may worry that the efforts expended
during sex could cause a stroke, that's not so, according to researchers
from England. In a study published in the
Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, scientists found that the frequency of sex was not associated with stroke in the 914 men they followed for 20 years.
And the heart health benefits of sex don't end there. The
researchers also found that having sex twice or more a week reduced the
risk of fatal heart attack by half for the men, compared with those who
had sex less than once a month.
Sex Boosts Self-Esteem
Boosting self-esteem was one of 237 reasons people have sex, collected by University of Texas researchers and published in the
Archives of Sexual Behavior.
That finding makes sense to Gina Ogden, PhD, a sex therapist and
marriage and family therapist in Cambridge, Mass., although she finds
that those who already have self-esteem say they sometimes have sex to
feel even better. "One of the reasons people say they have sex is to
feel good about themselves," she tells WebMD. "Great sex begins with
self-esteem, and it raises it. If the sex is loving, connected, and what
you want, it raises it."
Sex Strengthens Your Well-Being
Sex, like any activity that fosters a close and loving
connection to your partner, not only raises self-esteem, but strengthens
your overall sense of well-being. Studies have shown that people with
strong social support networks (which includes lovers) are healthier and
happier than their less-connected peers.
Sex Improves Intimacy
Having sex and orgasms increases levels of the hormone
oxytocin, the so-called love hormone, which helps us bond and build
trust. Researchers from the University of Pittsburgh and the University
of North Carolina evaluated 59 premenopausal women before and after warm
contact with their husbands and partners ending with hugs. They found
that the more contact, the higher the oxytocin levels.
"Oxytocin allows us to feel the urge to nurture and to bond," Britton says.
Higher oxytocin has also been linked with a feeling of
generosity. So if you're feeling suddenly more generous toward your
partner than usual, credit the love hormone.
Sex Reduces Pain
As the hormone oxytocin surges, endorphins increase, and
pain declines. So if your headache, arthritis pain, or PMS symptoms seem
to improve after sex, you can thank those higher oxytocin levels.
Oxytocin – The Love Hormone
A study published in the Bulletin of Experimental Biology
and Medicine examined the response of the “love hormone” oxytocin on
pain perception in an experiment with 48 volunteers. Study participants
inhaled oxytocin vapor and then had their fingers pricked. Those who had
inhaled oxytocin lowered their pain threshold by more than half.
Sex Reduces Prostate Cancer Risk
Frequent ejaculations, especially in 20-something men, may
reduce the risk of prostate cancer later in life, Australian researchers
reported in the
British Journal of Urology International. When
they followed men diagnosed with prostate cancer and those without, they
found no association of prostate cancer with the number of sexual
partners as the men reached their 30s, 40s, and 50s.
But they found men who had five or more ejaculations weekly while
in their 20s reduced their risk of getting prostate cancer later by a
third.
Another study, reported in the
Journal of the American Medical Association,
found that frequent ejaculations, 21 or more a month, were linked to
lower prostate cancer risk in older men, as well, compared with less
frequent ejaculations of four to seven monthly.
Sex Strengthens Pelvic Floor Muscles
For women, doing a few pelvic floor muscle exercises known
as Kegel exercises during sex offers a couple of benefits. You will
enjoy more pleasure, and you'll also strengthen the area and help to
minimize the risk of incontinence later in life.
To do a basic Kegel exercise, tighten the muscles of your pelvic
floor, as if you're trying to stop the flow of urine. Count to three,
then release.
Additional Benefits of Kegel Exercises
Kegel exercises have a number of proven health benefits in
addition to making sex more enjoyable. The strengthening of the pelvic
floor muscles can help prevent prolapse (a slipping out of position) of
the vagina, uterus, and bladder. Pelvic floor muscles may be weakened
later in life as a result of childbearing, being overweight, and aging.
Kegel exercises help offset the consequences of weakened pelvic floor
muscles.
Sex Helps You Sleep Better
The oxytocin released during orgasm also promotes sleep, according to research.
And getting enough sleep has been linked with a host of other
good things, such as maintaining a healthy weight and blood pressure.
Something to think about, especially if you've been wondering why your
guy can be active one minute and snoring the next.
Sex As Physical Exercise Also Promotes Sleep
The physical exercise component of sex can also help you
relax and sleep better, in addition to the hormonal effects. People who
get regular exercise tend to sleep better and have more restful sleep.
Moreover, as we have seen in the earlier part of this slideshow, sex is a
great way to get some exercise.
Summary
Take note that sex is good for you in ways you may never
have imagined and that the health benefits extend well beyond the
bedroom.
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