The personal benefits of sex have been well documented. Besides the sensual and emotional pleasure and fulfillment derived from the act of sex, studies have shown that there are several health benefits to having sex on a regular basis, as well. In fact, a study published in the British Medical Journal in 1997 showed abstinent men to have twice the mortality rate of men who remained sexual active. It’s hard to say exactly what benefits were the most noticeable to the men who had sex regularly, because there are just too many benefits to having sex to keep track of. So, gentleman, this is one article you’ll want to make sure your wife or girlfriend reads.
Here are just a few of the health benefits of an active sex life…
Reduced Risk Of Heart Disease
A study released in 2001 showed that men who had sex about three times a week cut the subject’s risk for stroke and heart attack by half.
If that isn’t encouraging odds, we don’t know what is!
Physical Fitness
It was once said that the bed was the greatest exercise machine ever invented. Since sex is a rigorous and (usually) low impact exercise, sex is often recommended as a great way to stay in shape. A typical sexual encounter burns about two hundred calories, about the same amount of calories burned by running for fifteen minutes on a treadmill. Not to mention, the pulse rate more than doubles from an average of seventy beats per minute to an average of one hundred and fifty beats per minute when a person is aroused.
The muscular contractions during sex work much of the body, including the pelvis, thighs, arms, thorax, neck and buttocks, toning and strengthening the muscles. Sex also increases a person’s testosterone levels, in both men and women, which leads to a stronger musculoskeletal system. Therefore, sex is an excellent preventative measure against osteoporosis.
Improved Sense Of Smell
This one probably comes as a surprise to quite a lot of people. Production of the hormone prolactin surges right after intercourse. Prolactin causes stem cells in the brain to create new neurons in the olfactory bulb, the part of the brain that focuses on smell.
Reduced Depression
Though the act of sex definitely helps fight depression in men and women, there are more special biological reasons for this in women. In a 2002 study following around three hundred women, it was shown that, amongst sexually active women, the ones whose partners did not wear condoms were in general less prone to depression than the others. The theory put forth is that this has to do with prostaglandin, a hormone which only exists in semen. When absorbed along the female genital tract, it is suspected to have a positive effect on the women’s hormones.
Better Immune System
A study from the Wilkes University in Pennsylvania shows that having sex at least once or twice a week boosts your levels of immunoglobulin A, an antibody which supports the immune system. This results in getting colds or the flu far less often.
Better Bladder Control
Whenever you stem your flow of urine, the set of muscles at work are also put to work during sex, so regular intercourse can strengthen these muscles and improve bladder control.
These are just a few of the health benefits of sex, but studies have also shown subjects who have sex regularly to have better teeth, less physical aches and pains and to be less likely to suffer problems related to the urinary tract, the prostate, the kidneys and the bladder. Perhaps the best health advice a person can receive is simply to have sex regularly.
Of course, the body must be kept healthy with regular exercise and proper nutrition in order for its owner to experience a fulfilling sex life. In fact, many of the most common sex problems have been found to be directly related to poor health and a lack of good nutrition. Lack of sex drive or lack of interest in sex, impotence, premature climax, sterility, fatigue and various other problems have been linked directly to poor diets and inactive lifestyles.
