Sexual Health
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." *
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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."
*
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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." *
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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." *
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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." *
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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." *
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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." *
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"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.'" *
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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." *
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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." *
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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." *
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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." *
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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." *
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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." *
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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." *
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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." *
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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." *
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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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