In honor of Valentine's day I decided to talk about the health benefits of sex. I encounter a number of married couples who rarely have sex due to their schedules and children and stress. Today, I'd like to make the case to get busy for those of your out there who feel that you don't have time for sex. There are the obvious physical exercise benefits associated with sex that can be healthy for your heart and cardiovascular system. But let's face it, how many people are actually having those toe tingling, passionate, really connected sexual experiences? What? You're not? Well, it might just be a matter of attitude and perspective. There are certainly levels of sexual encounters. Although most people would agree that consensual sexual experiences can never be characterized as bad, but let's not just settle for "not bad" OK?
"I have a Headache!"
Well, actually if you have sex and can achieve orgasm, you would find that your headache will likely disappear. This is due to the production of oxytocin, a hormone that significantly reduces pain in the body, produced in the brain. Oxytocin is partly responsible for the orgasm that you have and the subsequent reduction of aches and pains in the body.
Better sense of Smell
This again, due to the production of another hormone, prolactin. The surging of prolactin during sex stimulates the production of more neurons in the olfactory center.
Decreased Stress, Improved Sleep and Better Mood
Well, generally this is self explanatory for anyone who has ever had sex before. The human body responds to touch and craves it. The touch is healing and mandatory for all humans and the more touch that is given, the healthier one can become. The human touch (or the touch of other loved ones such as pets) decreases stress and relaxes the sympathetic nervous system to allow for a better night sleep.
Increases Life Span
As long as you are practicing safe sex, a study published by the British Medical Journal showed that you men can reduce their risk of overall death by 50% if they had a higher orgasmic frequency. At least twice a week. I didn't find research for women but my bet is that it has a similar effect of the life span of women as well.
Decreased risk of Prostate Cancer
According to the British Journal of Urology International men in their 20's can reduce their risk of prostate cancer by 30% if they ejaculate at least 5 times per week. Infrequent ejaculation in men tends toward stagnation in the prostate and thus increases the risk of cancer in the region.
Less Depression
Of course we don't need research to tell us that when we are being loving toward another and feeling loved, we feel much better emotionally. It has to do with feeling less lonely and more connected to another. It can make all the difference to a person, that sense of feeling loved. Of course, if we all loved ourselves more and accepted ourselves more we would also find ourselves to be less depressed.
Improved Hormone Levels
Both estrogen and testosterone are improved during regular sexual activity. This can lead to overall healthier body including stronger bones, less aging signs, better brain function and more stamina. You can think of sex as a regular part of your "fountain of youth" regimen.
The list goes on an on. Suffice it to say, love and sex can go a long way toward a healthier you. In the past I've talked about the Health Benefits of Love, now you get a peek as to why you should have more sex in your life. Wonder why Viagra and other erectile dysfunction medications are so incredibly popular? Maybe it's related to a subconscious desire to connect, to love, to be loved and to just have fun. Have a great Valentine's day.
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It's so nice to have you do all of the research for us. It makes our decision making so much easier!! Thanks.
Posted by: MBT Shoes | July 18, 2011 at 02:01 AM