Sex can have mental and physical health benefits, including a reduced risk of hypertension, heart disease and improved cognitive abilities.
Having sex promotes the production of special hormones that support your immunity, improve sleep quality, and reduce stress. How often you have sex or with whom you have sex, is not a matter of discussion. You have to remember that sex is about making you fulfilled with a healthy life.
According to sexual health experts, the main focus is your sexual health which depends on mutual pleasure, honesty, and consent. If both partners feel good and fulfilled after having sex, it’s going to be a fun and healthy activity for them. Next is the matter of characteristics of sex and it is an open-ended question that is individualized to your sexual activity and relationship nature. One thing is confirmed about sex it offers you many surprising physical and mental health benefits, especially in a loving relationship.
In this blog article, our main discussion is about the mental and physical health benefits of sex because apart from reproduction, sex, and sexuality are part of life that is an effective way to get pleasure and fun. So all types of sex whether it is partner sex or masturbation, offer you many amazing benefits. These benefits include physical, social, intellectual, emotional, and psychological betterment. Don’t take sex as only a way of planning a pregnancy or avoiding disease.
Physical Health Benefits of Sex
Sex is recognized as the best cardiovascular exercise. It is not a strenuous exercise but is considered a light exercise. Some physical health benefits of sex include:
- Burn extra calories.
- Increases libido.
- Lower blood pressure.
- Strengthen your muscles.
- Reduces risk of hypertension—stroke and heart disease.
- Increases heart health.
If you have an active sex life you tend to exercise more frequently and surely have good dietary habits than those who are sexually inactive. Sexual activity also improves your physical fitness.
Health Benefits of Sex for all Sexes
In People with Male Anatomy
Penis-in-vagina sex is the most pleasurable sex. It has many health benefits for you. More frequent penis-in-vagina sex reduces the risk of prostate cancer.
According to a recent review, people having 5 to 7 ejaculations a week are 40 percent less likely to get prostate cancer before the age of 60. On the other hand, people with 2 to 3 or fewer ejaculations a week on average have more health issues than the former.
Sex also affects mortality. A study with 5-year follow-up reported that if you have frequent orgasms more than two times a week, your mortality risk will be 50% lower than those who have less sex. Although these results are not authentic, it is concluded that sex improves the quality and health of your sperm.
In People with Female Anatomy
Orgasm is a blessing for you because it increases your blood flow and relieves your body aches through special chemicals secreted during sexual activity.
Sexual activity has many health benefits including:
- Improved bladder control.
- Production of more vaginal lubrication.
- Building stronger pelvic muscles.
- Protection against endometriosis.
- Reduction in the growth of tissues outside your uterus.
- Reduction in incontinence.
- Relief from menstrual and premenstrual pains.
- Improved fertility.
Your pelvic floor is a special muscular part that gets stronger with frequent sex. A stronger pelvic floor supports your sexual activity and reduces the pain during sex. Healthy pelvis lower the chances of vaginal prolapse. According to a recent study, reflexive vaginal contractions are caused by penile thrusting during penis-in-vagina sex. Generally, females stop sexual activity after menopause but experts suggest that you should continue your sexual activity after menopause. This may lower the risk of vaginal atrophy or thinning of vaginal walls.
Mental Health Benefits of Sex
Sex has positive impacts on your mental health as well. It helps reduce feelings of lethargy, stress, and anxiety. It boosts your libido, self-confidence, and mood. Here are some crucial points that may support the idea. So let’s have a look!
Reduction in Stress and Anxiety
Sexual activity helps decrease the stress hormone, cortisol. That’s why sex can feel calming and relaxing. Decreased levels of cortisol hormone also reduce feelings of anxiety and stress over time. It is a common observation that people with an active sexual life have less stress and anxiety attacks.
Self-confidence and Mood Booster
This is another reason to involve frequent sex in your life. Sex can improve your mood due to the release of a mood-boosting hormone called endorphin. The neurotransmitters in your nervous system recognize this hormone and associate it with feelings of motivation, energy, and pleasure.
Endorphin production can improve your self-esteem and help you to uplift your confidence level in your everyday life.
A study was made in 2020 to evaluate the effects of sex on mood. The results were surprising because they showed that sexually active people had a greater enjoyment of life and better overall well-being.
Increasing libido intimacy and sexual satisfaction increase the levels of oxytocin called as love hormone. Oxytocin is responsible for raising the feelings of empathy and trust. It also creates a feeling of having a loyal partner of sex. It supports you to build a stronger physical and emotional connection with your partner which is a crucial requirement to build an intimate relationship. Your libido increases with an increase in the strength of your connection with your partner.
Improvement in Cognitive Health
Sex has many beneficial effects on your brain. It helps improve your memory. Researchers have proved through experiments that sex influences the hippocampus, a part of your brain, to produce new neurons that help you learn new things and save in your memory as well. Studies have been done and results showed that more sexual activity will have a better recalling ability. It improves your cognitive abilities.
A 2020 study found that men with frequent sex lives have a greater ability to recall whether it is immediate or deleyed.
In a study in 2019 of female students in a college, researchers found that women with frequent sexual activities have better recall of abstract words without images.
Your memory muscles get strengthened with frequent sex. A study on older adults in 2019 has shown the results that there is a strong connection between high scores in tests and more frequent sex. Researchers say that sex builds a relationship between working memory and executive function in older adults. Where executive function develops skills such as problem-solving, planning, and self-control.
Additionally, in a 2017 study, a fact was revealed that older adults having more frequent sex and strong emotional bonding with their sexual partner performed better on episodic memory tasks.
Physical Health Benefits of Sex
Sex is considered an effective way to regulate your body functions including burning calories, getting high-quality sleep, boosting immunity, lowering blood pressure, and relieving pain. It is also beneficial for all genders like reducing prostate cancer in men and strengthening pelvic floor muscles in women. Some physical health benefits of sex are:
Calorie Burning
Sex is not a replacement or substitute for your routine workout but it can burn more calories than you had done sitting on a couch. However, you can burn more calories depending on the intensity and duration of sex.
Boosting your Immunity
A small study on women in 2020 found that if they were sexually active they had higher levels of antibody called immunoglobulin A in their saliva as compared to sexually abstinent women. A deficiency of immunoglobulin A can increase the chances of getting respiratory diseases like bronchitis and pneumonia with some other infections including infections of the eyes, ears, and sinuses.
Thus the study suggested that immune function and sex share a close link but more research is needed to prove the theory.
Additionally, masturbation also can boost immunity and improve overall health.
Improved Sleep
According to a 2023 study, men and women are equally reported to have better and more peaceful sleep after having sex. Men also get this pleasurable sleep by masturbation. Moreover, sex between a male and female with orgasm helps release oxytocin which directly boosts your brain to encourage relaxation. A famous researcher, Mr. Depree has stated that generally, sex is a little sedating activity.
Researchers have claimed that sexual activity enhances the production of the Prolactin hormone which is associated with feelings of relaxation and sleepiness. It means after having a pleasurable sexual activity it may be easier for you to settle in for the night.
Prevention of Heart Disease and Lowering Blood Pressure
Having sex can help you in lowering blood pressure in two ways. i.e.:
- It increases your heart rate which helps the heart to pump blood through the body more efficiently. During this process, your blood pressure falls.
- It decreases your stress. Sex support the releases of special chemicals that minimize stress and anxiety. A decrease in anxiety helps lower blood pressure.
High blood pressure is a dangerous thing for your overall health. It leads to various serious diseases like heart disease and nervous disorders. Thus getting your blood pressure under control is one of the leading recommendations for the prevention of heart and nervous diseases.
Relieving Pain
Sexual activity releases a hormone, endorphin. According to research, endorphins help manage pain during childbirth and menstruation. It also relieves chronic pain. Sometimes, women feel sex is a painful activity. Conditions like menopause, endometriosis, and vulvodynia cause pain during sex but these can be managed through sexual therapy.
Delaying Menopause
Women’s frequency of sex directly connects with the onset of menopause. According to a study, published in the Journal of Sexuality in 2023, women who had sex once a week are less likely to enter menopause than women who had sex once a month. Women with a lower frequency of sex in their lives are more likely to have menopause at an early stage.
Thus it is concluded that frequent sex creates a possibility of getting pregnant by continuing the ovulation process. On the contrary, less frequent sex creates more chances to take the body away from the menstrual cycle.
Help in Expelling a Kidney Stone
Sex helps both men and women in passing kidney stones. Researchers claim that during sex nitric oxide is released during sex which helps relax ureter muscles for passing the kidney stones easily. A group of men objected to an experiment and were directed to have sex with their partner 4 to 5 times a week. In the experimental group, 85% of men easily expelled their kidney stones after two weeks but in the control group, only 50% of men can do this. Thus it is proved that frequent sex increases the chances of expelling kidney stones. The same is the case with women, they also gained more chances to expel their kidney stones through sexual activity. Sex also helps to reduce the use of pain-relieving medications in women.
Sex and Relationship
Sex plays a crucial role in building a healthy and strong relationship between two partners. Sex helps increase intimacy and makes you feel more connected to your partner. No one knows well how much sex is healthy to build a strong relationship. Because the choice of sex varies from person to person. Some people like to have sex several times a day while some want to have sex only once or twice a week.
Talk to your Partner about Sex
Let’s learn how to have a healthy conversation with your partner about sex:!
- Set a proper time and select a wonderful place to talk about sex with your partner.
- Discuss how much sex you like in a week or what changes you like to bring in your sexual activity.
- Ask your partner about his/her satisfaction level during and after sex.
- Try different types and postures for sex to create more fun and pleasure.
Conclusion
Sex has a wide range of physical and mental health benefits for you and your sex partner. It reduces anxiety and stress, boosts your immune system, and lowers the risk of various fatal diseases like diabetes, hypertension, and heart disease.
Sex develops a strong and healthy connection between you and your partner. It improves your sleep quality and burns more calories. Even more frequent sex saves you from chronic illness and pains. Thus you should have frequent sex in your life but always prefer to talk with your partner for creating fun and getting relaxation from sex.
