10 Health Benefits of Great Sex
Great sex is important to your overall wellness. Between relatively healthy, consenting adults, regular sexual activity has many health benefits. It’s not just partnered sex, either – self love, especially the orgasm – can be a powerful part of your holistic health. Here are 10 ways great sex is great for you:
- Its great exercise. There are lots of studies trying to show how many calories we burn during sex. While the actual number of calories varies by activity and for how long you do it, you still get a pretty decent workout. For women, orgasm has a particularly healthy benefit. It exercises the pelvic floor muscles naturally to prevent incontinence as you age, and makes orgasms better over time!
- Better skin tone. Regular sexual activity is good for the skin for a variety of reasons. From the hormones produced during arousal and orgasm, to the aerobic activity of the act itself, regular sexy times means more blood flow to the skin, and orgasm releases DHEA, which helps repair cellular damage. In fact, one study showed people who had sex 3 times per week looked younger than those who had sex less frequently.
- Better sleep. Better sleep leads in increased mental sharpness, a better-regulated and faster basal metabolic rate, and helps regulate your mood. Orgasms release endorphins and serotonin, which help you fall asleep. No wonder some people just roll over and snore! They can’t really help it.
- Better moods & less stress. When you orgasm, it helps regulate your mood by creating a rush of endorphins and dopamine. Orgasms can help extreme mood swings, and can even help with depression and anxiety disorders. It can even lower your blood pressure.
- Stronger relationships. Whether alone or with a partner, great sex brings the mind to a place of vulnerability and empathy. Orgasms release oxytocin, the cuddle and attachment hormone. Oxytocin’s effects aren’t long-term, though, so make sure to make love often!
- Better self esteem. Sometimes sex isn’t even about the physical act itself. Sex can be a powerful tool for self expression. Knowing your sexual self brings about a sense of wholeness as a person. Studies show women who masturbate regularly have more self confidence and are better able to tell their partner what brings them pleasure.
- Heart health. Cardiovascular studies found that it’s best for both men and women to have at least 3 orgasms per week for proper cardiovascular fitness.
- More sex. Believe it or not, great sex leads to more great sex because if you don’t use it, you lose it. When you’re not having orgasms, your brain is not producing as much arousal hormones as when you are having regular sex. The brain does this to conserve the energy it takes to create arousal hormones. This affects your sex drive. As we age, this factor becomes more important as sex hormone production in general drops off.
- 9 Better sexual health. Besides stronger pelvic floor muscles, great sex helps prevent vaginal atrophy. In men, frequent orgasms help prevent prostate cancer.
- 10 Boosted immune system. Studies show having great sex twice a week or more boosts immunoglobulins, strengthening your immune system.
Guest Blogger DeAnn Cope is a sex educator and coach certified by the American College of Sexologists, and the Southwest Region Director of My Secret Soiree, a new in-home adult products company. She conducts educational sex toy parties, sex education seminars and workshops, coaches individuals and couples in private practice, and blogs at www.allthepassion.com.
