BENEFITS OF HAVING MORE SEX

Sex isn't just intercourse.It can be any consenting activity involving arousal. More specifically, it isn't always heteronormative sex focusing on penis in vagina intercourse. Do healthy sex lives include sexual activities like masturbation, foreplay, kissing, and sharing fantasies? Yes! Non-penetrative sex is still sex. To have a healthy sex life, solo or with a partner, understanding and communicating your desires is vital.

It's no joking matter; having more sex is good for you. Having sex is natural and should feel good; but did you know sex has health benefits? The health benefits of sex go way beyond the pleasures of orgasm. From messing around, from reducing your blood pressure to stress reduction, you can get a lot of health benefits. Sex improves memory, mood, sleep, intimacy, immunity and heart health. Although giving up unhealthy habits like smoking, drinking and rich food will certainly improve your health, giving up sex will not. In fact, when you're in a healthy relationship, sex is one of the best things you can do for yourself. Sex not only feels good. It's also good for you, too. People who regularly have sex report being happier and feeling more connected to their partners.

When it comes to sex, most of us already feel there are benefits that regular intimacy brings. However, you may be surprised at the range of benefits of healthy sex, from reducing stress, to lowering your risk of cancer or heart problems. According to recent studies, regular sex can provide many boosts to your wellbeing. This is because sex is just like any other physical activity and the benefits it provides can eventually increase your life span.

Intimate time with the partner may be rare or even impossible for a lot of us, due to our busy lives. Daily stresses centered on work, family and limited free time means we often put sex on the back burner. But perhaps if more of us knew of the fantastic health benefits to having sex, we'd prioritize it.

Satisfying your partner is what you will have to concentrate on rather than place your sexual desires as the main priority. A healthy sex life means understanding your partner well in bed and seeing what he/she wants the most. This will boost sexual intimacy and make your sex life more interesting. The more you're doing this, the better your marriage or relationship is going to be.

Here are some of the health benefits that come from heading to the bedroom

It improves heart health

Physical activity to exercise your heart has been shown to improve health, and it is recommended that in order to maintain healthy hearts you should be physically active three to five times a week. Fortunately, it's also about sex and exercise! Just like an intense workout, being sexually aroused increases heart rate, with the number of beats per minute peaking during orgasm.

Men who make love at least two times a week are 45% less likely to have heart disease than men who have sex only once a month or less, according to a study by the New England Research Institute. Having sex is connected to keep balance in your estrogen and testosterone levels. You will also be raising your heart rate, which is good exercise for the heart. All of these factors contribute to the lower risk of heart attack in men. The healthy cardiovascular benefits of sex are also enjoyed by women. A 2016 study found that women who said they had frequent, extremely satisfying sex had a lower risk of hypertension, a common precursor to heart disease.

It boosts your immunity

There's some evidence that sexual activity and orgasms may help your body mount a stronger immune response. These can help you fight infections and inflammation more easily. People that have sex show a higher level of what protects and defends your body against viruses, bacteria, germs, and other things that can make you sick. Research conducted at Wilkes University found that college students who had sex at least once a week had higher levels of immunoglobulin A in their saliva. Immunoglobulin A is an antibody that helps the body fight off bacteria and viruses.

Reduced Signs of Depression

Just as it can lower your chance of developing anxiety, sex has been linked to a significantly reduced risk of depression. In particular, women who have satisfying sex on a consistent basis are less likely to report depressive symptoms possibly due to the mediating role of hormones like testosterone and oxytocin that are released during and after sex.

One of the benefits of daily sex is similar to the perks of regular exercise, it releases happiness and reward hormones like dopamine, serotonin, endorphins and oxytocin. These feel-good hormones help to stave off depression and may lower your risk of developing it together. A note, however, sudden lack of stimulation and reward (such as not having sex suddenly) may result in something similar to substance withdrawal.

It boosts your libido

It seems counterintuitive to think that sex could increase libido, but it does! You must have heard the old adage, "The more often you finish a task, the better you'll do it." The same goes for regular sex. Having sex boosts your desire to have more sex. In women, having sex promotes vaginal lubrication, blood flow and elasticity, which makes sex more pleasurable and desirable. High libido is associated with improved self-esteem and pain resistance, among other benefits. You'll feel more desire for your partner, which can turn into feeling more desired yourself.

Sexual intimacy and satisfaction increases your oxytocin levels, which are responsible for the feelings of trust, empathy, and desire for your partner. Oxytocin plays a fundamental role in creating intimacy, since it influences the physical and emotional connection. When you feel more connected to your partner, your sex drive aka your libido may also increase.

The more sex you have the more it naturally increases your sexual pleasures. More sex aids in a longer, healthier and stress free life. If your partner is feeling the lack of sex, give them more than what they deserve. For this, you need to understand your partner's wildest desires because concentrating on them will aid in better sexual desire.

Sex improves fertility

This will sound like music to most men's ears. Studies have found that the more often you make love, the better quality your sperm will be. Experts have shown that frequent ejaculation reduces damage to sperm. This may be because sperm stays longer in the testes, so there's a greater chance that it will damage its DNA. If you're trying for a baby, keep sperm fresh and in tip-top shape by having sex at least twice a week, and not only around the time of the woman's ovulation. Frequent sex has also been found to help balance a woman's hormones and regulate her periods, which can further boost chances of conceiving.

Glowing, Younger-Looking Skin

The legendary "morning after" glow? It's not just your imagination; you really do look better after having sex. A combination of relaxation, good mood and flushing the blood beneath your skin that is a normal part of an aroused process can contribute to this glow. The more you do it, the better your relationship is going to be. Add glow to your skin by saying yes to daily sex.

If your sex life contributes to your happiness, it will show in your skin, smile, and presentation to the world. And that isn't a myth, either! Studies show that the visible improvement in skin is actually induced by oxytocin, the happy hormone produced during sex. If you are happy and aware of it, your skin is going to tell the truth!

Sex makes you happier

Endorphins are hormones that are naturally released during sex. They help you to feel better and have a greater level of happiness, which is helpful in maintaining emotional health. Oxytocin promotes feelings of well-being and happiness. And you don't have to boink like bunnies to feel that way. Having sex at least once a week in a committed relationship is enough to make people happy. It's more than the coital act that brings benefits. Studies in elderly patients have shown that the ability to hold hands or hug, kiss and rub together has also been associated with a higher quality of life. The message here seems to be to have more sex!

It enhances intimacy

Want more affection in your life? Get more intimate with your partner. Having sex created more affection, not only in the moments after sexual intimacy but hours later, even in couples with children or those married long past the "honeymoon period." Moreover, for couples who felt more affection after sex, the effects were still evident six months later.

Researchers have found that sex creates intimacy and affection in relationships. The more sex a couple has, the more they feel connected to each other. And it's also been shown that while couples have been together for some time, touch and affection are very important. And talking to a partner after sex to discuss your feelings and fantasies benefits your emotional health. Having make up sex after an argument can further improve sexual intimacy.

Boosts Self-Esteem/ Confidence

In addition to all of the physical benefits for having sex frequently, sexual intercourse can also improve emotional wellness such as boosting self-esteem. The surge of endorphins often associated with sex can also improve your self-esteem and help you feel more confident in your everyday life. Frequent sexual activity, whether with a partner or alone, can make you look younger. This is partially due to the release of estrogen during sex. Go for it! Sex can help with your low self-esteem and/or poor body image.

Relieves Stress

Stress can cause all kinds of health problems, from headaches, insomnia, muscle tension, and upset stomach, to more severe conditions including a weakened immune system and chronic depression. SEX might be the last thing on your mind if you are stressed. But if you can get in the mood, sex is a great stress-reliever. The act of sex floods your brain with all sorts of feel-good chemicals while reducing the stress hormone cortisol. Being intimate with your partner is of great help when you feel stressed. A hormone that makes you feel good is released when you cuddle, hug, kiss, and have sexual intercourse with someone you are intimate with. Dopamine, which impacts the brain's pleasure and reward centers; endorphins, which can reduce pain and stress; and oxytocin, also known as the cuddle hormone, are all released during sex, with higher levels after orgasm.

Several women's health issues, like heart disease, are a result of stress. For some, sex is a great way to relieve stress. During sex, the brain's pleasure centers are hit with dopamine while levels of cortisol, the stress hormone, drop. It also releases oxytocin, which helps to boost feelings of friendship and happiness. If you find yourself stressed out, this chemical combination may calm your nerves.

Sex can help you to relax, and take your mind off everyday worries and anxieties but sex within the context of an abusive relationship or non-consensual interaction would likely increase stress. Anxiety is a condition where a person feels fear or worry. It can come about in thoughts, feelings, and actions, impacting your sex life. Anxious feelings can keep you from talking with your partner about your desires or prevent you from being confident about your body during sex.

Every time you are under stress, just make love to your partner. It's all very simple, isn't it? Yes, that is the most efficient and healthy way to cope with stress.

It improves sleep

Despite the pervasiveness of insomnia or occasional sleep trouble, advice on insomnia rarely mentions a potential non pharmacological sleep aid that's free and easily accessible to most people: sex, whether with a partner or solo. Sex can help relieve insomnia. Prolactin, a hormone that relaxes you, is also released after an orgasm. The combination of prolactin and all the rest of the "feel-good" hormones are why most people sleep better after sex.

Research shows that sex triggers the production of significantly more prolactin than masturbation does. It showed that the level of prolactin in the body after sexual intercourse is 400% greater than after masturbation. Yet another excuse to enjoy regular sex.

Improves cognitive health

Memory and recall is the primary focus of cerebral functioning, but it's also emotional factors that influence quality of life, lack of loneliness or increased mood. A correlation between increased sex and improved memory has been observed by researchers in humans. Results from a word-memory task found that women who had penetrative sex had better memory recognition. This may be due to sex stimulating the hippocampus which is the part of the brain involved in learning and memory. The growth of new nerve cells is a consequence of regular sex, which in turn causes us to pay more attention. In particular, this is true at the beginning of a relationship. Having more sex may also help strengthen your memory muscle as you age.

Counts as exercise

Sex won't replace your regular workout routine, but it does burn more calories than if you were just sitting on the couch. A study of 20 healthy young couples found that for each half hour spent in bed, they burned an average of 85 calories. In terms of calories, males have been burning more than females at a ratio of about 100 to 69. When having sex, you utilize several muscle groups, increase your heart rate and you can burn up to 5 calories per minute. It'll be more pleasant than being in your living room listening to Netflix. It's also a great, funny way of toning different muscle groups and keeping your limbs slender and flexible when you change positions. Try to kiss too, because you'll burn calories much more quickly.

Extends your life

You're never too old to have sex, researchers say, and making it a regular part of your routine may be a tool to extend your life span. They found that risk of death was 50 percent lower in men who frequently had orgasms than men who didn't. Experts believe the lower risk of death likely stems from all the other known health benefits of sex, including better heart health, improved sleep, lower stress and a closer relationship with your partner. The more orgasms you have the more you tend to live longer.

Lowers your blood pressure

While the act of sex can temporarily increase your heart rate and blood pressure, it may lead to a lower risk of hypertension (high blood pressure) in the long run. High blood pressure can lead to serious or fatal cardiovascular complications. Research shows that high blood pressure also negatively impacts female orgasm. Sex has been linked to lower systolic blood pressure readings.

One study found that women in long-term, sexually satisfying relationships had a significantly lower risk of uncontrolled hypertension, which suggests that the quality of sex plays a role. The more you have sex, the more you'll see that you countering stress thereby preventing you from the risks of developing blood pressure. Masturbation, by relaxing nerves and keeping your brain alert, helps reduce the risk of high blood pressure.

Lessens pain

Having sex can be a remedy for a headache or pain in certain parts of your body. Orgasms are attributed to the release of a hormone that decreases pain. Studies have found that sexual activity can reduce menstrual cramps, chronic back and leg pain, even migraines. Sex can trigger the release of endorphins, the body's natural painkillers. Before you reach for an aspirin, try for an orgasm.

Suffering from period pain? Having sex during your periods can actually ease it down. This might be uncomfortable, but it's helping and reducing the risk of getting pregnant.

Another study found that vaginal stimulation in women elevated their pain tolerance by about 40 percent, while orgasm pushed it up nearly 75 percent.

Improves women's bladder control

Incontinence is a problem that affects about 30% of women in some point of their lifetime. Good sex is like a workout for your pelvic floor muscles. When you have an orgasm, it causes contractions in those muscles, which strengthens them. As you get older or become pregnant, the muscles of your Pelvic floor that control urine flow may begin to weaken. During sex, these muscles get a good workout. You can exercise them on your own by doing Kegel exercises, but sex will also put them to work. They help regulate the flow of urine, among other things, so the stronger they are, the less likely you'll be incontinent in your later life. Another bonus to strengthening your pelvic floor can improve your sexual satisfaction and functioning, as it's associated with more orgasms, greater arousal, and less pain during intercourse.

Helps with menopause

Scientists have connected a woman's frequency of sex to the onset of menopause. Women who had less sex were more likely to experience menopause at an earlier age. Researchers speculate that more frequent sex tells the body that there is still a possibility of pregnancy and that it should continue ovulating. Conversely, less frequent sex may tell the body that it can allocate its resources away from the menstrual cycle.

Regular sexual activity can help counteract the physical changes, such as vaginal dryness and atrophy, that come with menopause. Sex stimulates blood flow and helps keep vaginal tissues healthy, toned and stretchy. In fact, studies show the more you have sex, the healthier your tissues will be.

Vaginal atrophy, also known as vulvovaginal atrophy (VVA), is a condition that affects many women after they go through menopause. Due to thinning of the vaginal walls, it causes symptoms like vaginal dryness, burning, itching, pain during sex. Sexual arousal and intercourse increase vaginal lubrication and blood flow to the vagina, both of which can help to relieve symptoms of vaginal atrophy.

Reduces the risk of prostate cancer

For men, several studies have revealed a link between frequent orgasm and a lower risk of prostate cancer. Prostate cancer is basically caused by the growth of abnormal cells that are rapidly increasing caused due to the release of sperm for longer durations. The prostate holds some of the fluid that is released at ejaculation. Even masturbation or any other kind of intercourse that causes an ejaculation will help men to reduce their risks of cancer.

Takeaway

Sex is an important component of life, and overall well-being. In relationships, orgasms play a significant part in bonding. Physical and emotional benefits like reduced risk of heart disease, improved self-esteem, and more can come from having sex. Sex is just one way of improving your quality of life. But if sex is part of your life, due to a relationship or desire, it's important to be able to communicate and experience sexual satisfaction. You may find relief and an increase in happiness when you take the time to have sex.