For married couples
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
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." *
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." *
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." *
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." *
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." *
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." *
Sex
Boosts Self-Esteem
"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.'" *
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." *
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." *
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." *
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."
*
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." *
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." *
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." *
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." *
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." *
No comments:
Post a Comment