Editorial

6 health benefits of sex

PublishedApril 26, 2022

Sex and intimacy can be as important to your mental health as they are to your physical health. It can leave you feeling relaxed and satisfied, or deeply connected to your partner and in tune with yourself.

Here are a few health benefits of sex:

Helps with anxiety and depression

Sexually active people are less likely to suffer from depression and anxiety, which can be a result of a lack of intimacy. Sex essentially boosts serotonin- a hormone that produces ‘happy feelings’ and researchers believe that there is a link between levels of serotonin and depression.

Improves bladder control in women

Around 30 percent of women encounter incontinence at a point in their life. The contractions that occur while having sex help strengthen one’s pelvic floor and prevent problems like incontinence. This is because the muscles in the pelvic floor are responsible for controlling urine flow, and they can become weaker after pregnancy or with age. When having sex, the pelvic floors are exposed to a work out (contractions) that strengthens them. You can choose to strengthen these muscles by doing kegel exercises too.

Protects the brain

People who are still sexually active as they get into old age have better intellectual functioning compared to those who are not sexually active. Having an active and healthy sex life helps make your mind work better. Researchers assume that sex alters or shifts the brain into a more critical way of processing and thinking, and improves parts of the brain that are involved in memory.

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Sex counts as exercise

Sex also provides an excellent workout. Like any other type of physical activity, it helps you burn calories. Engaging in sexual activity accelerates your heart rate and makes use of many muscle groups, essentially burning around five calories a minutes. Frequent sex, however, cannot substitute for gym sessions, but having an active sex life is another way to indulge in more physical activity.

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Sex helps relieve pain

Engaging in sexual activity can help reduce pain linked with migraines or headaches, even though people use headaches as an excuse to not have sex. A study in Germany reported that sixty percent of people with migraines said there was an improvement after engaging in sexual activity. Some women also experience relief from menstrual cramps after sex during their period as having sex triggers endorphin release-the body’s natural anaesthetic.

Improves cardiovascular health

People that have a satisfying sex life have a reduced possibility of getting hypertension and heart problems. In that regard, the quality of sex is more significant to a person’s health than the frequency of the act. While other people tend to worry that sex can lead to a stroke, science suggests that engaging in sexual activity does not expose one to a stroke. Instead, researchers found that sex actually protects people from lethal strokes.

Bottom line…

Engaging in responsible sexual activity can help make you feel and be healthier. What are your thoughts? Drop your comments on our social media pages!

Parents magazine presents an exciting April issue!

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