More Sex is Good for Health

You may think that the only benefit of sex is pleasure actually it is not true. Making love is good for adults. And making love regularly is even better! Not only does it help you sleep well, relieve stress and burn calories, there are several other reasons why one should need to have sex more often.

Miranda Kerr said in the GQ magazine “One thing I’ve noticed is now that I’m having less sex my body isn’t as toned. The more sex I have, the more defined my arms and stomach get.”

She credits sex to her beautiful body and shape. She believes that having sex is what keeps her runway ready. Like what Miranda Kerr has said, medical experts also believe that making love slows down the aging process, boosts the immune system and circulation. Studies have shown that more sex results in better health benefits, emotional well-being and reduces migraine pain and lowers the risk of prostate cancer.

Dr. Arun Ghosh, a private GP, said that sex is an under-used resource for physical and emotional well-being and that it is not emphasised enough that it is a good form of exercise. He explained that since the brain stimulus is huge in humans, one feels overtaken while having an orgasm. When researchers did an MRI on those having an orgasm, they saw that parts of the brain that weren’t normally used were being stimulated during sex.

According to a study by Canadian researchers, half-an-hour of sexual activity is more beneficial than walking on a treadmill as it helps burn more calories. Researchers have also claimed that it could be considered a significant exercise.

The study made use of data of sexual activity of 21 couples between the ages of 18 and 35. They were provided with an armband which they wore during sexual intercourse and this measured the calories burned and the intensity of the activity.

The study measured the sexual activity of 21 couples aged between 18 and 35 – they were monitored using an armband to calculate how many calories the wearer burned, and the intensity of the activity.

In a typical session lasting 25 minutes, the men burned an average of 100 calories, the women 69. The intensity of the activity was measured in METs (the Metabolic Equivalent of a Task); for men, the average reading was six METs, for women it was 6.6.

Men in their fifties who ejaculated more than ten times a month were seen to have a lower risk of prostate cancer, showed research. Sex for women helps tone the muscle area as well as reduce the risk of stress incontinence.

Dr David Weeks, clinical neuropsychologist at the Royal Edinburgh Hospital, believes the most effective way to keep your youthful looks is to maintain an active love life.

In his study, Dr Weeks questioned more than 3,500 volunteers aged between 18 and 102. He concludes that couples who make love three times a week look between four and seven years younger than those who have less sex.
‘Sex is an excellent aerobic exercise because it raises the heart beat and pumps oxygen around the body which improves the immune system, boosts circulation and keeps you lean,’ he said.

Although sex is not the most efficient way to lose weight, you can burn between 100 and 250 calories an hour and also exercise the major muscle groups.
If you have moderately active sex twice a week, you burn an extra 5,000 calories a year – the equivalent of a 50 mile run at a slow pace.
Sexual intercourse also helps keep you lean as it raises levels of insulin-like growth factors (IGF) – a hormone that controls the activity of enzymes within those cells responsible for fat metabolism.
When higher levels of IGF are released, this helps to break down fatty tissue in the body and promote lean muscle instead.

Sex apparently can help the brain grow, according to new findings in rats.

Sexually active rodents also seemed less anxious than virgins, Princeton scientists discovered.

Past findings had shown that stressful, unpleasant events could stifle brain cell growth in adults. To see if pleasant albeit stressful experiences could have the opposite effect, researchers studied the effects of sex in rats.

Scientists played matchmaker by giving adult male rats access to sexually receptive females either once daily for two weeks or just once in two weeks. They also measured blood levels of stress hormones known as glucocorticoids, which researchers suspected might lie behind the detrimental effects that unpleasant experiences have on the brain.

When compared with male virgins, both groups of sexually active rats had cell proliferation, or an increase in the number of neurons, in the hippocampus, a part of the brain linked with memory whose cells are especially sensitive to unpleasant experiences. The rats that had more sex also had adult brain cells grow, as well as a rise in the number of connections between brain cells.

However, the rodents that only saw females once in two weeks had elevated levels of stress hormones, while the rats that had regular access showed no increase in the hormones. Sexually experienced rodents also proved less anxious than virgins, in that they were quicker to chomp down on food in unfamiliar environs.

These findings suggest that while stress hormones can be detrimental to the brain, these effects can be overridden if whatever experiences triggered them were pleasant.

Release of Natural Chemicals during sex: The brain begins releasing a flood of endogenous (meaning produced from within) chemicals. These natural chemicals include the following:

Dopamine: Elevated levels of dopamine in the brain produce extremely focused attention. This chemical causes each spouse to focus intensely on the other at the exclusion of everything else around them. A release of dopamine is associated with craving and dependency in addiction, which may be why it can help produce a healthy attraction and dependency between the spouses.

Norepinephrine: This chemical generates exhilaration and increased energy by giving the body a shot of natural adrenaline. Norepinephrine has also been linked to raising memory capacity. Whatever stimulus is being experienced in the presence of this chemical is “seared” in the brain. This helps explain how a couple in love can remember the smallest details of their beloved’s features.

Testosterone: Testosterone is known as the hormone of sexual desire in both men and women. For men, however, it is the key hormone of desire, triggering feelings of positive energy and well-being.

Oxytocin: The flood of oxytocin at climax acts as a natural tranquilizer, lowering blood pressure, blunting sensitivity to pain and stress, and inducing sleep.

Serotonin: This natural chemical is released right after climax, bringing on a deep feeling of calmness, satisfaction and release from stress. Anti-depressant drugs like Prozac are designed to increase levels of serotonin.

The Experience is More Than Just Physical: As husband and wife move down the funnel together, there is more to the experience than just chemicals released in the physical body… the mind, heart and spirit are all joined together…

A Climax of Many Things: The final crescendo is a culmination of all the things husband and wife have shared – doing the dishes, paying the bills, raising the children, all that make up a marriage.

There is an anti-aging, immune-boosting, stress-reducing, mood-enhancing and hormone- balancing secret out there—and it’s not just for the stars! It’s sex. Having regular sex will give you a host of physiological and psychological benefits.

1. It’s a natural pain reliever: Sex causes increased production of oxytocin, which is often referred to as the “love hormone”.  Before orgasm, oxytocin, released from the brain, surges up to five times the normal level. This increase then leads to the release of endorphins, our natural pain-killing hormones. The area of the brain involved in pain reduction is highly activated during arousal and endorphins are released; endorphins soothe nerve impulses that cause menstrual cramps, migraines or joint pain. Doesn’t this provide the perfect comeback to the old “not tonight honey, I have a headache”? Oxytocin also affects the way we feel, helping us form strong emotional bonds as well as reduce pain. According to a study by Beverly Whipple, professor emeritus at Rutgers University and a famed sexologist and author, when women have an orgasm, pain tolerance threshold and pain detection threshold increases significantly, by up to 74.6 percent and 106.7 percent respectively.

2. It’s a stress reliever: The endorphins released during sexual intercourse and orgasms are natural mood-boosters and stress relievers. Regular sex can also boost your self-esteem and increase intimacy between partners. For those in a monogamous relationship, studies have found that semen does contain several mood-altering hormones that can reduce depression, testosterone, oestrogen, follicle-stimulating hormone, luteinizing hormone, prolactin and several different prostaglandins. Some of these changes have been detected in a women’s blood within hours of exposure to semen.

3. It boosts immunity: Endorphins released during intimacy have been found to stimulate immune system cells that fight disease. Researchers have found higher levels of Immunoglobulin A in individuals who have regular sex. Immunoglobulin A is a type of antibody that helps to protect us from infections. It is normally found in high levels in the mucous membranes of the digestive and respiratory tracts.

4. It’s good for your heart: Intercourse, depending on your level of enthusiasm, can be considered aerobic exercise, burning up to 200 calories per session. Among other benefits, women who engage in regular sexual activity with their partners have higher levels of estrogen, which protects against heart disease. Research has found that men who have sex two times per week have fewer heart attacks than those who do not. The hormones released during sex cause an increase in blood pressure and heart rate, and it engages almost every muscle in the body. After sex, blood vessels dilate and blood pressure is then reduced. This change in blood vessel constriction may also help with tension headaches.

5. It turns back the clock: A 2002 report from a large British population of men said researchers found a 50 percent reduction in overall mortality in the group of men who said they had the most orgasms. The Journal of the American Medical Association has also reported that “high ejaculation frequency was related to decreased risk of total prostate cancer.” Having regular orgasms can increase your life span. Every time you reach orgasm, the hormone DHEA increases in response to sexual excitement and orgasm. DHEA can boost your immune system, improve cognition, keep skin healthy, and even work as an antidepressant. Therefore, the added health benefit is that you will feel—and look—younger, longer.

6. It gives you a glow: The glow of good sex is real. Women who have more sex have higher levels of estrogen, which is essential to enjoying healthier, smoother skin. This increase in estrogen also helps to protect us from heart disease, osteoporosis and Alzheimer’s disease. Not only that, but the more sex you have, the more your partner will want it; when we are more sexually active we give off more pheromones, the chemicals we produce to increase the interest of the opposite sex. It also promotes the production of collagen, which keeps the skin supple and gives you a healthy glow.

Still not feeling in the mood and you have noticed a decrease in your libido, do not let it go unaddressed. Your sex drive is a basic human need—if you have no sex drive it is an indication of a hormonal imbalance. Relationship problems, depression, hormonal imbalance or stress can contribute to a lack of libido. Consider supplements to raise testosterone or reduce stress, such as those suggested in my three-step program for hormonal health and wellness outlined in The Hormone Diet.

Doctors say that a strong pelvic floor is important for avoiding incontinence, a condition that is will affect 30% of women at some point in their lives. Good sex is more like a workout for your pelvic floor muscles. Having an orgasm causes contractions in those muscles, which strengthens them.

Touching and hugging can release the body’s natural feel-good hormone. Sexual arousal releases a brain chemical that revs up your brain’s pleasure and reward system. Also, sex and intimacy can boost your self-esteem and happiness. Another important factor is that being close to your partner can soothe stress and anxiety.