Not because of love, not because of passion, not because of pleasure. 12 health reasons that will make you jump right into bed

Why are you doing this? Judging by a study by the University of Texas, published last year in the journal Archives of Sexual Behavior, people have no less than 237 reasons to be drawn to sex. Pure attraction to a partner, a physical experience of pleasure, love, longing on the part of the partner, a desire to deepen the relationship and curiosity are among the most dominant reasons. Motives such as a desire for revenge, an aspiration to advance in social status or an attempt to get a job and money also occupy a place of honor in this list. And what about the desire to improve health? Only a few thought of this reason.

Your upcoming urine and blood tests may not be a good enough excuse to rekindle a dying sex life. Still, the data cannot be ignored: satisfying sex, done out of mutual enthusiasm, within monogamous and stable relationships, may well contribute to improving your physiological, mental, emotional and spiritual state. What is called in other words the Well Being, or if you like: Sex Being. So if health is doing it for you, here are 12 health reasons why it’s worth getting into bed.

1. Because you will live longer

In one of the most reliable studies examining the relationship between the frequency of intercourse and health, researchers from Queen’s University in Belfast followed the mortality rate of 918 middle-aged men for a decade. In a study published in 1997 in the British Medical Journal, it was found that among men who reported a high frequency of orgasms (two or more per week) the mortality rate was twice as low as compared to men whose sex life was less intense.

2. Because your heart will be stronger

Too many people still believe that overexertion in sex can cause a stroke or heart attack, but it seems that sex actually benefits the body’s central blood pump. In a follow-up to the study conducted at Queen’s University in 2001, the researchers focused on cardiovascular health. They debunked the myth of a connection between sex and stroke or heart attack, and much more than that: in their study, published in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, they discovered that even when age and other risk factors are taken into account, having sex frequently reduces 50% the risk of heart attack or stroke.

3. Because prostate cancer will skip you

Many ejaculations are also a proven cure for prostate cancer, at least according to a study conducted by Australian researchers, the results of which were recently published in the British Journal of Urology International. The researchers followed the history of men who had been diagnosed with prostate cancer versus those who had not, and found that men who ejaculated at least five times a week during their 20s had a 30% reduced risk of developing prostate cancer during their lifetime. In another study, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, it was found that adult men who ejaculated 21 times a month or more had a lower risk of prostate cancer compared to those who ejaculated 4-7 times a month. When it comes to this disease, ejaculation is certainly not limited to sexual intercourse. Masturbation does the job just as well, and in many cases it is even more effective. In any case, judging by the evaluations of urologists, masturbation is better for the prostate than casual intercourse. Multiple sexual partners, it turns out, may increase the risk of developing prostate cancer by 40%.

4. Because breast cancer will skip you

Good sex is not only for men’s problems: a study conducted among 146 French women shows that regular sexual activity can help prevent breast cancer. This conclusion is implied by the results of the study, according to which the highest rate of breast cancer was among women without a sexual partner or those who had sex less than once a month.

5. Because your body will be more immune

Sex in general helps the immune system: having sex once or twice a week has been found to be associated with higher levels of an antibody called immunoglobulin A or igA. This antibody may protect the body against colds, flus and various infections. Scientists from Wilkes University in Pennsylvania, United States, tested the levels of igA among 112 college students who were asked to report the frequency of their sexual intercourse. Among the students who were classified into the frequent sex group, levels of the igA antibody were found to be 30% higher compared to the levels among men who abstained from sex or had intercourse less than once a week.

6. Because you will sleep better

A health reason that people are certainly aware of is the contribution of sex to sleep. During the orgasm, the body produces oxytocin, a hormone that is associated with a variety of positive physiological and psychological effects – first of all, ease of falling asleep. In a study conducted in the United States in 2000, it was found that 32% of 1,866 women who suffered from sleep disorders reported that they masturbated to improve their sleep. In this sense, oxytocin is used as a natural pill against insomnia.

7. Because you won’t feel pain

Sex may relieve a variety of pains, including lower back pain, migraines, arthritis and premenstrual syndrome. Hormones are also involved here: sexual activity accelerates the release of endorphins, the body’s natural pain relievers. The aforementioned oxytocin is also associated with pain reduction: in a study published in the Bulletin of Experimental Biology and Medicine, 48 subjects inhaled oxytocin vapor and then exposed their fingers to a needle prick. It turned out that the hormone reduced their sensitivity to pain by 50%.

A headache is a cliché excuse for avoiding sex, but in quite a few cases the sexual act may actually relieve the head of pain. Two studies conducted in 2001 among men and women found that orgasms relieve migraines. In another study, among 83 women who suffered from migraines, 50% of them reported that orgasm helped reduce their headache. Medicines are more reliable and effective, but orgasms relieve pain more quickly.

8. Because you will burn more calories

Many may prefer to move their pelvis on the treadmill than in bed, and it is still impossible to ignore the fact that sex may help diet as much as aerobic activity. Along with those who claim that sexual activity exhausts the body like cleaning the house or at most swimming, there are those who claim that an intense act of half an hour may burn 200 calories, just like fifteen minutes of a strenuous game of squash. The heart rate of a sexually aroused person may jump from 70 beats to 150 per minute – a rate that would not embarrass an athlete at peak fitness. The activity accelerates the production of testosterone, which strengthens the bones and muscles. The act itself “trains” the muscles of the pelvic floor, hips, buttocks, arms, neck and chest. British researchers claimed not long ago that having sex 12 times a month for a period of one year is enough to neutralize the potential obesity from regularly eating six hamburgers a week. And we haven’t mentioned the fact that sex may reduce cholesterol levels.

But we must introduce a slight caveat in the data: more sexually active people are more likely to exercise regularly and the sporting activity itself increases sexual function: in a study from 1990, which was conducted among 78 men for nine months, it was found that in response to regular aerobic activity, the subjects increased the frequency of intercourse and enjoyed it More than the relationship.

9. Because your mood will improve

One of the 237 reasons for sex is to boost self-esteem: studies show that a fulfilling sex life with a loving partner contributes to improving body image and self-image. And not only that: the endorphins that are released during sex, as in any aerobic activity, are not coincidentally called “happy chemicals”. Those who have sex regularly are at a lower risk of committing suicide and suffering from mental illnesses – mainly depression. In a 2004 study conducted among men from four different cultures, an inverse relationship was found between sexual satisfaction and depression: the more a person enjoys sex, the less likely he is to develop mood disorders.

In another study, conducted in 2002 among 293 women, the American psychologist Gordon Gallup discovered that women who slept with their partners without a condom were less prone to depression compared to subjects who used this contraceptive. A possible explanation for the findings: this is related to the absorption of the hormone prostaglandin, which is found in the seminal fluid and may help in the hormonal regulation of the woman.

10. Because it reducing stress

One of the most beneficial effects of sex is helping to deal with stressful situations. In a study published in the Journal of Biological Psychology, 24 women and 22 men were exposed to a variety of stressful situations, including speaking in front of an audience and performing oral calculations. The subjects who had full sex coped better with the same stressful situations compared to those who had partial sex or no sex at all. Another study that appeared in the same journal found a connection between a high frequency of full sexual intercourse and a decrease in diastolic blood pressure (the pressure measured in the blood vessels when the heart is not contracting). Another study revealed a relationship between lower diastolic blood pressure in women and the frequency of hugs they received from their partners. The conclusion: reducing stress is related to physical contact. Another conclusion: sex reduces cortisol levels, the hormone secreted during stress.

11. Because the intimacy will tighten

Having sex and reaching orgasms are a central part of improving the intimacy between the couple and ensuring the continuity of the relationship. Here, too, there is a connection to the action of the oxytocin hormone, also known as the “bonding hormone”. This hormone is secreted at birth, during long and safe relationships and also during sexual intercourse. Its action was confirmed in a study conducted by researchers from the University of Pittsburgh among 59 premenopausal women. The researchers compared the oxytocin levels in the same women before and after warm contact with their partner, and found that the more the woman enjoyed more physical contact, the higher her oxytocin levels were – and vice versa. In other studies it was found that couples who did not have sex suffered from a decrease in the quality of their relationship.

12. Because you will look younger

With all due respect to health reasons, the decisive motive, in the opinion of many, is purely cosmetic: some research findings indicate that maintaining a good sex life increases the chance of looking younger over the years: shiny hair, a radiant face, soft and supple skin and sparkling eyes. The effect is attributed to another hormone whose secretion is increased during intercourse and it is DHEA, also known as the “hormone of youth”. This hormone, secreted by the adrenal gland, is the starting material for the sex hormones estrogen and testosterone, and has been used for years as an anti-aging treatment. The effect here is circular: those who continue to feel attractive do not stop having sex. and the results accordingly.