How Sex Keeps You Healthy

If you ask your friends what makes them happy their answers are likely to include "Great sex," and with good reason. Scientific research shows that the benefits of a healthy sex life include more enjoyment of life, boosted immunity and increased longevity.

Sex can make you feel, well, sexy. It can make you feel confident about yourself and your life, putting a little "bounce" in your step as you go about your day. The truth is there are some scientific factors behind those positive feelings.

The most obvious is that sex is exercise and has similar benefits. For starters, having sex burns about the same amount of calories as running several miles. The benefits include improved cholesterol levels and improved circulation. In other words you can count sex as a "cardio" in your workout schedule. Sex is also a full body workout that builds muscles you may not even know you have.

Like running and other exercise, sex releases endorphins, the body's natural opiate. These neurotransmitters found in the brain have pain-relieving properties similar to morphine. In addition to regulating pain, the release of endorphins through exercise results in a sense of euphoria, often known as "runner's high." As exercise sends endorphins coursing through the body sex hormones are also released, hormones that promote health and healing.
In women, sex hormones include oxytocin, a peptide that promotes feelings of affection. In the movie Meet the Fockers, the character Gay Focker's mom told him that pregnancy was the result of a woman's pleasure, and she wasn't all wrong. The release of oxytocin can facilitate the ascent of spermatozoa through the fallopian tubes increasing the chances of natural conception.

In men, sex increases the flow of testosterone which helps strengthen bones and muscles. Testosterone also transports the hormone DHEA which helps boost the immune system. Not only does sex release good hormones in men, it can also help cleanse the body of toxins.

A team of scientists in Australia found that men who ejaculate more frequently between the ages of 20 and 50 are less likely to develop prostate cancer. Certain cancer-causing compounds, or carcinogens, have been found to concentrate in prostatic fluid (a good incentive to quit smoking boys!). Orgasm can prevent build up of these toxic substances as well as "exercising" the prostate itself to keep it functioning properly.

While many of the health benefits of sex are biological functions, the overall healing affects are associated with close, intimate relationships. A growing number of physicians are starting to recognize how social and emotional health plays a part in physical well-being. In other words, how the brain's reactions affect the immune system.

Author Dr. Paul Pearsall, Director of Behavioral Medicine at Detroit's Beaumont Hospital, concludes that many of his patients had experienced sexual dissatisfaction prior to a heart attack. He also claims that sexual contentment leads to less severe headaches and reduced discomfort from arthritis in both genders. Pearsall calls this an "intimacy inoculation" in his book Sexual Healing.

The sexual dissatisfaction Pearsall noted could also be called stress. Stress is a contributing factor to many illnesses, especially those related to the human heart. Although the connection between biological mechanisms and the brain has not been clearly identified, it is widely becoming an accepted practice to include stress-reducing techniques in cardiac therapies.

This same principle applies to sexual healing. The biological health benefits of sex are less common when produced in sexual relationships that introduce anxiety or fear. While men and women tend to differ in their attitudes towards intimacy, both genders gain more benefits from a healthy sex life within a secure intimate relationship or in the least a relationship that is not source of stress.

Both men and women benefit from sex and emotional connections. Women are more likely to feel that the two are intertwined while men don't necessarily need the two together. Nonetheless, the personal connections of a healthy intimate relationship give both genders health benefits. Kissing and handholding relieve stress, lower blood pressure and cholesterol and stimulate the production of antibodies.

In contrast, sexual dysfunction in a relationship can cause stress, decreasing intimacy and the health benefits of sex. A lack of intimacy can be divisive, create distance and frustration. It can also affect the partner's confidence and emotional well-being. In these relationships emotional and spiritual safety are compromised and sex often produces feelings of insecurity. The lack of emotional closeness detracts from the sexual experience and decreases the health benefits of sex. The act of sex in these situations often loses a sense of enrichment and becomes routine and unfulfilling.

Many people opt out of committed relationships and seek sexual satisfaction without the complications of emotions. This may be a wise decision depending on the individual (or individuals) involved. Sexual dysfunction in a relationship can feel catastrophic and the idea of mixing emotional and sexual needs is not something everyone thinks is a good idea.

The Masters and Johnson Institute estimates that at least one-third of American couples experience "inhibited sexual desire." For some, the fact that difficult emotions could contribute to less sex or unfulfilling sexual experiences is a good argument to keep relationships and sex separate.

At the same time, the benefits of sex within a secure relationship can increase the health of the partners beyond the bedroom and permeate into almost every facet of their lives. In fact, research is starting reveal that humans have a biological drive to connect to other humans. A healthy intimate relationship may be as strong a biological need as sex itself.

The idea that additional health benefits derive from sexual intimacy within a committed relationship is gaining acceptance from scientists and physicians. In other words, if it feels good it's probably good for you.

Resources:

The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition, 2001-2005.
www.bartleby.com/65/en/endorphi.html

The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition, 2001-2005.
www.bartleby.com/65/ox/oxytocin.html

Dr. Weil, M.D.
www.drweil.com

The Health Benefits of Sex by Susie Cortright
http://1stholistic.com/Reading/health-health-benefits-of-sex.htm

Good Sex is Good for You! by Anthony Fiore, Ph.D.
www.selfhelpmagazine.com/articles/relation/goodsex.html

Was it Good for You? Melissa Walker http://health.ivillage.com/sexualhealth/sxarousal/o..8sc1hj71.00.html?ice=iv%7Cwb%7Corgasmaday