10 Surprising Health Benefits of Sex

For some couples, sex is something they just take for granted, believing that it is a duty they have to perform whether they like it or not.

But we can tell you that the perks of sex extend well beyond the bedroom. It has been discovered that the benefits of a healthy sex goes a long way to affect your health positively.

Sex not only feels good. It can also be good for you. Here’s what a healthy sex life can do for you.

1. Sex Helps Keep Your Immune System Humming

Sexually active people take fewer sick days, says Yvonne K.Fulbright, a sexual health expert. People who have sex have higher levels of what defends their bodies against germs, viruses, and

other intruders. Researchers have found that couples who have sex twice or thrice a week had higher levels of a certain antibody compared to those who have sex less often.

2. Sex Boosts Your Libido

Longing for a more lively sex life? Having sex will make sex better and will improve your libido. The more a woman has sex with her spouse, the more her vaginal lubrication, blood flow, and elasticity, all of which make sex feel better, improve and helps her crave more of it.

3. Sex Improves Women’s Bladder Control

A strong pelvic floor is important for avoiding incontinence, something that will affect about 30% of women at some point in their lives. Good and regular sex has been known to be a good workout for your pelvic floor muscles. When you have an orgasm, it causes contractions in those muscles, which strengthens them.

4. Sex Lowers Your Blood Pressure

Research suggests a link between sex and lower blood pressure, and this has been proven medically. There have been many studies into this and recently, a landmark study found that sexual intercourse specifically lowers systolic blood pressure. That is the first number on your blood pressure test.

5. Sex Counts as Exercise

Sex is a really great form of exercise. It won’t replace the treadmill, but it counts for something. A good round of sex uses about five calories per minute, four more calories than watching TV. It gives you a one-two punch: It bumps up your heart rate and uses various muscles. So get busy! You may even want to clear your schedule to make time for it on a regular basis. Like with exercise, consistency helps maximize the benefits.

6. Sex Lowers Heart Attack Risk

A good sex life is good for your heart. Besides being a great way to raise your heart rate, sex helps keep your estrogen and testosterone levels in balance. When either one of those is low, you begin to get lots of problems, like osteoporosis and even heart disease but having sex more often may help. During one study, men who had sex at least twice a week were half as likely to die of heart disease as men who had sex rarely.

7. Sex Lessens Pain

Before you reach for that pain reliever, try for an orgasm. Orgasm can block pain, says Barry R. Komisaruk, a distinguished service professor at Rutgers, the StateUniversity of New Jersey. Sex releases a hormone that helps raise your pain threshold. Stimulation without orgasm can also do the trick. It has been found that vaginal stimulation can block chronic back and leg pain, and many women have agreed that genital self-stimulation can reduce menstrual cramps, arthritic pain, and in some cases, even headache.

8. Sex Makes Prostate Cancer Less Likely

Going for the gusto may help ward off prostate cancer. Men who ejaculated frequently (at least 21 times a month) were less likely to get prostate cancer during one study, which was published in the Journal of the American Medical Association. You don’t need a partner to reap this benefit: Sexual intercourse, nocturnal emission, and masturbation were all part of the equation. It's not clear that sex was the only reason that mattered in that study. Lots of factors affect cancer risk. But more sex won’t hurt.

9. Sex Improves Sleep

You may nod off more quickly after sex, and for good reason. After orgasm, the hormone prolactin is released, which is responsible for the feelings of relaxation and sleepiness after sex.

10. Sex Eases Stress

Being close to your partner can soothe stress and anxiety. Touching and hugging can release your body’s natural “feel-good hormone.” Sexual arousal releases a brain chemical that revs up your brain’s pleasure and reward system. Sex and intimacy can boost your self-esteem and happiness too. It’s not only a prescription for a healthy life, but a happy one.