10 HEALTH BENEFITS OF SEX

when you're in the mood, its a sure bet that the last thing on your mind is boosting your immune system or maintaining a healthy weight. yet good sex offers those health benefits and more. That's a surprise to many people, says joy Davidson, Phd, a new York Psychologist and sex therapist.
"ofcourse, sex is everywhere in the media", she says. "But the idea that we are vital sexual creatures is still looked in some cases with disgust or in other cases a bit of embarrassment. so, to really take a look at how our sexuality adds to our life and enhances our life and our health, both physical and psychological, is eye-opening for many people".
Sex does a body a good in number of ways, according to Davidson and other experts. The benefits are not just anecdotal or hearsay: each of these 10 health benefits of sex is backed by scientific scrutiny.

1. Relieves stress:
A big health benefit of sex is lower blood pressure and overall stress reduction, according to researchers from scotland who reported their findings in journal Biological psychology.
It was established byu researchers  that their research participants who had intercourse had better responses to stress than those who engaged in other sexual behaviours or abstained.
Another study published in the same journal found that frequent intercourse was associated with lower diastolic blood pressure in cohabiting participants. yet other found a link between partner hugs and lower blood pressure in women.

2. Blood immunity:
Good sexual health may mean better physical health. having sex once or twice a week has been linked with higher levels of an antibody called immunoglobulin A or IgA, which can protect you from getting colds and other infections. scientists at wilkes university, in USA, took samples of saliva, which contain IgA, from 112 college students who report the frequency of sex they had.
Those in the frequency group once or twice a week had their levels of IgA than those in the other three groups who reported being abstinent, having sex less than once a week or having it very often, three or more times weekly.

3. Burns calories:
Thirty minutes of sex burns 85 calories or more. itmay not sound like much, but it adds up: 42 half hour sessions will burn 3,570 calories, more thanenough to lose a pound. Doubling up , you could drop that pound in 21 hour long sessions.
"sex is great mode of exercise," says Patti Briton, PhD, a los Angeles sexologist and president of the American Association of sexuality Educators and Therapists. It takes work, from both a physical and psycological perspective, to do it well, she says.

4. Improves cardiovascular health:
While some older folks may worry that the efforts expended during sex could course a stroke, thats not so, according to researchers from England. in a study published in the journal of Epidemiology and community health, scientists found that the frequency of sex was not assiociated with stroke in the914 men they followed for 20 years.
And the heart health benefits of sex don't end there. The researchers also found that having sex twice or more a week reduced the risk of fatal heart attack by half for the men, compared with those who had sex less than once amonth.

5. Boosts self esteem:
Boosting self-esteem was one of 237 reasons people have sex, collected by university of texas researchers and published in the archives of sexual behaviour.
That finding makes sense to Gian Ogden, PhD, a sex therapist and marriage and family therapist in Massachusetts, USA, Although she finds that those who already have self-esteem say they sometimes have sex to feel even better.
"One of the reasons people say they have sex is to feel good about themselves," she tells Web MD website." Great sex begins with self esteem and it raises it. If the sex is loving, connected and what you want, it raises it."

6. Improves intimacy:
Having sex and orgasims increases levels of the hormone oxytocin, the so called love hormone, ehich helps us bond and build trust. Researchers from the University of North Carolina evaluated 59 pre-menopausal women before and after warm contact with their husbands and partners ending with hugs. They found that the more contact, the higher the oxytocin levels.
 "Oxytocin allows us feel the urge to nurture and to bond,"| Britton says. Higher oxytocin has also been linked with a feeling of generosity. so if you're feeling suddenly more begenrous toward your partner than usual, credit the love hormone.

7. Reduces pain:
As the hormone oxytocin surges, endorphins increases, and pain declines. so if your headache, arthritis pain or PMS symptoms seem to improve after sex, you can thank those higher oxytocin levels.

8. Reduces prostate cancer risk:
Frequent ejaculations, especially in 20 something men, may reduce the risk of prostate cancer later in life, Australian researchers reported in the British journal of Urology international. They found men who had five or more ejaculations weekly while in their 20's reduced their risk of getting prostate cancer later by a third.
Another study, reported in the journal of the American medical Association, found that frequent ejaculations, 21 or more a month, were linked to lower prostate cancer risk in older men as well, compared with less frequent ejaculations of four to seven monthly.

8. strengthens pelvic floor muscles:
For women, doing a few pelvic floor muscle exercisees known as kegel exercise during sex offers a couple of benefits. you will enjoy more pleasure, and you will also strengthen the area and help to minimise the risk of incontinence later in life.
To do a basic kegel exercise, tighten the muscles of your pelvic floor, as if you're trying to stop the flow of urine. count to three, then release.

9.helps you sleep better:
The oxytocin release during orgasim also promotes sleep, according to research. And getting enough sleep has been linked with a host of other good things, such as maintaining a healthy weight and blood pressure. somthing to think about, especially if you have been wondering why your partner can be active one minute and snoring the next.

10. Take note that sex is good in so many ways you may never have immagined and that the health benefits extend well beyond the bedroom. Take also note of that safe sex is important otherwise, lots of unsafe sex may be counterproductive.
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