After washing a sink full of dishes at the end of a long, hectic day, you enter your living room. Immediately, you notice your spouse of 20 years lying on the couch sound asleep. As you lovingly lay a blanket over your mate, you realize you can’t remember the last time the two of you were intimate.
If you can at all relate to this scenario, igniting the spark in your relationship might be in order. And not just for relationship reason, but also for your health. Consider the following eight surprising reasons you should have sex more often.
Alleviate Pain
Whenever you’re experiencing pain, you might want to head to the bedroom rather than downing a dose of ibuprofen. According to Barry R. Komisaruk, PhD, a professor at Rutgers University, having an orgasm can alleviate pain.
The act of lovemaking discharges a hormone known for elevating your individual threshold for pain. Fortunately, stimulation without an orgasm might work too. Komisaruk states, “We’ve found that vaginal stimulation can block chronic back and leg pain, and many women have told us that genital self-stimulation can reduce menstrual cramps, arthritic pain, and in some cases even headache.”
Prevent Colds and the Flu
Succumbing to a cold or the flu can put you out of commission for several days. Interestingly, being intimate with your special someone might help you avoid a runny nose and agonizing cough. A research study conducted at Wilkes University discovered that people who engage in sex possess higher levels of an antibody known as immunoglobulin A, IgA. These important antibodies help your body fight diseases and can prevent colds and the flu.
Improve Bladder Control
According to WebMD, approximately 30 percent of women experience incontinence at some juncture in their lives. To avoid suffering this common, and embarrassing problem, having a strong pelvic floor is essential. Whenever you have an orgasm, your pelvic floor muscles contract and strengthen.
Boost Heart Health
Ironically, making love is good for your heart. In addition to raising your heart rate, having sex can help you keep estrogen and testosterone levels balanced. When either of these hormones are out of whack, your odds of developing heart disease increase.
One research study found that men who engaged in lovemaking at least twice every week were 50 percent less likely to die of heart disease than men who weren’t as sexually active. Having sex has also been linked to decreased blood pressure levels.
Diminish Prostate Cancer Risk
For men, spending quality time with a special someone might prevent prostate cancer. According to a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, men who ejaculated a minimum of 21 times each month were less probable to get prostate cancer. Even better, you don’t require a mate to realize this benefit. Masturbation, sexual intercourse, and nocturnal emission were all included in the study.
Sleep More Soundly
Chronic insomnia, and poor sleep quality in general, can lead to a host of serious health problems including high blood pressure, obesity, and depression. If you’re suffering from sleep deprivation, having sex more often may help. When you experience an orgasm, the hormone prolactin is released. Prolactin can make you feel relaxed and drowsy.
Get a Youthful Glow
Frequent sex stimulates the release of the hormones estrogen and testosterone. These beneficial hormones help to give your body a youthful glow. Estrogen, in particular, is believed to be able to make your skin soft and your hair shiny. A research study completed at the Royal Edinburgh Hospital in Scotland involved a group of judges who guessed the ages of participants as they viewed them through a one-way mirror. The judges thought those who were enjoying sex with their partners at least four times every week were seven to 12 years younger than their chronological ages.
Improve Sense of Smell
According to a research study conducted by J M Boyce and G R Shone, people’s sense of smell dramatically decreases with age. Amazingly, getting busy in bed might improve your olfactory function. As reported in The Telegraph, a study performed on mice showed that prolactin “can double the amount of new nerve cells in a mouse’s olfactory bulb, the part of the brain that handles smell.” Because having an orgasm revs up your production of this hormone, it might also give you a keener sense of smell.
If you’ve been putting your health on hold, now is the time to make lasting changes to improve your wellbeing. To make this year your best one yet, consider setting aside more time to spend between the sheets with your spouse. The aforementioned, perceived benefits of making love often are undeniable.
~ Health Scams Exposed
