HAVING SEX: How Hooking Up Can Be Beneficial To Health
Does sex make people healthier or do healthier people have more sex? Studies indicate that having sex is as good as Vitamin D and broccoli. It relieves stress (so does jogging), improves sleep, burns calories (not many!), helps with depression and boosts the immune system. Getting a grant to study the impact of sex on people is not easy. The subject is still private and intimate. But studies do show that the physiology of sex yields many benefits. I mean, it is exercise. The rise of hormones and levels of dopamine make the body crave more and more. It is like chocolate, for those who love it. Sex also increases the levels of oxytocin, which makes you love to get close and personal and promotes bonding and stimulates endorphins, which are painkillers. So, people with bad backs notice that while having sex, the back pain is gone. This painkiller applies to many other areas of the body. After sex, levels of prolactin increase because you are satisfied and you are ready for sleep. Of course, timing is key in having good sex and this is the area of dysfunction for men and women. In the UK, 48% of men admit to falling asleep while having sex. OMG!
As for exercise, sex is mediocre. Having sex burns only five calories per minute. This means to lose one pound would take 12hrs of having sex continuously. Few erections can last hours, and if they do, advice is to seek medical attention immediately. It is an indication of cardiovascular problems. Orgasm is the equivalent to light housekeeping. It remains a good cardio workout, averaging up to 125 beats a minute and 160 peak systolic rate, or, the same as walking up a flight of stairs. Having sex 2-3 times a week show it does reduce the threat of heart attack for those not into physical sports. For men, having frequent sex boosts their production of testosterone. Those men not having sex have reduced levels and slows down facial hair growth. For women, having sex keeps depression away and that having safe sex with a condom actually puts a damper on the whole affair for women, chemically, because the semen contains all of the drugs that pass through the vagina that elevates their senses and mood. Even cancer is impacted. In men, those having ejaculations 21 times or more a month had a much lower risk of prostrate cancer than those who has less than seven in a month. As a doctor said, "men should empty their semen tank every so often to avoid build up". Also for men, having sex more often prolongs their life. It suggests that men should have sex once a week for longevity.
