Health benefits of sex and love
Besides putting a spring in your step, romance can bring some positive health benefits.
Some scientific studies suggest that a loving relationship, physical touch and sex can bring health benefits such as lower blood pressure. Of course, no relationship can guarantee health and happiness, but cupid's arrow can send you some health boosts.Sex is good for your heart
Want to get healthy and have fun at the same time? Anything that exercises your heart is good for you, including sex.
Sexual arousal sends the heart rate higher, and the number of beats per minute reaches its peak during orgasm. But as with most exercise, it depends how vigorously you do it. Some studies show that the average peak heart rate at orgasm is the same as during light exercise, such as walking upstairs. That's not enough to keep most people fit and healthy.
It's recommended adults do at least 150 minutes (two-and-a-half hours) of moderate-intensity aerobic activity, such as cycling or fast walking, every week.
Unless you're lucky enough to have 150 minutes of orgasms a week, try cycling, brisk walking or dancing.
Embracing someone special can lower blood pressure, according to researchers.
Having heart disease doesn't have to hold you back in the bedroom. Experts advise that you can usually have sex as long as you can do the everyday activities that have the same impact on your heart without causing chest pain, such as walking up two flights of stairs.
A hug keeps tension away
Embracing someone special can lower blood pressure, according to researchers. In one experiment, couples who held each other's hands for 10 minutes followed by a 20-second hug had healthier reactions to subsequent stress, such as public speaking. Compared to couples who rested quietly without touching, the huggers had:
- lower heart rate
- lower blood pressure
- smaller heart rate increases.
Sex can be a stress buster
Workload too high? Hot and bothered after the morning commute to work? Sex could help you beat the stresses of 21st century living, according to a small study of 46 men and women.
Participants kept a diary of sexual activity, recording penetrative sex, non-penetrative sex and masturbation. In stress tests, including public speaking and doing mental arithmetic out loud, the people who had no sex at all had the highest stress levels. People who only had penetrative sex had the smallest rise in blood pressure (this shows that they coped better with stress).
Plenty of people find that intimacy or orgasm without penetration helps them feel relaxed, as does exercise or meditation. It doesn't have to be penetrative sex; it's whatever works for you.
Weekly sex might help fend off illness
There's a link between how often you have sex and how strong your immune system is, researchers say. A study in Pennsylvania found that students who had sex once or twice a week had higher levels of an important illness-fighting substance in their bodies. Immunoglobulin A (IgA) was 30% higher in those who had sex once or twice a week than in those who had no sex at all. However, the lowest levels were in people who had sex more than twice a week.
But don't feel the need to start your sex calendar just yet, although initial studies are positive; more research is needed before it can be proved that weekly sex helps your immune system.
Another study found that stroking a dog resulted in raised IgA levels in students (resting quietly or stroking a stuffed dog didn't).
People who have sex feel healthier
It could be that people who feel healthier have more sex. But there seems to be a link between sexual activity and your sense of wellbeing. A study of 3,000 Americans aged 57-85 showed that those who were having sex rated their general health higher than those who weren't.
And it's not just sex, it's love too. People who were in a close relationship or married were more likely to say they felt in 'very good' or 'excellent' health than just 'good' or 'poor'. It seems that emotional and social support can boost our sense of wellbeing.
Loving support reduces risk of angina and ulcer
A happy marriage can help to fend off angina and stomach ulcer – at least it can if you're a man.
One study of 10,000 men found that those who felt 'loved and supported' by their spouse had a reduced risk of angina. This was the case even if they had other risk factors, such as being older or having raised blood pressure.
Similarly, a study of 8,000 men found there was more chance of them getting a duodenal ulcer if they:
- had family problems
- didn't feel loved and supported by their wife
- didn't retaliate when hurt by colleagues. (In other words, they repressed their anger. Researchers called this their 'coping style'.)
And if you're single
Spending an evening with friends is good for your health too.
One 10-year study of 1,500 people over 70 years old found that those with stronger friendship networks lived longer than those with fewer friends. Researchers thought this could be due to friends having a positive influence on lifestyle choices, such as smoking or exercise, and offering emotional support.
Or celibate.
A life without sex is no bar to excellent health. A long-term study into the health and ageing of a group of nearly 700 older nuns found that many are keeping active and well into their 90s and past 100.
Since 1986, participants in The Nun Study have had yearly checks on their physical and mental abilities. Researchers have used convent records to obtain their social, family and educational background. While they've found some links between lifestyle and dementia (for example, higher education or positive emotions in early life might cut the risk of dementia), this isn't linked to sexual activity.
