Don’t let the prudes tell you otherwise, sex is easily one of the most important activities our bodies can take part in. Besides the obvious factor of it being outright required for our species to survive, it also has many applications to your overall physical and mental health. Now, if you’re a man somewhere in his mid-20’s, you likely don’t need to be ordered to have sex as soon and as often as you possibly can, instead this article is meant to encourage you on just how good an idea it is. Not just because it feels good, but because regular, healthy amounts of sex can improve your body and life dramatically. With all that out of the way, here are the top ways that sex can improve your health.
Physical health
The following applies to both genders unless explicitly stated otherwise, but this is an article aimed at men, so that’s who this will be referring to. Sex in healthy, regular doses, has been shown to be incredibly healthy for your cardiovascular system. True, sex isn’t nearly as effective as a good round of jumping jacks, but it’s certainly more fun for many people, and is considered a light form of exercise for those areas. Sex has also been linked to the lowering of blood pressure, increasing the health of your heart, and even reducing the risk of heart diseases, hypertension, and strokes. And obviously, having sex increases your libido. In general, having sex provides multiple benefits to your physical health, just like any physically strenuous activity if done enough times.
Strengthened immune system
On a general level, those who have sex once or twice a week have been shown to have more immunoglobulin A in their saliva, while people who had infrequent sexual encounters had noticeably less. Why is this important? Because IgA is a highly important antibody that our bodies used to prevent illness, and is usually the only thing standing between you and HPV. However, don’t think you can just have more sex and be better, as the same studies that found out the above, also found that those who regularly had sex 3-4 times a week had the same amount of IgA as those who had little to no sex at all. High amounts of anxiety or stress is likely the root cause of this, cancelling out any of the positives you otherwise would gain from the experience. So remember to pace yourselves when you have sex.
Sleep better
The reason orgasms feel so good is that upon release, your body produces a large amount of oxytocin, known as the love hormone, as well as a large helping of endorphins to sweeten the pot. A side effect of these hormones being released together is that they make a great natural sedative for your body. It isn’t just the physical exhaustion that causes you to fall asleep quickly after sex, your body is essentially knocking itself out upon orgasm. This leads to better, longer periods of rest, which itself can lead to a stronger immune system, more energy during the day, and a longer lifespan.
Decreased cancer risk
Cancer is easily one of the deadliest diseases on the planet, having no discernible cure and almost always claiming its victim. Specifically, this section is referring to prostate cancer, as men who average out at 4.6-7 orgasms per week were found to be at significantly lower risk than those clocking in at 2.3 or lower. However, this is specifically through PVI (penile-vaginal intercourse) so you can’t masturbate as a shortcut, sorry fellas.
Mortality
If there is one overriding fear that all humanity shares, it’s the fear of death. We all know it’s coming, and we build our distraction filled lifestyles around one simple goal: to distract ourselves from the fact that no matter what we do, the universe really can just send a meteor to wipe us off the face of existence. Obviously, you want to stave this off as long as possible. Fortunately, among the many other healthy exercises you can take part in to keep death at bay, you can also decrease your mortality rate by regularly performing intercourse. This mostly has to do with all of the other benefits sex gives you on this list adding up to a longer lifespan, but in general, men who frequently have orgasms are far less likely to have a high mortality rate even several years down the line compared to those that do.
Mental health
Not only does having sex promote the part of our brains that make us feel good, it also has other mental health benefits. For one, like normal exercise, sex can drastically decrease your daily stress, for obvious reasons. It’s also been shown to have beneficial effects on your ability to understand, identify, and personally express emotions. Any immature psychological defense mechanisms you may use to reduce stress from situations will be lessened after regular intercourse with a partner. In your later years, sexual intercourse has been shown to reinforce your ability to remember things, something that will be vital to you in those later years. Finally, there will be less stress in your relationship, as regular sex improves your ability to trust and be intimate with your significant other.
Most people think of sex as a pastime and very little else, something to do to have fun with your lover. However, as this list has hopefully shown, sex has far more beneficial effects on the human body and mind. There are others, certainly, including oxytocins ability to hasten the development of a relationship by making you feel more comfortable with the other person, or that sexual activity is a surprisingly effective way to deal with migraines and headaches. But these are the most important benefits of having sex with a willing participant. They decrease your mortality, help stave off prostate cancer, and have numerous benefits for your physical and mental health. If you needed any other reason to get intimate with that special someone, hopefully this has inspired you.
