Sex is more than just a way to find pleasure.
Having an active, healthy sex life is an important part of your overall health as an adult.
You may be aware of the physical health benefits including things like heart health and immunity, but are you aware that there are also mental health benefits to an active sex life?
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1. Sex Improves Sleep
Sleep is very important to your overall health.
Lack of sleep has been linked to increased rates of heart disease, high blood pressure, decreased mental clarity, weakened immune system, mood changes, and weight gain.
By improving sleep, you have the ability to improve in these other areas as well. Think of sleep as your body’s time to reset and restore chemical balance. Without good sleep, nothing else goes well.
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2. Improved Stress and Anxiety
Let’s face it, life can be extremely stressful!
We all know that stress is caused in a variety of ways and there are a number of ways to regulate stress, sex is one of those ways!
Regular sex has been shown to lower stress-related increases in blood pressure.
Other studies have suggested that routine intercourse helped individuals cope better during stressful situations. Sex also releases endorphins and oxytocin (also known as the “love hormone”), which are your body’s feel-good hormones.
2b.) Depression
On the other hand, intercourse can have negative effects as well.
Other common reactions have been reported to include regret, disappointment, confusion, embarrassment, guilt, and...low self-esteem, although other individuals certainly report feeling proud, nervous, excited, and desirable or wanted. (Feelings tended to be more positive before and during a hookup, and more negative afterward.)
Researchers examining the mental health associations of hookup sex also report that participants who were not depressed before showed more depressive symptoms and loneliness after engaging in casual sex.
3. Improve Your Relationship with Sex
Remember that oxytocin we talked about earlier? It plays a role in bonding and feeling more connected to your partner during intercourse.
Achieving that on a regular basis has a way of spilling over into other areas of your relationship.
Feeling more connected to your partner allows you to relate to them more and you are more likely to try to see things from their perspective, instead of only thinking about yourself and your feelings.
4. Increased Self-Esteem
Self-esteem issues cannot be solved by having sex, even if you are in a healthy, stable relationship because that kind of peace must come from within.
Even if you typically have healthy self-esteem, there are times when you may feel not noticed by your partner. You may simply feel undesirable.
By having sex regularly, you tend to feel more desired. You also feel cared for and more confident in bed. This leads to good feelings about yourself. When you feel better about yourself and your experiences, your sex drive gets better also.
