Can less sex lead to more problems?
Think about your sex life. Are you too busy for sex? Practicing celibacy?
Here’s what can potentially happen to your body when work, school, or life, in general, gets in the way of a little “bow-chick-a-wow-wow.”
You’re more susceptible to catching a common cold.
Spending less time rolling around in the sheets reduces your exposure to germs.
But you can also miss out on the immune-boosting benefits of lovemaking, experts say.
In fact, per researchers at Wilkes-Barre University in Pennsylvania, persons who had sex once or twice a week saw a 30 percent boost in immunoglobulin A (IgA) – one of the first lines of defenses against viruses -- than those who had less frequent sex.
You may feel more anxious.
Scottish scientists found that those abstaining from sex had trouble coping with stressful situations including “public speaking and verbal arithmetic,” when compared to people who had intercourse at least once over two weeks.
“For a fortnight, 24 women and 22 men used daily diaries to record PVI, masturbation and partnered sexual behavior in the absence of PVI. Persons who reported PVI (but no other sexual activities) had better stress response (less reactivity and/or lower baseline levels) than persons reporting other or no sexual behaviors,” the study reads.
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Your risk of prostate cancer spikes.
For the fellas, there's a study presented to the American Urological Association that shows some uplifting results. It found that men who knocked boots on a consistent basis saw a 20 percent decrease in their risk of prostate cancer.
This is due to the removal of potentially harmful substances found in the prostate, by way of ejaculation.
Oddly enough, further research in the journal BJU International, found that the more a man masturbates during his 20s, 30s, and 40s, the greater his risk for prostate cancer.
Erectile dysfunction becomes a serious problem.
Regular sexual activity – once a week of more -- protects against erectile dysfunction.
Men who abstain from intercourse are twice as likely to experience the inability to achieve or keep an erection firm enough to enjoy sex, a study published in the American Journal of Medicine reports.
You may experience depression.
For the ladies, the longer you go without sex, the more down in the dumps you may feel.
This research was found in a study in the journal Archives of Sexual Behavior. According to experts, this is because semen contains compounds such as melatonin, serotonin, oxytocin – all of which apparently boost mood in women who don’t strap up during sex.
However, it’s important to note, that this is not an endorsement NOT to practice safe sex!
However, there is an upside that shows less sex doesn't always lead to more problems
Your risk of UTIs decreases by nearly 80 percent when you're not sexually active. UTIs are bacteria that gets trapped in the vagina within 24 hours of sex.
“Frequency of sexual intercourse is the strongest predictor of recurrent urinary tract infections,” one study reads. Drinking plenty of fluids (especially water) to flush bacteria from your urinary tract is an easy way to combat UTIs. But practicing safer sex (ahem, using condoms) is your best defense against the infection.
