Benefits of Love and Sex

Besides a heart full of love and a big smile, romance can bring some positive health benefits. Some scientific studies suggest that a loving relationship, physical touch and sex can bring health benefits.

Sex is good for your heart

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 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.

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 with couples who rested quietly without touching, the huggers had:

lower heart rate

lower blood pressure

smaller heart rate increases

So give your partner a hug – it may help to keep your blood pressure healthy.

Sex can be a stress buster

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.

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 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. The lowest levels were in people who had sex more than twice a week. But don't devise a sex calendar just yet. More research is needed before it can be proved that weekly sex helps your immune system.

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 well being.

Loving support reduces risk of angina and ulcer

A happy marriage can help fend off angina and stomach ulcers – at least, it can if you're a man. One study of 10,000 men found 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

Researchers suggest that stress, lack of social support and coping style can all affect a man's likelihood of developing an ulcer.

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Source: www.nhs.uk