Why sex is good for health

Desire is a surge of vitality that promotes longevity. This is not surprising: making love makes us happier, and this feeling is extremely beneficial for the immune system.

Physical pleasure improves hormonal balance. At the moment of orgasm, endorphins are released in the brain, which leads to a feeling of euphoria, which turns into a feeling of general well-being: we calm down, stress decreases, anxiety recedes, and sleep comes to us – all this contributes to the restoration of our strength.

The hormone of tenderness

The hormone that is produced in this state and binds us to each other is called oxytocin. Its concentration in the blood rises during hugs and kisses and reaches a peak at the moment of orgasm. It is known that oxytocin “starts” the process of childbirth and contributes to the emergence of maternal attachment to the child. Less well known is that it also plays an important role in preventing breast cancer.

“Women whose breasts are regularly caressed are better protected against breast cancer, according to a 1995 study,” explains gynecologist and sex therapist Sylvain Mimoun. – Making love improves metabolism both in individual organs and in general.

Regular sex also reduces the risk of inflammation, which creates the prerequisites for cancer and cardiovascular disease. Therefore, those who are going through a period of sexual abstinence are advised to caress themselves.”

Men are worried too

“For men, frequent ejaculation reduces the risk of prostate cancer, according to a US study of 30 men,” says cardiologist Frederick Saldman.

Starting with 12 ejaculations per month, the effect of reducing the incidence becomes noticeable, and after 21 ejaculations per month, the risk is reduced by one third. Prostate massage and ejaculation contribute to the expulsion of carcinogenic cells. They also reduce the formation of calcifications (calcium oxide crystals) that accumulate in the prostate. Research highlights that in the absence of sex, masturbation can protect the prostate.

Needs of the heart

There is a widespread prejudice that sexual activity is dangerous for the heart. Everything is the opposite. For women, abstinence is harmful, as well as dissatisfaction – it is they who increase the risk of myocardial infarction.

Having sex is an excellent physical exercise that increases the heart rate, removes toxins from the body along with sweat and increases muscle tone.

Does it follow that we should keep a strict record of sexual acts? “You can achieve a mechanical orgasm, but it will not bring either deep feelings or an experience of the fullness of being,” sex therapist Alain Eril objects. “Sexual blossoming comes not from the quantity, but from the quality of our interactions.”

develop feelings

Sexuality, in which body and mind are united, is primarily a matter of desire. “It is desire that is the main factor contributing to the restoration of our health,” Alain Eril is convinced.

But how to keep the desire, if we are alone? There is a way out: do not close it within the limits of sex as such, expand your sexuality and learn to feel pleasure from the life of your body.

“An erotic thrill is guaranteed,” promises holistic therapist Galia Ortega. Feel free to openly discuss this issue with friends. Constantly play with your sensitivity by masturbating, getting a massage, or massaging yourself.”

The idea is to let the senses unfold in the outside world: sniffing smells, picking up flavors while eating, singing along when singing is heard. Arrange a holiday in nature: let the skin feel the touch of the wind, the feet feel the roughness of the earth, and the arms hug the trunk of a tree …

Realize in creativity

Sublimation, that is, the ability to redirect sexual energy into the mainstream of creative activity, can be a wonderful solution in the absence of sex. You can go in for sports, try your hand at the theater, painting and literature, go dancing …

“The more we are carried away by the creative activity that we share with others, the more we receive energy, sexual or otherwise, which restores our inner balance,” emphasizes Alain Eril.

“I had periods of abstinence due to the lack of a partner,” admits actress and videographer Myrtil Chartus. — But often it was redeemed by the launch of new projects. At such moments, I did not suffer from sexual loneliness, but on the contrary, I was carried away by the development of my ideas.

30-year-old Svetlana recently separated from her husband and was going through a difficult divorce. She didn’t want to meet other men. And yet she was tormented by some kind of vague desire, as if something in her longed to be born. She started doing watercolors. While in the group, she experienced “an emotional upsurge close to a sexual experience.” Svetlana began to cope much better with the sadness of parting.

Another excellent engine of desire is the amateur theatre, because it involves the body, imagination and creativity at the same time. On the stage, we ourselves do not see what we are doing, but others are watching us. This gaze directed at us and interested in our actions increases self-esteem, restores our self-confidence, increases energy and awakens desires in us.