11 Surprising Health Benefits of Sex

*Beware this section is more of a mature nature* So if you giggle at the word vagina this section may not be for you.*

So I found eleven surprising health benefits that extend well beyond the bedroom. I thought it was kind of interesting. I am always looking for ways to make my life more healthier. I liked this article because its something that I am already doing and most other people are too. So why not know, what the health benefits are?

1. Sex Relieves Stress~ sex lowers blood pressure and overall stress reduction. 

2. Sex Boosts Immunity~ If you have a good sexual health it may mean better physical health. In other words forget the flu shot and just go have some "alone time". Having sex once or twice a week has been linked with higher levels of an antibody called immunoglobulin A or IgA, which can protect you from getting colds and other infections. 

3. Sex Burns Calories~ Thirty minutes of sex burns 85 calories or more. Sex is a great exercise it stretches and tones almost every muscle in the body.

4. Sex improves Cardiovascular Health~ Older people who may worry that the efforts expended during sex could cause a stroke, that's not so, scientists found that frequency of sex was not associated with stroke in the 914 men they followed for 20 years.  And the heart benefits of sex don't end there. Having sex twice or more a week reduced the risk of fatal heart attack by half for men.

5. Sex Boosts Self-Esteem~ Great sex begins with self-esteem, and it raises it. If the sex is loving, connected, and what you want, it raises it.

6. Sex Improves Intimacy~ Having sex and orgasms increases levels of the hormone oxytocin, the so-called love hormone, it helps us build bond and trust. When I was at school I had to do a report on oxytocin. It is an interesting hormone and if you don't know much about it I recommend you read up on it. Basically contact and touch will release this hormone and the more contact, the higher the oxytocin levels. 

7. Sex Reduces Pain~ As the hormone oxytocin surges, endorphins increase (if you don't know what endorphins are, just watch Legally Blonde) and pain declines. So if your headache, arthritis pain, or PMS symptoms seem to improve after sex, you can thank those higher oxytocin levels.

8. Sex Reduces Prostate Cancer Risk~ Men who had five or more ejaculations weekly while in their 20s reduced their risk of getting prostate cancer later by a third.

9. Sex strengthens pelvic floor muscles~ For women, doing a few pelvic floor muscle exercises known as Kegels during sex offers a couple of benefits. You will enjoy more pleasure, and you'll strengthen the area and help to minimize the risk of incontinence later in life.

10. Sex Helps you Sleep Better~ The oxytocin released during orgasm also promotes sleep. Getting enough sleep has been linked to a host of other good things, such as maintaining a healthy weight and blood pressure. 

11. An active sex life helps us live longer~ A study of 3,5oo people ranging in age from 18 to 102 concluded that sex actually slows the aging process.

Well this is all just something interesting to think about. Not only is sex pleasurable, but it is beneficial to our overall health.  

www.webmd.com