How Sex Keeps You Healthy

If you ask your friends what makes them happy their answers are likely to include "Great sex," and with good reason. Scientific research shows that the benefits of a healthy sex life include more enjoyment of life, boosted immunity and increased longevity.

Sex can make you feel, well, sexy. It can make you feel confident about yourself and your life, putting a little "bounce" in your step as you go about your day. The truth is there are some scientific factors behind those positive feelings.

The most obvious is that sex is exercise and has similar benefits. For starters, having sex burns about the same amount of calories as running several miles. The benefits include improved cholesterol levels and improved circulation. In other words you can count sex as a "cardio" in your workout schedule. Sex is also a full body workout that builds muscles you may not even know you have.

Like running and other exercise, sex releases endorphins, the body's natural opiate. These neurotransmitters found in the brain have pain-relieving properties similar to morphine. In addition to regulating pain, the release of endorphins through exercise results in a sense of euphoria, often known as "runner's high." As exercise sends endorphins coursing through the body sex hormones are also released, hormones that promote health and healing.
In women, sex hormones include oxytocin, a peptide that promotes feelings of affection. In the movie Meet the Fockers, the character Gay Focker's mom told him that pregnancy was the result of a woman's pleasure, and she wasn't all wrong. The release of oxytocin can facilitate the ascent of spermatozoa through the fallopian tubes increasing the chances of natural conception.

In men, sex increases the flow of testosterone which helps strengthen bones and muscles. Testosterone also transports the hormone DHEA which helps boost the immune system. Not only does sex release good hormones in men, it can also help cleanse the body of toxins.