Why sex is the best medicine

Keep your heart healthy

Lots of studies have found that far from bringing on a heart attack, regular sex can actually ward them off. One study at Queens University in Belfast found that having sex three times a week could halve your risk of heart attack or stroke.

Strengthen your immune system

Having sex once or twice a week has been found to raise your body’s levels of an antibody called immunoglobulin A or IgA, which can protect you from viral and bacterial infections. According to one study, people who have sex more than once a week had 30% higher levels of IgA than those who abstained.

Fights disease

During sex, the natural steroid DHEA is secreted throughout the body and after an orgasm the level in the bloodstream soars to five times its normal amount. Known as the anti-ageing hormone, high levels of DHEA are thought to keep your body fitter and disease-free, helping you to live longer.

It can cut your risk of dying young

An Australian study found that people who had an orgasm at least three times a week had a 50% lower chance of dying from any medical reason than those who only climaxed once a month.

Knock off 10 years

Couples who have sex at least three times a week look more than a decade younger than people who make love less often, according to consultant neuro-psychologist, Dr David Weeks, who did a 10-year study on the subject.

Shift middle-aged spread

Thirty minutes of sex burns up to 150 calories per half-hour, which is equivalent to a small glass of wine. If you have moderately active sex twice a week, you’ll burn an extra 15,600 calories a year!

It makes you more attractive

High sexual activity makes the body release more pheromones, chemicals that enhance your appeal to the opposite sex. This is why the more sex you have with your partner, the stronger your desire to have sex with them again.

Lose your wrinkles

The hormone oestrogen is pumped out during sex, which can have a plumping effect on skin, helping to smooth out fine lines. After the menopause skin can become drier and more wrinkled, as oestrogen levels drop – something research shows regular sex might combat.

Get a youthful glow

Because sex is an aerobic form of exercise it promotes skin renewal, according to research at Royal Edinburgh Hospital. It found that vigorous sex pumps higher levels of oxygen around the body, pushing newer, fresher skin cells up to the surface.

Boost self-esteem

Higher levels of confidence and feeling good about their bodies was one of the most important benefits noted by people having regular sex, in a recent survey by the University of Texas researchers.

Ease depression

Like any exercise that raises your heart rate, sex causes your brain to release feel-good chemicals that boost your levels of serotonin – the happy hormone – to lift your mood. Being intimate has also been found to ease mild depression.

Reduce pain

Sex causes a surge in the “love” hormone oxytocin and other feel-good endorphins, which can reduce pain. Women have reported noticing that headaches, arthritis pain, or PMS symptoms seem to improve after sex.

Help you sleep better

The oxytocin released during orgasm has another benefit – it promotes sleep, according to research. And getting enough sleep has been linked with a host of other good things, such as feeling happier, maintaining a healthy weight and controlling high blood pressure.

Relieve stress

In a study published in Psychology Journal, researchers found that people who’d had sex in the past 24 hours coped better with stressful scenarios than those who had not.