Sunday, July 3, 2011

Does More Sex = Better Health?



If you were looking for a yes or no to determine whether you should have sex with a different person every day this year, you have come to the wrong place. However, I’d like to shed some light on some of the myths and the truths about sex and your health.

Most of us come from cultures where faith and religion are two very popular things, and so we pride ourselves on the fact that no pre-marital sex makes us better, healthier people. But besides the belief that sex is tied to faith, how much is it tied to how healthy we are?

Question 1: Is there such a thing as too much sex?
Per Dr. Claire Bailey of the University of Bristol, for women, there is no such thing. Well, unless your body has a problem producing lubricant. Then the problem is more with chafing the vaginal area than anything else. For men however, there is such a thing as too much sex. It's funny how we've come to think of this the reverse way.

Per Dr. J. Francois Eid, a urologist with Weill Medical College of Cornell University and New York Presbyterian Hospital, during an erection, very little blood flows to the penis. During actual intercourse, zero blood flows into penis. So basically, to absorb oxygen, the tissue must become relaxed. This is why the penis naturally experiences periods of flaccidity between orgasms. If you do not allow the penis to relax, then the muscle tissue does not get enough oxygen. That could lead to a whole bunch of complications where the muscle becomes so engorged, it's painful.

Additionally, for men, having sex with multiple partners can, all by itself, raise a man's risk of prostate cancer by up to 40%. That's because he runs an increased risk of contracting sexual infections. So unfortunately, the answer for the male species is that yes, there is such a thing as too much sex.

Note that for either party, unprotected sex with multiple partners also poses the risk of sexually transmitted diseases and pregnancy. So women, while you're out humping today in jubilation, please remember to take the necessary precautions.

Question 2: On the other hand, is there such a thing as too little sex?
If you have never had sex before, whether as a man or a woman, there is little risk associated with not having any sex. However, as a woman (especially post menopausal women), if you have been sexually active and chose to stop, the opening of your vagina could slowly start narrowing from disuse, says Dr. George Winch Jr., an obstetrician/gynecologist in Elko, Nevada. This could lead to vaginal atrophy, or a loss of vaginal function (yes that actually happens to people). Per Dr. Winch, he has actually advised his sexually inactive post menopausal patients to go and buy vibrators to reduce this risk. A post menopausal woman with a vibrator is not really an image I want in my mind right now. Thanks Dr. Winch! Speaking of which, that name of yours…

Question 3: What does sex do for my physical fitness level?
For everyone, sex does serve as cardiovascular exercise, especially because the body releases endorphins and adrenalin that allow us to work hard and expend energy without being too conscious of the physical effort we are putting in. You want specifics though, don’t you? Alright, alright. You can actually burn as many calories from one sex session as you can from a 15 minute cardiovascular sweat session.

Sex also seems to have a lot of additional benefits for women. Regular sessions can not only firm a woman's tummy and buttocks but also improve her posture because of the intense pelvic movements. Well, it depends on the sex positions I guess.

Question 4: Are there any additional health benefits of sex?
Yes, there are tons. Several studies have shown that having sex about three times a week reduced the risk of a heart attack or a stroke by about 50% in men. That’s a huge difference. I think that the risk of heart disease might be related to the next benefit, which is reduced stress and reduced depression.

I’m sure you know of all the hormones released during and after sex in both men and women. These hormones help to reduce our stress levels. But where does the reduced depression come in? Several studies have shown that prostaglandin, a hormone in semen, helps modulate the female hormones. Talk about male and female bodies working in sync!

There are also several other diseases that regular sex helps to prevent. Endorphins, the hormones released during exercise, are also released during sex. So is another antibody called immunoglobulin, which boosts our immune systems. When endorphins and immunoglobulin are released, our bodies naturally become their own pain relievers, alleviating different types of pain from headaches to pains associated with PMS. So regular sex could actually cure you? That’s a new one.

What are your views on sex and health? Are there any sex questions you'd like answered by a professional? Ask and we'll help you get the answers.

Cheers Eights & Weights!

PS. Thanks to all our readers for nominating Eights & Weights as one of the Best Health & Fitness blogs in the Nigerian Blog Awards! Now please vote here! We'd love to win :)

9 comments:

  1. Habba....Who is this Dr. Winch? 40% increase in prostate cancer? Where is his study? I do not think there is any evidence of that...

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  2. Actually, there have been several studies reported. But to your point, most of these studies take men with prostate cancer and confirm how many partners they had. So there could be several reasons for the cancer, which no study has been able to verify or provide evidence for. Thanks for pointing this out.

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  3. So when she says, ..."Not tonight, I have a headache, I can go; babes, I got the cure right here... "

    Cool...

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  4. Hmm.. nice write up E&W. But wait o... How did you come about this passion? haha

    - LDP

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  5. COOL!!! LETS TALK ABOUT SEX! I LIKE THE POST.THANKS FOR SHARING

    ReplyDelete
  6. Say what???? Why didn't you tell me that I should be having all this sex. And there I was trying to work out *hiss*

    In fact, this post of yours deserves a reply post of it's own. LOL.

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  7. TAGGED YOU IN THE SUNSHINE BLOG AWARD, CHECK IT OUT

    ReplyDelete
  8. @My Internet Lol! Right!
    @LDP Emmm... Well... Emmm...
    @Uduak Thanks babe. I will pass along the Sunshine award soon :)
    @Vera I'm waiting for this reply post oh!

    ReplyDelete
  9. Yes i am totally agreed with this article and i just want say that this article is very nice and very informative article.I will make sure to be reading your blog more. You made a good point but I can't help but wonder, what about the other side? !!!!!!Thanks health coaching session

    ReplyDelete

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