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Mood, Mind and Mental Health : Benefits Of Sex

Having sex regularly not only has a positive impact on physical health, but also our mental and psychological health.

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Sugandha Bora
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Sexual intercourse is an integral part of almost everyone's life whether it's about intimacy, reproduction and/or pleasure. It directly affects the emotional, physical, social and psychological facets of our lives. Hence, any sexual intercourse should be wholesome for both partners as there are many benefits of sex.

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We all talk often about the physical benefits of having sex; calorie-burn, lower blood pressure, immunity boost and many more. However, if done in a correct mind-frame and/or with a reliable partner, having sex regularly can yield positive impact on our mental health too!

Here are 5 mental health benefits of having sex regularly:

The Ultimate Stress-Reliever

In today's competitive and fast-paced lifestyle of people, stress is inevitable. Although the severity and its effects vary from person to person, stress still has serious implications on everyone. 

Studies show consensual physical intimacy triggers the release of many 'feel-good' hormones like dopamine, endorphins and oxytocin, which act as stress-busters. In fact, the body releases the hormone prolactin after orgasm. This hormone often leads to a feeling of relaxation, which is mostly followed by a sweet-sleep.

Gets You Closer To Your Partner

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Regular sex can help boost intimacy and emotional connection with your partner as well. Of course, it is not the only thing to keep your relationship going, hence don't force yourself to have sex only for the sake of your partner. Sex is always about the consent and pleasure of both the partners.

Nevertheless, scientific studies tell us that oxytocin, also known as the love hormone, reduces stress and increases feelings of closeness and trust between the partners. In fact, a study found that couples who were together over six months and were sexually active had higher baseline levels of oxytocin than those who had broken up over that time.

Furthermore, oxytocin released after orgasm makes you feel closer to the one you're with at that moment. 

Activates the Mind

Having sex creates a lot of chemical activities in your brain in a number of ways. One such chemical activity is increasing brainpower, hence it enhances your cognitive capacity. 

A research conducted showed that sexual climax in women activates every part of the brain. This leads to blood flowing in while carrying  nutrients and oxygen to the brain cells. In fact, it scored more in terms of efficacy than the popular brain stimulation activities like Sudoku, crosswords, or playing memory games. 

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Body Impacts Mind

Sex leads to many health benefits as it is a type of exercise too and leads to burnout. 

As per some stats, on average, men burn around 100 calories and women about 70. In a half-hour of sex, as many as 200 calories can melt away. However, the average duration of sexual intercourse tends to be quite a bit shorter.

Nevertheless, with such positive impact on body and mind, anyone would be in a good mood and state of mind. A good mind resides in a good body. Hence, when we are healthy, we tend to be in a better mood. 

Feel Good Booster

Regular sex can make you feel good about yourself. This is because it boosts your sexual confidence, which has a positive impact on not just body image, but also on how you feel about yourself.

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A Snapshot that looks at Benefits of Sex

  • It lowers your blood pressure.
  • It helps with a good and prepared immune system.
  • It's said that regular and healthy sex life is good for heart health. Some even say it may lower risk of heart disease.
  • Fewer chances of depression and anxiety due to the hormones produced.
  • Sound sleep and a relaxed sleep.
  • Help your confidence about yourself.

Feature Image Credit: SolStock/Getty

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