Stopping Sex Dangerous for Health
Having a good sex life (sex twice a week or more) decreases the risk of early mortality by half, according to a study of nearly 1000 Welshmen aged 45 – 59.
The study Are Sex and Death Related? shows death from any cause, but especially from coronary heart disease, is lower in middle aged men with active sex lives.
That means if you are a 55 year old man, increasing the number of times you have sex from 58 times per year (just over once a week) to 116 times (just over twice a week) has the effect of making you as much as 1.6 years younger.
And having great quality sex even more than that can have an effect of reducing your real age by up to eight years. (The study rated sexual activity in three categories; high = twice a week or more, low = less than monthly, medium = somewhere in between.)
If you’re a 55 year old woman, the results may not be quite as rosy. That’s because the quality of the sex seems to be far more important if it’s to have a positive health benefit for women – and about half of sexually active older women report they get “poor quality sex.”
A Swedish study looking at death rates amongst 70 year olds also found stopping sex early led to increased male mortality and that sexual dissatisfaction increased heart attack risk in middle age women.
For women it seems, it’s how much they enjoy sex rather than its frequency that affects longevity.
And as far as the men are concerned, we’ve just one other question – and that is which came first, frequent sex or excellent health?
In other words did these middle aged Welshmen have a great sex life because they already enjoyed excellent health and could perform in the sack like a 20 year old, or did all that sex make them more healthy?
At 55, the sexually active life expectancy is 15 years for men and 10.6 years for women; although the period of time is longer for men they lose more years of being sexually active because of poor health than women.
Although we don’t know how the health benefits of sex work, there are a few indications:
Why Sex is Good for Your Health:
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By relieving stress – and this could explain why it works better for men than for women if the sex is not as good for her as him.
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By promoting companionship – men rely on sex for intimacy more than women so this could also explain the gender difference.
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Increases circulation, lowers blood pressure, improves cholesterol.
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Increase heart rate from 70 to 150 beats per minute. (People who have regular sex are half as likely to die of heart attack or stroke as those who have no sex at all.)
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DHEA released at orgasm improves immunity, cognition, tissue repair and bone strength.
Enjoy Sex More – And Live Longer
The studies into sex for older people all agree that the generations now in their fifth decade or older are more determined than previous ones to maintain an active sex life as they age.
And with erectile dysfunction drugs and non-pharmaceutical sexual health supplements they have more options for extra help to make that happen.
So if anyone tells you that a declining sex drive is something you just have to put up with as you get older – they're wrong.
And if you find for any reason impotence drugs won't work for you or give you unpleasant side effects, there are other natural herbal treatments for sexual health.
Popular natural sex boosters like Tribulus Terrestris, Horny Goat Weed, Maca, Muira Puama and Ginseng are used by thousands of men and women.
They may not be as instant in their effects – herbs often take longer to work and it's usually recommended to take a three month dose – but they often provide additional benefits such as boosting libido and enhancing sensations.
