The importance of Sexual Health

SEX GUIDE TO SUC the importance of sexual health by. c.robles Studies suggest that men live longer in direct proportion to the frequency of sex, while women live longer in direct proportion to the quality of sex. So not only does being healthy support your sex life, but sex actually supports your health. Here's our guide to sexual health: health benefits of sex IMPROVES SLEEP BOOST IMMUNE SYSTEM Dr. Laura Berman, the director of the Berman Center for Women's Sexual Health, reports that the act of sexual intercourse releases endorphins, causing you to feel more relaxed and able to sleep. It is also the case that when you get a better night's sleep, you have more energy for sexual relations. Scientists at Wilkes University in Pennsylvania found that regular sexual intercourse (once or twice a week) is correlated with higher levels of immuno- globulin A, an antibody which provides protection against illnesses such as colds, flu, or infections. The researchers concluded that orgasms boost these antibodies up to 20 percent. GOOD FOR YOUR SKIN WEIGHT LOSS There is a reason for that after-sex glow. Sexual activity improves circulation which makes your skin look more radiant. Sweating during sex is like a natural facial which cleanses your pores. Women who engage in sexual intercourse produce estrogen which is said to make your hair shine and your skin feel smooth. According to Woman's Day magazine there are many sexual activities that burn calories. For example the act of kissing can burn 68 calories in an hour. Giving a massage can burn even more calories--80 or more per hour. And the big event, sexual intercourse, can burn up 144 calories or more per half an hour. That would be equivalent to burning up the calories of that bagel you had for lunch. Add a little more time to your sexual activity and you can take care of the cream cheese as well. REDUCE STRESS This one is kind of a no-brainer. Most of us know that sex can promote feelings of relaxation and reduce our stress levels. Researchers from Scotland found that study subjects who had sexual intercourse had better responses to stressful situations than those participants who abstained from sex. In another study researchers who used rats as subjects, found that daily intercourse for two weeks led to neuronal growth in the hippocampus, the part of the brain which keeps our stress levels under control. A STDS 101: 19 MILLION AMERICANS ARE INFECTED WITH STDS ANNUALLY CHLAMYDIA HPV HIV GONORRHEA GENITAL HERPES Approximately 20 million Americans In 2011, 1,412,791 cases of chlamydia were reported to the Center for Disease The CDC estimates that just are currently infected with fewer than 1.2 HPV, an infection that can cause genital warts and, in some million people in the U.S. are living Control (CDC) from Nationwide, 16.2 percent, or 50 states and the In 2011, 321,849 cases of gonor- District of Columbia, about with HIV/AIDS -- but an estimated 2.8 cases, cancer. and 44 percent of those cases live one out of six, people aged 14 to 49 years have genital HSV-2 infection. Over million infections rhea were Another 6 million people become newly occur annually. A large number of reported to CDC. Annually, more than 700,000 in only 12 U.S. cities. infected each cases are not year. HPV is so reported because most people with chlamydia do not have symptoms and do not seek testing. the past decade, the percentage of people in the United States get new gonorrhea infections and common that at least 50 percent of sexually active men and women persons with genital herpes infection in the get it at some point in their lives. United States has less than half of remained stable. these infections are reported. 6x Sexually active older couples 40+ have sex A MONTH 20 30 40 50 60 70 90 Sexually active couples 18 to 29 have sex 112x A YEAR Assuming you have a partner, and assuming GOLDEN AGE you never lost or can reclaim your sexuality, there is also a potential OF LOVE barrier of physically being able to have sex. If you can climb a flight of stairs, Bad hips, weak knees and sore Very few physical disabilities actually preclude sex in you can have sex. Maybe not athletic sex, but satisfying sex. backs pose challenges but not insurmountable obstacles as long the long run, but broken as there is tenderness,affection and bones, cancer, heart attacks and obesity all deliver antisexual messages. a good sense of humor. No one feels particularly sexy during chemo, but millions of men and women reclaim their sexuality after strokes, hip replacements, radiation and long stays in rehab hospitals. If you just can't seem to "perform" anymore, Viagra is remarkably effective. Even though we use far Dryness and pain during sex are obstacles, but ones your doctor can almost always help you with. Vaginal moisturizers like Replens and good lubricants like Astroglide work very well. If that's not enough, estrogen therapy, either in pill or cream form, is a good more medications than we need to in this country, this is one area where they can make a real difference in your quality of life. option for many women. HealthCentral Sources: http://www.cdc.gov/std/ http://www.healthcentral.com/diet-exercise/c/2922/10762/sex-matters http://www.healthcentral.com/sexual-health/c/84292/148778/ways-health ERECTILE DYSFUNCTION ENDURANCE VAGINAL DRYNESS PHYSICAL INJURY SSINIII