Sex: The secret to good health!

Zee Media Bureau/Udita Madan

​New Delhi: Sex for most people simply stands for a night of passion, pleasure and of course, love. It's energizing, invigorating, satisfying and everything that makes you happy.

However, do you also think of your health while indulging in the act? Apart from the fact that sex is considered a good workout, it also has positive effects on overall health.

Yes. Sexual expression has many positive physical, intellectual, emotional, psychological, and social benefits.

You are probably not aware, but the secret to good health actually lies not in any pill but in between the sheets!

1. Counts as exercise: Sexual activity is equivalent to a good workout. Sex uses about five calories per minute, four more calories than watching TV. It gives you a one-two punch: It pumps up your heart rate and uses various muscles.

2. Eases stress: Being close to your partner can soothe stress and anxiety. Sexual arousal releases a brain chemical that revs up your brain’s pleasure and reward system, thereby inducing a relaxing feeling.

3. Reduces pain: If you're searching for a treatment to reduce your pain, forget the pill. Sex is your medicine. According to webmd.com, Barry R. Komisaruk, PhD, a distinguished service professor at Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey, says, “Orgasm can block pain”. So say goodbye the natural way to arthritic pain, chronic back pain, headaches, menstrual cramps, etc.

4. Boosts immune system: People with a good sex life have higher levels of what defends your body against germs, viruses, and other intruders. However, don't stop what you are already doing to keep your immune system healthy, that is, eat right, stay active, exercise regularly, get adequate sleep, etc.

5. Improves sleep: It's old news that getting sufficient sleep, that is, six to eight hours, is essential for good health. However, this would be good news for all insomniacs out there. You may nod off more quickly after sex. Prolactin, the hormone that is responsible for the relaxing, calm, sleepy feeling, gets released during sexual activity, making you drowsy.

6. Lowers heart attack risk: Studies have found that a good sex life is good for your heart. Besides being a great way to increase your heart rate, sex helps keep your estrogen and testosterone levels in balance.

7. May ward off prostate cancer: Frequent ejaculation may reduce the risk of prostate cancer in later life. In the studies, sexual intercourse, nocturnal emission, and masturbation were all part of the equation.

8. Lowers hypertension: Strange as it may sound, research has revealed links between sex and blood pressure. According to webmd.com, one landmark study found that sexual intercourse specifically (not masturbation) lowered systolic blood pressure.

9. Boosts libido: For women, having sex ups vaginal lubrication, blood flow, and elasticity, all of which make sex feel better and help you crave more of it.

10. Improves women's bladder control: Good sex is like a workout for women's pelvic floor muscles. When you have an orgasm, it causes contractions in those muscles, which strengthens them.