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Aside from reproduction, there are a number of different functions of sexual intercourse. In a loving, intimate relationship sex has numerous health benefits.
 Sex is good exercise:
A vigorous bout of sex burns some 200 calories, equivalent to running 15 minutes on a treadmill or playing a spirited game of squash. The pulse rate, in a person aroused, rises from about 70 beats per minute to 150, the same as that of an athlete putting forth maximum effort. [1]
Sex increases blood flow: The blood flow to your brain and to all other organs of your body is increased during sex.
Sex improves circulation: Sex increases your heart rate and deep breathing aids circulation.
Sex provides greater intimacy with your partner (couple bonding):
Sex is good for you, but sex with love is even better. According to Dr. Dean Ornish author of ‘Love and Survival: the Scientific Basis for the Healing Power of Intimacy’, “an open heart can lead to the most joyful and ecstatic sex”. His researches into intimacy and its effects on health have shown that “anything that promotes feelings of love and intimacy is healing”. If you have someone who really cares for you and for whom you care in return, someone you are intimately connected with in all ways - emotionally and physically - then you may be three to five times less likely at risk of premature death and disease from all causes. [2]
 "If insemination were the sole biological function of sex, it could be achieved far more economically in a few seconds of mounting and insertion. Indeed, the least social of mammals mate with scarcely more ceremony. The species that have evolved long-term bonds are also, by and large, the ones that rely on elaborate courtship rituals. ... Love and sex do indeed go together." (Edward O. Wilson, Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press (1978). On Human Nature)
Sex reduces Stress / improves Sleep and Relaxation:
People having frequent sex often report that they handle stress better, so the normal stresses of living do not become distress. The profound relaxation that typically follows lovemaking, with orgasm for women and ejaculation and/or orgasm for men, may be one of the few times people actually allow themselves to completely let go, surrender and relax. Many indicate that they sleep more deeply and restfully after satisfying lovemaking. In the relaxing afterglow you may be able to let go of distracting thoughts. [2]
Sex boosts your immune system / less colds and flu:
Wilkes University in Pennsylvania says individuals who have sex once or twice a week show 30% higher levels of an antibody called immunoglobulin A, which is known to boost the immune system. [1]
 Sex and the function of Hormones:
In women, for example, the sexual act triggers the release of oxytocin. Oxytocin promotes feelings of affection and triggers that nurturing instinct. In men, sex encourages the flow of testosterone, which strengthens bones and muscles and helps transport DHEA, a hormone that may be important in the function of the body’s immune system. [3]
Sex can improve Mental Health:
The implication of a 2002 study of 293 women was that sex reduced depression. American psychologist Gordon Gallup reported that sexually active participants whose male partners did not use condoms were less subject to depression than those whose partners did. One theory of causality: Prostaglandin, a hormone found only in semen, may be absorbed in the female genital tract, thus modulating female hormones. [1]
Sex as a Pain Reliever:
Through the touch magic of sex the hormone oxytocin is secreted in your body which in turn causes the release of endorphins. Because of these natural opiates sex acts as a powerful analgesic, elevating the pain threshold and helping to relieve the aches of conditions like arthritis, whiplash and headaches. [2]
Sex may help you to live longer and stay younger:
In one of the most credible studies correlating overall health with sexual frequency, Queens University in Belfast tracked the mortality of about 1,000 middle-aged men over the course of a decade. The study was designed to compare persons of comparable circumstances, age and health. Its findings, published in 1997 in the British Medical Journal, were that men who reported the highest frequency of orgasm enjoyed a death rate half that of the laggards. [1]
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Editor: Karene Jade Howie
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