Is sex good for you? Yes, yes, yes. Sex with yourself, sex with your partner, sex with multiple people - it doesn’t matter how you do it, the health benefits of sex (and masturbation) are plentiful. Shall we explore them?
Don’t mind if we do…
Releases feel-good hormones
Does sex boost your immune system? Absolutely. It can lower stress and soothe anxiety, reducing levels of the hormone cortisol and strengthening your immune system.
Sexual arousal fires up your brain’s pleasure and reward system, releasing the feel-good hormone dopamine. Heighten the pleasure with a couple’s sex toy to finish on a feel-great orgasm.
It deepens bonds
Another hormone associated with sexual pleasure or orgasm is oxytocin. Often labeled “The Love Hormone” [insert sexy sax solo here], it can make you feel blissed out, happy and hopeful. All of which can be connected to the person you’re having sex with (including yourself) and creating more positive bonds.
Helps fight off illnesses
Is masturbation healthy? As well as the benefits of sex mentioned above, self-pleasure can also activate your immune system, increasing white blood cells and natural killer cells that help prevent/fight cold and flu symptoms. So, the answer to that question is a profound (and ecstatic) YES.
Makes it easier to love yourself
One of the most important benefits of masturbation is that making ourselves feel good, in turn, makes us more likely to feel good about ourselves. This is aided by the release of oxytocin, one of many health benefits of sex mentioned above.
Think about it: if you can see (and feel) the capacity your body has to make you (and others) feel ah-maz-ing, it’s much easier to love or accept yourself, isn’t it?
It’s a euphoric form of exercise
Feeling guilty for skipping the gym? Sex is a calorie-burning, heart-rate-increasing wonder-workout. To get a better burn, try and mix up your positions (we’ve got a few wonderfully pleasurable ideas here).
On top of that, sex can motivate you to exercise, by giving you the get-up-and-go even when you’re feeling slightly ‘got-up-and-gone’.
You’ll sleep better
One of the health benefits of sex is the production of a substance called prolactin. This plays all sorts of roles in the body, including helping to cope with stress, but is also associated with deeper, dreamier sleep.
Studies show that prolactin levels are increased following an orgasm induced by both sex or masturbation. The better the orgasm, the more prolactin, which gives all the more reason to stock up on multi-award-winning sex toys (looking at you: Hot Octopuss Pulse Solo Interactive & OhMiBod Lumen).
It’s good for your mental health
Sometimes, we become so preoccupied with the physical side of sex. Does size matter? (No). Is masturbation healthy? (Extremely). Is peeing after sex good for you? (If you want to prevent urinary tract infections, absolutely).
But sex isn’t always physical. So much of sex is mental - as are the benefits, including the release of gorgeous, gorgeous serotonin, which helps keep the sad at bay. It’s time get mindful during our sessions, people.
The Benefits of Sex and Masturbation for Men and Women
All of the above benefits of sex apply to all genders. But there are specific benefits of masturbation and making love that apply to biological genders - and some are astounding.
Benefits of male masturbation and sex
What are the health benefits of sex in men? This one is huge - if you have a penis, and ejaculate at an average of 4.6 to seven times per week, you could be 36% less likely to receive a prostate cancer diagnosis before the age of 70. If that isn’t a reason to ramp up your solo play or sex life, we don’t know what is.
Benefits of female masturbation and sex
And what about the health benefits of sex in women? Thanks to increased blood flow, sexual pleasure can reduce menstrual and premenstrual cramps, strengthen the pelvic floor, improve bladder control, improve fertility and help produce more vaginal lubrication (although a little extra help with the latter never goes amiss: water-based lube FTW).
The bottom line here is that pleasure and orgasms make you a happier, healthier human being - and we’re here for it. If you’ve not tossed your phone aside to reap the benefits of sex right now already, explore more of our range of luxury male sex toys and female sex toys to spice up your self-love game.
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