Courtesy of pexels.com
Courtesy of pexels.com
Let’s keep it real. As a culture, we often overlook the incredible power that sex can have on our mental health. We’re taught from a young age to view sex as something to be hidden away and kept in the dark, rather than being able to discuss it or acknowledge its importance in our lives openly. Having regular sex, as it turns out, just doesn’t benefit us physically but also actually contributes to good mental health. Let’s take a look at how having regular sex is beneficial for your psychological well-being.
Courtesy of rawpixel.com
Mood Booster
One of the most well-known benefits of having regular sex is its ability to help boost your mood. A 2019 study, examined the relationship between intimacy with a partner and cortisol levels. Stress causes the body to release cortisol, a steroid hormone. Researchers have discovered that expressions of intimacy reduce cortisol levels in both men and women. When you engage in sexual activity, your body also releases feel-good hormones like oxytocin, endorphins, serotonin, and dopamine — all of which are linked with improved mental well-being and lower feelings of depression, irritability, and anxiety. Oxytocin has even been shown to help reduce stress levels and increase feelings of relaxation and security! Plus, when you experience an orgasm during sexual activity, it also triggers the release of other hormones that can leave you feeling more relaxed and content after intimacy is over.
Related Articles:
Nonsexual Ways to Build Intimacy
Balancing PTSD While Having a Great Sex Life
This Sexuality Doula Wants You to Stop Saying Yes to Sex Your Body is Saying No To
Your body produces endorphins to boost your mood and relieve pain. These hormones are released when you exercise, eat chocolate, or have sex. Despite the fact that everyone has different levels of endorphins, mental health conditions like depression and anxiety tend to be associated with lower endorphin levels. When your levels of endorphins are low, it can make you feel unhappy, which is why you should boost them naturally whenever possible. We are also mentally affected by both serotonin and dopamine but in different ways. Both play a crucial role in regulating various bodily functions such as sleep, emotions, and metabolism. The chemical dopamine is an important one in the human brain, and it is responsible for regulating a wide range of feelings like pleasure. Our bodies spread the dopamine chemical throughout our brains during sex. This occurs during many other pleasurable activities (not just sex). Similarly, raising your serotonin levels has also been proven to be one of the most effective depression treatments. Researchers have been studying and analyzing the link between serotonin and depression for half a century now however, there isn’t just one cause of clinical depression.
Courtesy of pexels.com
Feeling Connected
If you engage in sexual activity with someone you feel comfortable and secure with, it can usually create a greater sense of connection between you. A study conducted in 2012 found that couples who had intimate chats in bed, generally after sex, felt more connected and satisfied in their relationships. Sharing secrets and personal information with each other is key way to increase intimacy, and thus lead to more sexual desire for each other. This connection can be incredibly fulfilling for all parties involved, as it provides an opportunity for deeper emotional bonding between people who care about one another. Plus, these feelings extend beyond physical intimacy; being connected sexually can translate into stronger emotional connections outside the bedroom as well.
Improved Self-Confidence
Having frequent sex is also linked with improved self-confidence in both men and women alike. Research from the University of Texas, has shown that people who have regular sex tend to have higher self-esteem than those who do not. Sexual activity encourages us to open up our bodies and minds in ways that few other experiences do — which can lead us to feel more confident about ourselves overall. Plus, when we take risks sexually that are rewarded with positive feedback from our partner, this reinforces those positive behaviors and helps build our confidence over time. This confidence boost then carries over into other aspects of our lives as well; if we know there’s something we excel at intimately, then we’re likely going to apply this same attitude towards other areas of life too!
Better Sleep Quality
Courtesy of rawpixel.com
Finally, regular sexual activity can improve sleep quality. A study published in Frontiers in Public Health in March 2019 investigated the relationship between sexual activities, sleep quality, and sleeping time. An anonymous online survey was conducted with 778 adults. In the study, 71% of respondents reported improved sleep quality and 62% reported falling asleep faster after sex with a partner. In the case of masturbation, those numbers were 48% and nearly 45%, respectively. This is due to the combination of reduced stress levels and increased relaxation that comes with engaging in sexual activities on a regular basis. People who are well rested are more likely to be mentally healthy than those who are constantly tired or struggling with sleep deprivation.
As we can see, sex has incredible power when it comes to improving not just physical health but mental health too! Regular sexual activity helps us boost our moods by releasing happy hormones that lead us feeling calmer and more secure during times of stress or uncertainty. It also encourages greater connection between people which further contributes towards improved mental well-being by helping us foster healthier relationships with those around us while boosting self-confidence along the way! So don’t forget; having regular sex isn’t just fun—it’s great for your mental health too!
Related Articles
Hey y'all - I'm Coco, The Conversational Freak, your intimate health and behavior coach, and I've unfortunately witnessed too many women suffer in silence, struggle with body positivity, and deal with the daily nuances of being a woman
From luxurious candles that fill the room with warmth to thoughtful gadgets that keep the connection strong, these products are designed to enhance those intimate moments.
Courtesy of pexels.com A couple’s sex life is one of the most important aspects to a healthy successful relationship. The act blends the mind and the body — the physical and the emotional — into one. It brings people, especially those in a relationship built off of trust and love, closer together. Since sex plays such an essential role in love and marriage, the downs of sexual desire can be daunting. When the once highly anticipated act in a relationship becomes more of a responsibility, it can put a damper on the overall experience. However, it’s important to know that having a low sex drive at any given point is not abnormal. “A low sex drive is basically you do not have as much interest in sex as you may have once had, … so a low sex drive is relative to you and your experience,” says Dr. Donna Oriowo, a sex and relationship therapist. “There's always going to be ebbs and flows in the ways that we experience our sexual desire and our libido.” Related Articles: Been Married For Years and Hit a Sexual Plateau? Consider These Tips It’s Possible! I Rekindled My Sex Life in My 30-Year Relationship The Ultimate List of Intimacy-Boosting Products for Couples External factors, such as eating habits and stress levels, all contribute to the ebbs and flows of your sex drive. Oriowo tells Black Love that these factors play into sexual response cycles, specifically William Masters and Virginia Johnson four-stage linear model. From data they collected, they found that the four stages of human sexual response are excitement, plateau, orgasm and resolution. In 1979, Helen Kaplan took it a step further, adding desire as the first stage. Oriowo says that if people experience a successful cycle and a good resolution that will increase their desire and sex drive. However, when they have a poor experience, often influenced by those hidden external factors, it can contribute to the low sex drive. In agreement with Oriowo, licensed marriage and family therapist Rabiia Ali says that when it comes to sex, everything is connected. “When one part of it is off, everything can be off,” Ali tells Black Love. “If you are experiencing stressful situations, you may not have the capacity to be able to even feel sexual or physical sexual feelings, and that definitely could impact your sex drive.” The status of your mental, physical and emotional health outside of the bedroom impacts the experience you may have within it. If you are experiencing a low sex drive, these five things may be secretly interfering with your bedroom experience. Stress Courtesy of Canva.com Stress is prevalent in the Black community, with people reporting experiencing stress at a higher rate than their white counterparts. In today’s political and social climate, people are more stressed than ever. “One of the biggest things that goes into a low self sex drive is how we're feeling,” Oriowo tells Black Love. “Now, people are experiencing more stress than they have ever experienced before. It makes sense because people are having less sex than they have ever had before.” Low Self-Esteem The way that you feel about yourself plays a major role in your performance in the bedroom. With society’s unattainable beauty standards, it’s easy to put pressure on yourself to look a certain way. Sex requires you to be in your most vulnerable state with your partner. If you are not comfortable in your looks and your own skin, you can shy away from it. Low self-esteem and confidence may be the cause of your low sex drive. Diet The foods that you eat and the amount of water you consume plays a pivotal role in your sexual performance. Alcohol, along with other drugs, could also negatively impact your sex drive. “When clients are coming in and they're saying that they are not having strong orgasms, or they're not able to get erect, one of the first things I ask them about is their water consumption and their diets,” Oriowo says. “Eat what you normally eat, and add in foods that are high in antioxidants [and that] help with blood flow.” Courtesy of Unsplash.com Lack of Interest A good sexual experience combines an emotional connection with an intense physical attraction. If you have a lower sex drive with your partner, one reason could be that you are no longer interested in them. When the connection that you are experiencing with your partner is diminishing or is lost, it can be difficult to maintain an active sex life. Fatigue When you come home after a long day of work and complete all of your household chores, you may be exhausted. Without the proper amount of rest and relaxation, your body won’t be in the best position to perform in the bedroom. Make sure to get between seven and nine hours of sleep a night. Adults who sleep less than 7 hours may have more health issues, including low sex drive.
