Although increasing your sexual activity might not need to have a reason behind it, you are actually doing your body a host of good! There are many (and I mean many), amazing health benefits of sex that you otherwise might not have known.

Aside from feeling incredible during the act itself, sex can help reduce stress, help you sleep better, improve the functioning of your cardiovascular system and so much more!

Here are 10 ways that engaging in a healthy sex life can significantly improve your life!

1. Stress Reduction

Who likes stress? Not me! Engaging in regular sexual activity has been shown to help reduce cortisol levels (the little chemical that when elevated, makes us stressed) after engaging in “positive physical contact” with a partner. Not to mention, sexual activity releases endorphins, which help make us feel good.

2. Immune System Support

Individuals who have sex more frequently have higher levels of immunoglobin A (IgA), which is your immune systems first line of defence. This may also explain why individuals who have sex more often, usually have fewer sick days in a year, compared to those who don’t have sex.

3. Weight Maintenance 

One amazing health benefit of sex is that it helps keep your waistline slim too! Sex helps boost your heart rate, and thus enables your body to burn calories and strengthen muscles (depending on how enthusiastic you are feeling that day, of course).

4. Anti-Aging

If you want to have beautiful, youthful skin, sex will give you just that! Not only does sex help increase blood circulation and give you that post-coital glow, but orgasms help trigger release of endorphins and growth hormones (such as DHA), that help heal damage done by the sun, smoking and cortisol buildup (all of which contribute to thinning of the skin). One study found that people who have sex at least twice a week, look up to 12 years younger than those who rarely have sex.

5. Better Sleep

Want to sleep better? The oxytocin rush after climax helps increase relaxation and will help you doze off faster. And besides, who doesn’t love cuddling and falling asleep together after you just shared a beautiful engagement together?

6. Stronger Bonding

It’s a no-brainer that sex helps increase intimacy and improves your relationship. Sex increases your levels of the hormone oxytocin (especially when you orgasm), the “love” hormone, which strengthens the bond between partners (also, another reason why cuddling feels so good after the fact).

7. Pain Relief

Another cool health benefit of having sex, is that it helps relieve pain, thanks to the almighty orgasm. When you orgasm, a hormone is released, which helps raise your pain threshold. You can also experience pain relief without orgasm. Simple stimulation can help reduce chronic back and leg pain, as well as reduce arthritis, cramps, and headaches.

8. Brain Boosting

Not only does sex provide enhanced blood flow to the body, but it also increases circulation to the brain. Better blood circulation to the brain means better glucose delivery, the main molecule the brain uses as energy. So, if you want to stay mentally sharp, engaging in regular sexual activity could help you achieve this goal.

9. Heart-Healthy Effects

Who knew that sex could help lower blood pressure, as well as reduce your risk for developing heart disease later in life? Sex helps raise your heart rate, as well as keeps your estrogen and testosterone levels in balance (which, when out of balance, can be a main contributor of osteoporosis and heart disease). In one study, men who had sex at least twice a week were 50% less likely to develop heart disease than men who had sex once a month or less.

10. Boosts Libido

This is kind of an obvious one – more sex = better sex, and an improved libido. Sex also helps keep the women’s vaginal walls more elastic, and improves vaginal lubrication and blood flow, all of which make sex feel better, and thus, makes us crave it more often.

About The Author: Carly Fraser is the owner and founder at Live Love Fruit. She currently lives in Winnipeg, Manitoba, with a determined life mission to help inspire and motivate individuals to critically think about what they put in their bodies and to find balance through nutrition and lifestyle. Live Love Fruit has helped hundreds of thousands of individuals to re-connect with their bodies and learn self-love through proper eating habits, natural living and abundant “exer-fun” as Carly likes to call it. Her passions include reading, researching, writing, absorbing herself in anything nature-related, gardening, and practicing yoga and dance.