Sex is not just about passion, love or romance, but also it gives you major benefits to your wellbeing without you even realising. This is according to Dr Jennifer Berman, co-founder of the Female Sexual Medicine Centre at UCLA, who notes that, when you have an orgasm, this increases your circulation, keeping the blood flowing to your genital area. As a result, this keeps your tissue healthy.
Berman explained that, although a quickie is by no means an alternative to daily exercise, having an orgasm is a wellness-boosting cardiovascular activity. ‘Your heart rate increases, blood pressure increases [and your] respiratory rate increases,’ she said, noting that your body also releases endorphins because sex is akin to running in many physiological respects. Other hormones released during orgasm – namely, dopamine and oxytocin – have what Berman terms “mood-enhancing effects.”
But the added benefits of sexual health don’t stop at cardio. According to a recent survey of 1,800 women, over 30% of us use sexual release as a natural sedative for a good night’s sleep. Moreover, orgasms can work to soothe certain aches and pains, such as migraines and menstrual cramps. This is something that dates way back to Victorian medicine, and Berman explains that the contractions that make up an orgasm help to evacuate blood clots during your period, and this provides some temporary relief.
So that’s your heart health, sleep patterns and aches and pains, but what about your mind and emotions? Barry Komisaruk, PhD comments that orgasms actually nourish the brain with oxygen. ‘Functional MRI images show that women’s brains utilize much more oxygen during orgasm than usual,’ he says. Berman adds that being sexual also gives your brain a break, helping you to relax. She says, ‘When we’re stressed out and overextending ourselves, [we’re] not being in the moment. Being sexual requires us to focus on one thing only.’
Furthermore, Logan Levkoff, PhD, a sexologist and certified sexuality educator, notes that you may increase your emotional confidence and intelligence when you know what it takes to make yourself orgasm. ‘When you understand how your body works and … [that it] is capable of pleasure on its own, regardless of your partner status, you make much better decisions in relationships,’ he says.