21 reasons you should have sex.. tonight!

Forget anti-wrinkle creams, research claims SEX can make you look seven years  younger – but that’s not the only benefit

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Partner “not in the mood” again? Then it might be worth sharing the following  to change their mind!

According to the latest studies, regular sex – that’s one to two lovemaking  sessions per week – can provide some incredible boosts to your health and  wellbeing.

1 .Look younger

Last week, Dr David Weeks, clinical neuropsychologist at the Royal Edinburgh  Hospital, revealed to a psychology ­conference that his extensive research  had found older men and women with an active love life looked five to seven  years younger than their actual age.

But you don’t have to be at it every night to enjoy youth-enhancing effects!  In fact, during his 10-year study, ­Weeks found quality was as important as  quantity, with the ­anti-ageing benefits stronger if the sex was classed as  “loving”.

2 .Boost your fertility

This will sound like ­music to most men’s ears – studies have found that  the more often you make love, the better quality your sperm will be.

Semen health was found to be best when sex had last occurred less than two  days before the sperm was tested and was greatly decreased after 10 days of  abstinence.

If you’re trying for a baby, keep sperm fresh and in tip-top shape by having  sex at least twice a week, and not only around the time of the woman’s  ovulation.

Frequent sex has also been found to help balance a woman’s hormones and  regulate her periods, which can further boost chances of conceiving.

3 .Fight colds and flu

Having sex once or twice a week has been found to raise your body’s levels of  an antibody called immunoglobulin A, or IgA, which can protect you from colds  and flu. One study found people who have sex more than once a week have 30%  higher levels of IgA than those who abstain.

4 .Disease-proof your body

Having high levels of the natural steroid DHEA, known as “the anti-ageing  hormone”, is believed to be key to keeping your body fitter for longer. During  sex, DHEA is ­secreted throughout the body, and after an orgasm, the level  in the bloodstream soars to five times its normal amount.

5 .Lengthen your life

A study carried out in Australia found people who climaxed at least three  times a week had a 50% lower chance of dying for any medical reason than those  who only climaxed once a month.

6 .Shift your middle-age spread and keep fit

Thirty minutes of vigorous sex burns up to 100 calories, which is the same as  a small glass of wine.

And if you have moderately active sex twice a week, you’ll burn an extra  5,000 calories a year! ­

Varying your positions is also a great, fun way to tone different muscle  groups and keep limbs lean and flexible.

7 .Ease those nasty period cramps

Many women say period pain diminishes if they do the deed during a cramp  attack.

One theory why is that muscle contractions that occur when you reach peak  levels of excitement relieve tension in the muscles of your uterus – the ones  that cause menstrual cramps – therefore easing the pain.

8 .Helps lower your risk of incontinence

Good sex is a great workout for a woman’s pelvic floor muscles – the muscles  that control ­orgasms and also stem the flow of urine, reducing leakage and  incontinence.

Pregnancy and the menopause can weaken these muscles significantly, but the  stronger they are, the lower your risk of developing stress incontinence and  prolapse later.

And let’s face it, sex is far more ­enjoyable than the chore of doing  pelvic floor exercises on your own!

9 .Prevent a heart attack

Lots of studies have found that regular sex can ward off heart attacks, not  bring them on as it was once feared.

One study at Queen’s University Belfast found that having sex three times a  week could halve your risk of having a heart attack or stroke.

Another study in Israel found that women who had two orgasms a week were up  to 30% less likely to have heart disease than those who did not enjoy sex or  didn’t have an orgasm.

10.Increase your attractiveness to others

High sexual activity makes the body release more pheromones, chemicals that  enhance your appeal to the opposite sex.

This is why the more sex you have with your partner, the stronger your desire  will be to have sex with them again.

11 .Smooth out your wrinkles

The hormone oestrogen is pumped out during sex, which can in turn have a  plumping effect on the skin, helping to smooth out those fine lines.

This is especially useful following the menopause, when a woman’s skin can  ­become drier and more wrinkled, as ­oestrogen levels naturally drop.

One American study found that menopausal women who had sex every week had  ­oestrogen levels that were twice as high as their counterparts who  abstained.

12 .Give yourself an all-over healthy glow

According to ­research carried out at the Royal Edinburgh Hospital, sex  promotes skin renewal because it is an aerobic form of exercise.

The scientist behind this study found that vigorous sex pumps higher levels  of oxygen around the body, increasing the flow of blood and nutrients to the  skin, and pushes newer, fresher skin cells to the surface, making skin look  healthier.

13. Improve your self-esteem

One of the most important benefits, noted in a recent survey undertaken by  the University of Texas, US, was that participants who had sex regularly felt  more confident about their bodies.

14 .Lower your blood pressure

A Scottish study found men and women who had plenty of sex coped well with  stress and had lower blood ­pressure than those who abstained. Researchers  at Brigham Young ­University in the US also linked frequent intercourse to  lower blood pressure.

15 .Banish depression

Like any exercise that raises your heart rate, sex causes your brain to  release feel-good chemicals that boost your levels of serotonin – the happy  hormone – to lift your mood.

Serotonin is the body’s key antidepressant chemical and one of the major  reasons people smile and feel happy and relaxed after sex.

Sexually active women in long-term ­relationships are also less likely to  feel depressed than women who go without sex, according to a study of nearly 300  women by psychologist Gordon Gallup in the American Archives Of Sexual  ­Behavior.

16. Cure that headache (yes, really!)

“Having a headache” might be an age-old excuse not to have sex, but the  scientific evidence says that, to the contrary, sex can help shift pain!

This is because making love causes a surge in the “love” hormone  ­oxytocin, plus other feel-good ­endorphins, which can ease pain.

Women have reported that their ­pain from both headaches and  ­arthritis improved post-coitus.

17. Slash stress

In a study in the Psychology journal, ­researchers found that people  who’d had sex in the last 24 hours coped better with stressful ­scenarios –  such as public speaking – than those who had not.

Research has also shown that touching and cuddling during and after sex  reduces the body’s levels of cortisol – the hormone that is secreted when you’re  stressed.

18.Kick your insomnia into touch

The oxytocin released when you orgasm has another benefit – it can help you  drop off, research claims.

Both men and women release this feel-good ­hormone just before  ­orgasm, and as it courses through your system, it promotes relaxation and  sleepiness.

So there is actually a genuine excuse for him to fall asleep so quickly after  sex…

19 Strengthen your bones

As regular sex can boost oestrogen levels in post-menopausal women, it can  offer some protection against the ­bone-thinning condition osteoporosis that  is triggered by a lack of oestrogen.

And men can benefit too, as testosterone levels have been found to increase  during and after sex, which can provide some protection against male  osteoporosis.

20. Cut your risk of prostate cancer

Researchers at Nottingham University have found that men who enjoy a regular  sex life in their 50s are at lower risk of developing prostate cancer.

This is because sex clears the prostate of toxins that could ­otherwise  linger and trigger ­cancerous changes.

The link was first suggested after several studies showed that monks appeared  to have a higher chance of developing prostate cancer.

21 .Feel better all day

If you decide to go for a spot of morning passion to start your day, the  boost to your mood it provides can continue right through until night-time,  ­according to research.

The American scientist Dr Debby Herbenick found that adults who made love  first thing in the morning were not only more upbeat for the rest of the day,  but they also benefited from a stronger ­immune system than those people who  simply opted for a cup of tea and some toast before ­heading out of the  door.

In other words – why wait until tonight?

Read more: Mirror

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