Does Abstinence Have Any Effect On Your Body?
Does abstinence from sex have any effect on your body? (Photo: Getty Images)
Fact: Sex is good for you and for your marriage. “Sex offers us the ability to emotionally connect with someone else and lower our stress,” says Sari Cooper, certified sex therapist. “It’s also a good form of exercise for your heart; it raises your heart rate while you’re in action and burns calories.” And as if those pluses weren’t enough to make you want to get down right now, sex also can also lower your blood pressure, cure headaches, and ease symptoms of depression, Cooper says.
But we’ve all heard the rumor that married couples have less sex, or fall into sex ruts. So, the obvious question is, when we’re not having sex, are we doing harm to our bodies? “While some people thrive and are productive for much of their life without having regular sex, other people may be more prone to stress-related illness because of their deep need for sexual connection,” says Cooper.
Related: How to Make Your Bedroom the Sexiest Space in Your House
And while you won’t pack on pounds or up your blood pressure simply because you’re not having regular sex, your body can’t benefit from what it’s not getting. “Sex is one of those things that my clients say doesn’t play into their thoughts much after they haven’t had it in a while, so their innate erotic fantasy life kind of gets put on pause or even stops,” Cooper says. “When you’re in the practice of having sex — and that includes amazing sex, OK sex and even mediocre sex — it keeps your erotic awareness more conscious and awake, causing you to increase your libido.” And when you can do that, you can reap sex’s other benefits.
By Jillian Kramer
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