The human preoccupation with sex is a phenomenon that is worth investigating, and that’s a fact that did not fail to catch the inquisitive minds of scientists from different fields. What has science found out about the effect of sex on brain so far? Do the effects of sex benefit or hurt people more?
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THE SEX-BRAIN LINK
Whether daily sex is good or bad for you can be determined by the types of sexual activity and intimate relationships that you keep. Having sex everyday causes a burst of neurons in your brain on a regular basis which helps improve many brain functions and makes you feel good and emotionally secure. What available scientific evidence also highlights is that sex releases endorphins, one of many chemicals released during sex, that give you a natural “high”. To continue deriving the positive effects of sex to your brain well beyond your senior years, check out Virectin review by experts and users to see if this male enhancement pills can help you keep your sex life ‘sex-citing’.
While you might think that sex should stop when you’re retired, below is a list of what sex does to your brain that benefits your overall health and well-being whether you are in your early 20s or well beyond your 60s:
- Sex gives you emotional security. One good tip on how to enjoy sexual intercourse is to be in the act with someone that you really care about. Sex makes your body release oxytocin, also known as the ‘bonding hormone’. This hormone has been observed to result from getting intimately close with somebody else. Physical contact and closeness gives you a sense of overflowing happiness, adding to the ‘high’ that you can get from sex. The satisfaction you derive from sex has been associated by a study[] to experiencing a trance-like state during the sexual act itself that helps you access regions of your brain that you do not normally get to activate.
- Sex relieves stress. Part of the reason why sex feels good is that oxytocin leaves your brain with a feeling of being relieved from negative stress. A study[] provided evidence that sex relieves two of the worst manifestations of stress: migraines and cluster headaches. Oxytocin has been observed to have a natural pain relief properties that changes the way your brain perceives pain and seems to help it better cope with aches and pains that are related to inflammation.
- Sex induces sleep. How else does sex affect the brain? Oxytocin, has been implicated on why partners feel sleepy following ejaculation in men and orgasm in women. A study[] made use of neuroimaging techniques to record and observe brain activity throughout the sexual act. The researchers reported how the prefrontal cortex, believed to be the center of human cognition, slowed down brain activity after reaching the peak of sexual stimulation.
- Sex prevents depression. Research has shown that the prolactin release you get following an ejaculation or an orgasm after an intense penile-vaginal intercourse can be up to 400 per cent higher compared to prolactin released during masturbation. Prolactin has been linked to the feeling of sexual satisfaction.
A review of existing literature highlighting the potential positive and negative effects of prolactin revealed that high levels of oxytocin helped prevent anxiety and depression. The researchers highlighted studies that demonstrated how low prolactin levels among new mothers can, partly, result to post-partum depression. Decreased neuroplasticity, or the ability to learn new skills, is how depression affects the brain, among others.
- Sex improves your heart health. Not only does sharing private intimacy with your partner help you feel more emotionally secure and more confident with yourself, it also promotes heart health. Satisfaction and happiness that have been linked to sex and intimacy makes you feel loved and fulfilled.
A study published in the Journal of Health and Social Behavior in 2016 showed that women’s health significantly improved with regular sex but that, this positive effect was also correlated by the researchers with experiencing good quality of sex. The same study, however, showed that men did not obtain the same results. Frequent sex, according to researchers, put men at a higher risk for contracting heart diseases later in life.
- Sex improves your memory and general cognitive function. Regularly engaging in sexual activities enhances your thought process and gives you better memory throughout old age. Dopamine, a key neurotransmitter that helps your brain understand stimuli which is also known to give you feelings of happiness and satisfaction, has been associated with enhanced memory. Another studyfound that sex stimulates the hypothalamus region of the brain, a mechanism that creates new neurons. Hypothalamus is associated with the brain’s memory functions.
Sex does not always take you on a trip to Cloud 9, however. Several studies have demonstrated the negative consequences of having sex every day and what the effect of sex on brain is when you’re getting too much of the good stuff too frequently. One of the negative effect of too much sex in females and males is developing an addiction to sex. If your sexual desires are getting in the way of practical life functions and responsibilities, you should see a therapist.
CONCLUSION
While the moral issues surrounding sexual activities are highly controversial and debatable, there appears to be no doubt about it that the effect of sex on brain is mostly positive. Of course, even when habitually engaging in sex is good for your health, there’s still that caveat: too much of a good thing can be bad for you.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
I am a post-graduate in English literature and health researcher. I have over a decade of experience in researching and writing as a profession and as a passion. I am a health blogger who loves to write articles for health related topics in power of self-motivation. A person, according to me, is perceived by others in the same way a person perceives himself or herself. I enjoy in writing the feedbacks regarding various health related products.
