Let's talk about the big L-word: your libido. If you don't mind us getting personal for a second, we have a serious question related to your health: How often are you having sex? We ask because the answer goes a long way when it comes to your health and wellbeing. In fact, regular sex can help improve your mood, your relationship, and help handle the daily stressors life throws our way.
To weigh in on just that, we tapped Lyndsey Harper, MD, the founder & CEO of Rosy, an app for women with decreased sexual desire and other sexual problems.
"If sex is on your mind but not on your calendar, consider scheduling a sexy date sometime soon," says Harper. "Life is full of commitments vying for our attention and time, and the opportunity to take advantage of these benefits might slip away from you without the proper prioritization. When you reframe how you think about sex, you can start to benefit more from the serious benefits that sex can offer you both in and out of the bedroom."
Keep reading for five reasons you should have more sex.
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Sex improves your mood.
"During intercourse, the body releases large doses of neurotransmitters and hormones including dopamine, oxytocin and endorphins that can decrease symptoms of anxiety and depression and replace those with pleasure, connectedness, and an increased sense of wellbeing. This gives an immediate mood benefit that can last for hours to follow."
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Sex decreases stress.
"While your brain is being flooded with feel-good chemicals, the stress hormone cortisol also decreases. This combination of reactions in the body results in the zen state that so many describe after sex. Additionally, if sex is combined with an orgasm, the hormone prolactin is released which can result in better sleep and is much better for you than that glass of wine!"
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Sex can act as the lubricant for your relationship.
"Long-term relationships are a major commitment with many everyday hurdles to overcome. When couples are not sexually intimate, these problems can feel even bigger than they actually are. Good sex can act as the grease that keeps us bonded during these challenges. Miscommunications and sharing of life and parenting duties are much more manageable when a couple's intimacy is intact. There is a special bond between members of a healthy sexual couple that makes these other hurdles easier to navigate."
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Sex is fun!
"When we are out of the habit of having sex it can seem like a chore or just another thing to check off of the never-ending to-do list. When we think of sex in this way, we forget how fun sex actually can be. Sex offers an opportunity for play, something we don’t get very often as adults. We can express our creativity, be vulnerable with our partner, try new things, and continue learning and growing in our sexual lives."
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Having sex keeps you wanting more sex.
"How many times after sex have you said, “that was fun, we should do it more often?" If that sounds familiar, you are not alone! Sex is sometimes like exercise: When we don’t exercise often, we might rather lay in bed and watch Netflix. But when we start exercising regularly, we can’t imagine life without it because we remember how much we love it and how good it makes us feel. The same applies to frequent sex. When we have a positive mindset about sex and engage with an open heart and mind regularly, we have an entirely new pathway to feel-good hormones, less stress, a smoother relationship, and fun. Sex quickly changes from a chore to something to look forward to and savor."
Ready to prioritize more sex in your day-to-day? Support your libido, sexual and reproductive health with Libido Support vitamins formulated by a panel of leading women's health doctors. Plus, Rosy has an exclusive offer for the Perelel community to take your sexual health into your own hands. Use code ROSYXPERELEL to redeem a FREE 1-Month Subscription to the Rosy Gold Membership.
This article is for informational purposes only. It is not, nor is it intended to be, a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment and we recommend that you always consult with your healthcare provider. To the extent that this article features the advice of physicians or medical practitioners, the views expressed are the views of the cited expert and do not necessarily represent the views of Perelel.