Why Sex is Necessary for Good Mental Health
Good mental health is just as important as good physical health.
Yet, while people embrace good physical health, society often whispers about good mental health.
Everyone is just supposed to be okay, all the time, without working on it. Or talking about it. Or admitting to it.
But that’s not reality. The reality is that good mental health takes as much work as good physical health.
So let’s talk about ways to maintain good mental health, instead of pretending it’s easy. And better yet, let’s start with a fun one!
Because sex can play an important – even vital role – in maintaining good mental health.
7 Good Reasons to Have Sex
While there are many physical benefits to a healthy sex life, these benefits directly affect your mental health…1. Acts as an antidepressant. Sexual intimacy is like chocolate – it causes the body to release feel-good hormones. Your body is literally creating the very chemicals you need to combat depression and maintain good mental health. Plus, unlike chocolate, having sex burns calories.
2. Boosts self-esteem. This is a lovely cycle to get caught in. Having sex makes you feel better about yourself…which makes you have more sex…which makes you feel better about yourself… Knowing a partner you care about finds you desirable and sexy can do wonders for how you see yourself!
3. Creates a deeper emotional connection. One of the cornerstones of good mental health is feeling emotionally connection to other people. Isolation and loneliness can devastate a person’s mental health. And sex is an effective (and fun!) way to connect on an even deeper level with your partner. If it’s a newer relationship, or if you’ve been together for decades, staying sexually active builds an intimacy that’s an important part of staying mentally healthy.
4. Improves your mood. Your mood is a vital part of good mental health, but sometimes it’s not as easy as just deciding to be happy. So feel free to have sex! You know how great you feel after a good workout? That happy, energized feeling comes from the endorphins that are released during exercise. Those same endorphins are released during sex, so you feel that same emotional rush.
5. Reduces pain. Here’s an unexpected benefit to a healthy sex life: less pain. Orgasms release a hormone that may actually raise your pain tolerance level. And anyone who’s ever been in pain longer than a moment or two understands how being in pain can take a toll on your mental health.
6. Protects your immune system. Just long on-going pain can affect your mental health, being physical sick can wreak havoc on your mental health. If it’s feeling as if you’re never going to throw this cold, or a longer, more ongoing illness, it’s nearly impossible to maintain good mental health when you’re sick. But people who are more sexually active have stronger immune systems, and fewer sick days. Which means less time feeling mentally down, too!
7. Reduces stress. Another physical response that impacts your mental health. Short-term stress can make you grumpy. Long-term stress can make you depressed, anxious, and distracted. But a healthy sex life can help reduce stress.
Don’t Let Sex CAUSE the Stress
Having sex isn’t the only physical way to help support good mental health, so if it’s not happening right now, that’s okay!Physical intimacy – even if it’s not sexual intimacy – can be helpful to your mental health as well. You don’t have to be in an intimate, sexual relationship to get the benefits of physical intimacy.
Hug your friends and family. Hold hands with your spouse or children. Even snuggling with a pet has been shown to be helpful when it comes to maintaining good mental health.
And if the problem isn’t about not having a partner, but not being able to respond quite as well as you used to, that’s okay, too. If you haven’t been able to perform quite as well as you’d like, don’t let that send you into a spiral or make you withdraw. Avoiding the problem isn’t good for your mental health, either!
Instead, talk to your partner. Open communication can do wonders for your sex life. Admitting you’re nervous about how well you might perform may be all you need to perform!
Stay physically intimate. Even if you aren’t having intercourse, keep touching, snuggling, kissing, caressing… It all feels good and contributes to good mental health. Plus, who knows where a few nights of cuddling could lead.
And don’t be shy about getting a little help. There are many supplements available these days that really do work, like ArgiVive III – a drink designed to increase your stamina and your performance, so you’re firing on all levels.
Many things contribute to good mental health – and a satisfying sex life is definitely one of them. From a gentle touch to a mind-blowing orgasm, it’s all good for your mental health.
So enjoy!
The information provided in the NorthStar Nutritionals blog is intended for educational purposes only.
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