Orgasms can provide you with the ultimate pleasure, and surprisingly, it has much more to offer health wise.
According to MindBodyGreen – a publication that focuses on mental, physical, spiritual, emotional, and environmental aspects of well-being – a study by Navneet Magon and Sanjay Kalra explained that the hormone oxytocin lends a hand “in a wide variety of physiological and pathological functions such as sexual activity, penile erection, ejaculation, pregnancy, uterine contraction, milk ejection, maternal behaviour, social bonding, stress, and probably many more.”
While Prevention – a leading provider of trustworthy health information – adds that nobody has the same body, so everyone will have a different experience. OB-GYN Kameelah Phillips M.D. tells the health information hub, “This does not mean, however, that everyone has experienced an orgasm. Individuals have to determine the priority they place on orgasms. However, I strongly encourage people to advocate for their sexual pleasure and explore methods to help them achieve orgasm.”
Here are five unexpected health benefits one can achieve from an orgasm:
1. Can improve your sleep
Sexual wellness educator and intimacy coach, Rashida Ahmed, tells Prevention that oxytocin, when released via an orgasm, acts as a healing pleasure hormone within your body. She further explains that oxytocin helps create a calmer nervous system. This results in less anxiety and creates a biological environment for an increased production of melatonin – the sleep hormone, which helps you rest more soundly.
2. May help you live longer
According to MindBodyGreen, a study among middle-aged men found a 50 per cent lower mortality rate among those with high orgasmic frequency compared with those who experienced a low orgasm.
3. May help improve menstrual cycles
The above-mentioned info hub also explains, “Studies show sexually active women are more likely to have normal menstrual cycles, and less-frequent sex makes menses more sporadic.” MindBodyGreen adds that studies have also shown that women who have less sex have shorter menstrual cycles. This may potentially indicate low progesterone and oestrogen dominance that creates weight loss resistance and symptoms such as mood swings.
They concluded, “However, the connection is unclear. Irregular cycles could be the cause of low sex drive, meaning orgasms don’t improve menstrual cycles, instead an already healthy menstrual cycle improves orgasms.”
4. May help relieve pain
The health publication Mayo Clinic explains that orgasms can also help with pain and that the body’s natural painkillers – endorphins – are released during touch and sex.
5. Can give you great-looking skin
The oxytocin released through the orgasm reduces the steroid hormone cortisol, explains MindBodyGreen. “In excess, cortisol can increase oil (sebum) production, which can clog pores, leading to inflammation and breakouts.”
