PSYPOST – A recent study, based on data from the 2005–2010 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), has found that women who rarely engage in sexual activity have a 70% higher risk of dying compared to those who have sex at least once per week.
Additionally, individuals with depression who had sex much less than once per week had a 197% higher risk of dying than those who had sex around once per week. These findings were published in the Journal of Psychosexual Health.
Frequent sex has been shown to offer numerous health benefits. It helps reduce stress and improve mood through the release of endorphins and oxytocin. It can also boost the immune system, making the body more resistant to infections and illnesses.
Regular sexual activity promotes cardiovascular health by increasing heart rate and circulation.
It enhances sleep quality due to the release of the hormone prolactin, which is associated with relaxation. Frequent sex can also improve intimacy and strengthen relationships, contributing to overall emotional well-being.
A previous study highlighted that the critical frequency of sex seems to be one intercourse per week when relationship duration, gender, and age are considered. Frequencies greater than once per week do not appear to produce greater well-being outcomes, but there is a significant difference in well-being between individuals having sex once per week and those having it less frequently.
Another study reported that decreased sexual activity was related to adverse health outcomes for both men and women, and a relationship between erectile dysfunction and cancer in older men was also found.
The current study, led by Srikanta Banerjee and his colleagues, aimed to explore the relationship between sexual frequency and all-cause mortality, i.e., the likelihood that a person will die …
