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How lack of sex affects psychological health

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SexHealth and beautyMan and woman

Sex is not the icing on the cake. Most will not agree to voluntarily give it up. Sex makes life more enjoyable and healthier for many reasons. But is it safe to say that abstaining from sex for whatever reason is necessarily unhealthy?

Not exactly, experts say. At least physiologically. The good news is that you will not die from abstinence - and most likely, it will not lead to negative consequences like cancer or heart disease. Unlike food, sex is not an essential part of life. nine0003

Long-term abstinence, however, can become psychologically unhealthy - when you want sex but can't or don't dare to have it.

The severity of repressed sexual desire creates tension

At what age do people start having sex? The results of a study on this topic, published in the American Journal of Public Health in 2008, showed that those whose sexual debut occurs well into their twenties or even thirty years of age are more prone to anxiety. nine0003

“Our culture places great value on the ability to attract partners. If you do not find confirmation that you are desirable, this can affect your sexual self-esteem, ”explains sexologist Jessica O'Reilly.

Sex therapist David McKenzie adds that this is especially important for men: "The more you abstain from sex, the more you become insecure and repressed."

The negative consequences of prolonged abstinence include sexual dissatisfaction and a drop in desire

“If you abstain from sex because of unresolved relationship problems, intimacy with a partner may gradually fade away, and feelings may lose tenderness and intimacy,” warns Jessica O'Reilly. However, in some cases, abstinence can affect how a person responds to sexual stimuli.

“The brain is the most powerful sexual organ. It is he who feeds all our sexual sensations, says the sexologist. “Attitudes in society and in the family that force women and men to suppress sexual desires can negatively affect the development of sexual identity, create a persistent aversion to sex in a person.” nine0003

In the end, it all depends on what was the reason for abstaining from sex

Jessica O'Reilly claims that voluntarily not having sex for a while helped her clients learn more about their bodies.

“This is especially important for those women who have never experienced orgasm during intimacy with a partner,” explains the expert. “When they learned to please themselves through masturbation, without pressure or high expectations, they became more aware of their own desires and feelings.” nine0003

Sex in a couple is important not only in itself. It creates a feeling of emotional intimacy and affection. Therefore, if you have lost interest in sex, it is worth understanding why this happened. It's a good idea to discuss your sex life with your partner and, if necessary, seek advice from a specialist.

Text: Anton Soldatov Photo Source: Getty Images

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Women's reaction to the lack of sex

What does the lack of sex do to women

However, it is not only the representatives of the weaker sex who oppose such discrimination. Doctors say: both physically and psychologically, a woman needs a regular and high-quality sex life, while its absence is fraught with serious problems. What specifically?

Depression and stress

Sex is one of the best—and most enjoyable—natural antidepressants. In the process of sexual intercourse, joy hormones called endorphins are produced in the brain, and if they are not enough in the body, depression sets in. Of course, not only prolonged abstinence can provoke an endorphin deficiency, but if it is combined, for example, with intense exercise or some kind of emotional turmoil, expect problems on a nervous basis. nine0003

In addition, as psychologists say, in the absence of sex, a woman subconsciously seeks to replace it with something. He takes on more and more household duties, goes headlong into work, is intensively engaged in raising children - in general,
exhausts himself both mentally and physically, which also causes fatigue, depression and stress.

Reduced immunity

- Sex is especially necessary for everyone on the eve of autumn. It activates the defense mechanisms of our body and works as an excellent prevention of colds and flu, - says Associate Professor of the Department of Urology and Operative Nephrology of the Russian State Medical University, MD. Safar Hamidov. nine0003

Foreign colleagues agree with him. According to the results of experiments by English physiologists, in people who have sex at least 2 times a week, immunity is about 30% stronger than in singles who are not so lucky in intimate life. In addition, colds and viral diseases in the former proceed much faster and easier, and the more often sexual intercourse, the more noticeable the difference becomes.

Diseases of the heart and blood vessels

After watching American films about unfortunate lovers, many firmly believed in death during sex as a very real, and even not uncommon phenomenon. Like, the heart of the elderly macho cannot withstand the intense load - and the happy lover dies right in bed. nine0003

Well, it may look spectacular in the movies, but in real life it is unlikely to threaten anyone, especially women. Quite the opposite: regular sex life lowers blood pressure, maintains the tone of blood vessels and helps to avoid heart attacks and strokes. In addition, sex, as we remember, eliminates emotional and physical stress, and he, in turn, is also one of the risk factors for heart disease.

Insomnia

Sleep disorders are one of the most common manifestations of depression, stress, or simply a lack of positive sensations. Sex helps to cope with this scourge for several reasons. nine0003

First of all, it's a pretty good physical activity, and the feeling of fatigue, like nothing else, can "lure" a sound sleep.

Secondly, paradoxically, along with the load, sex provokes maximum relaxation - most importantly, even mental. The same hormones of joy “drive” thoughts of daytime worries and problems out of your head and thus allow you to calmly close your eyes.

And finally, for many, sex is part of a subconscious ritual: first shower, then love, then going to bed

sleep. Well, with a few changes. You may not even be aware of it, but for our body - and for our brain - established procedures and rhythms are very important, and if any of their elements suddenly drops out, all the natural mechanisms associated with them are violated.

Being overweight

The relationship between abstinence and being overweight is again due to several factors. To begin with, the stress caused by the lack of an intimate life causes many of us to overeat, especially leaning on sweets and fatty foods. This is how the human body works: it seeks to make up for the lack of endorphins at the expense of excess fats and carbohydrates. And secondly, sexual intercourse is an excellent form of fitness that involves almost all muscle groups and consumes up to two hundred to three hundred kilocalories at a time. By depriving yourself of such regular “activities”, you automatically increase your chances of gaining weight. nine0003

Alcoholism

Unfortunately, not everyone, experiencing a lack of positive emotions, seizes depression with cakes and chocolate. Many people think that an easier way to improve their mood is alcohol, and without hesitation they knock over a glass or two. They resort to the same remedy when they want to get rid of problems with falling asleep; however, alcohol, like many other poisons, has almost opposite effects depending on the frequency and dosage.

Yes, one glass of wine at night may help you fall asleep better; but frequent abuse, on the contrary, increases stress levels and provokes insomnia. And it's easy to start abusing when you're depressed. And that's not all: this is how the path to a vicious circle begins, when abstinence provokes alcoholism, and alcoholism - forced abstinence, because alcohol in large quantities discourages both the desire and the ability to have an active sex life.

Bad skin

Studies by European doctors have shown that prolonged lack of sex can cause hormonal imbalance in a woman's body. In turn, an excess amount of male sex hormones makes the skin prone to oiliness and enhances the growth of unwanted hairs. Chronic pain

In addition to the already mentioned consequences of hormonal imbalances, increased menstrual pain can be another consequence. It is not for nothing that it is traditionally believed that painful menstruation in girls disappears when they get married - after all, it is regular sex that can (although not always) solve or partially alleviate this problem. nine0003

In addition, sex in any other cases can be considered a natural analgesic. Again, thanks to the hormonal surge that occurs in the body during contact, sex increases the pain threshold and relieves both chronic and various acute pains. British scientists have proven that even intimate touches, hugs and caresses have a strong analgesic effect - let alone a full-fledged “date”.

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