As pointed out by “Ed” in the comments of this posting sex is also good for reducing stress and blood pressure. This why when Barb and I get our blood pressure taken they always comment on how good it is. The research indicates the effects last for up to a week afterward but Dr. Joe’s advice is that this is actually risking more than is necessary and since it’s nearly impossible to overdose you should repeat the treatment as frequently as you have the time and energy for.
Here are some links:
And from News.Scotsman.com:
HAVING full sexual intercourse helps the body cope with stress for up to a week, according to a study by a Paisley University psychologist.
Professor Stuart Brody found that a man and a woman who had had this kind of sex became less stressed than those who had abstained when asked to speak in public or do mental arithmetic out loud.
Their blood pressure rose by about half the amount of people who had other kinds of sex or none at all and it also returned to normal more quickly.
“The effects are not attributable simply to the short-term relief afforded by orgasm, but rather, endure for at least a week,” Professor Brody told today’s issue of New Scientist magazine. He said that the release of the “pair-bonding” hormone oxytocin between partners might account for the calming effect.
In the study, which was reported earlier in the journal Biological Psychology, 24 women and 22 men were asked to keep diaries of their sex lives for a fortnight. They were then given a range of stress tests. Those who did not have sex had the highest blood pressure response to stress.
Prof Brody said: “The difference wasn’t just statistically significant, it was really meaningful. This was a big, big effect on the blood pressure response to stress.”
