We are very much used to the social conventional concepts of sexual orientation. Conventions like, sex being bad for the youth, how many times one should have sex, the many negative aspects of the activity and many more. Our job is not condemnation, but pure health knowledge and awareness. So, for those who have had the experience, have you ever wondered why your heart races during and immediately after sex? Have you ever pondered on the reason for being so fatigued after sex? Well, we have the answer. It’s quite simple actually. Think of sex like an exercise, and surely, like every other exercise, it consequently affects the heart, usually for the better. Healthy muscles are a product of constant stretching or work on these muscles. The heart is one of such muscles. The activity of sex involves a lot of energy, stamina, breathing, and movement, all of which are requirements in a simple exercise like running. It is needless to then state that if running and sex as activities contain the same features and running is acclaimed to help the heart and contribute to its health benefit, it is only reasonable that the same effect on the heart should be felt when one engages in the act of sex. So, like every regular cardio exercise, during sex, you burn calories, your heart races as earlier mentioned, your metabolism increases, and you get a good stretch of your muscles.
Let`s Talk Facts, shall we?
You are probably wondering how this is a possibility. It is really just a matter of knowledge. So, enough of the claims, let`s talk and get down to science facts on this issue. To debunk the many clichés and erroneous claims of the side effects of sex, some statistics will be provided. According to a research carried out in the United States as published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, it claims that, although unexpected cardiac arrests result in more than 300,000 deaths each year in the United States, fewer than 1 percent were linked with sexual activity. Amazingly, just one in a hundred men and one in a thousand women experience sudden cardiac arrest during sexual activity. [1]
A study claims that men who have sex twice a week or even more are less likely to develop cardiovascular disease than men who have sex only once a month or less. It is apparent that more sex is beneficial to your health than less sex, if you don`t achieve its benefits through other means, that is.
Let`s Go on…
A sample statistics would be suggested in an attempt to explain this “sex as an exercise to the heart” phenomenon. Sexual encounters often involve two individuals and the research concludes that the heart rate experienced in an exercise of walking a mile in 20 minutes could be achieved in sexual intercourse that lasts an average range of 5-15 minutes. The individual on top is expected to reach a heart rate of 120 and for the partner at the below (when this posture is applicable), 110. Regardless of proof that sex generates healthy cardio, it should not be your only source of exercise. Ensure to engage in others. Run a few miles, do those push-ups and chins ups, visit the gym and stay healthy. Other benefits of the activity include happy moods and a sense of relaxation and relief from stress. Research also shows that unfaithful partners from both gender parties are liable to heart attacks during sex as a result of stress. So, it is needless to say, Remain Faithful! Generally, it is agreed by health specialists that men benefit more from sex than women in terms of health, not pleasure. Nonetheless, some results have shown that inadequate or unsatisfactory sex for women could lead to peripheral artery disease.
When your doctor makes inquiries about your sex life, they are not necessarily trying to find out how many times you are dosed with sex, it is a means to understand your general health and that of the heart simply because a healthy sex life is crucial to a general healthy well being.
To reiterate the point made earlier, despite the agreed notion that sex could and does assist in maintaining a healthy cardiovascular system, it is not meant to be relied upon as the only source for cardio health as the results or benefits derived from a long duration of the activity is disproportional to another simple fitness activity in a lesser period of time. In simple terms, sex achieves a beneficial rate of cardiovascular health, however, through a long period of time, a simple activity of just walking for a minute or two or even a short distance would enable you to achieve the same benefits that long period of sexual activity would help you achieve. Still, it stands that simple activities such as walking and running are normalized routines of living that are necessarily a part of our mobile features. Compared to sex, which is, first, an action expressive of desire and pleasure then is a productive activity conserving the life cycle. Likewise most activities, sex is an aerobic job. This implies the increased and stimulation of the heart rate to sustain energy during exercise. Aerobic activities are good for the heart because it helps to treat stress which is bad for the heart. When we are stressed, hormones restrain the blood vessels and paces the heart rate, thereby leading to a heart attack.Probably, this informs why sex is also termed a ‘cardio activity’.
What`s More?
Here are some scientific statistics that may also interest you. A study was conducted and arrived at the summation that an average sex activity for men would exhaust 101 calories which is relatively 4.2 calories per minute expectedly for a session that lasts for a period of 24 minutes. The study also, said women burnt 69 calories which roughly equals 3.1 calories per minute. The funny part of all this is that you could burn three times the number of those figures on a jog of 30 minutes. It identifies sex as a conflicted means of cardiovascular health which only makes sense since that is not its primary purpose. The exercise is just a part of the package. The irony of it all is that the number of calories burnt with the jogging which is three times that of the sexual activity can be added back with something as simple as a bag of chips or cheeseballs which just renders the calories burnt with sex completely and utterly insignificant. This study almost seems like an exaggeration or a rare circumstance. Most average working class couples spend less time having sex due to tiredness or the necessities of the labor market; a study claims that an average couple spends within the range of six minutes or less for sex which coincidentally means fewer calories would be burnt.
Regardless, this does not dispute the fact that sex is a physical activity which requires strength and movement just like the cycle of energy consumption which also helps in maintaining a balanced cardiovascular system. At every point during physical activity where energy is burnt, blood pumps faster and better into the body which is good for the body and the heart as well. So, make your partner your “training partner”. Still, try to do the regular workouts and balance both for the sake of your health.
Reference
[1] Aapo, L.A et al. (2017) Sexual activity as a trigger for sudden cardiac arrest. Journal of the American College of Cardiology.
