10 Health Benefits of Having Sex

Stress Relief

In 2010, Brazil's health minister recommended sex (along with other traditional forms of exercise) as a fix for the nation's high blood pressure problems, and he wasn't completely off the mark. Researchers from Scotland have found that people who were sexually active had lower blood pressure when engaged in stress-inducing tasks, such as public speaking, with those only having sex in the last two weeks charting the lowest number.

"In part, it's the oxygenation of blood and the focusing of the mind away from negative stressors," explains Britton. "Sex has that magical quality of bringing you into the moment, especially at orgasm, which is a period of time that feels like animated suspension, where your mind and body both go off-grid."