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Sexual Frequency and Your Health
Ever wondered if the number of times you have sex makes you a healthier or happier person? Well, Dr. Steve McGough outlines the benefits of having sex more often, and how it's important for your overall health to get busy more often than not.
How often should you have sex to get the most health benefits?
One large study (referenced below) indicated couples were happiest if they had sex weekly. I would add that for me personally, I think daily affection and physical intimacy (but not necessarily requiring intercourse or orgasms) is extremely beneficial. That being said, it's very important that each person shares what their needs are for sexual expression because many people need to have intercourse and orgasm more than once a week to feel best. This would be the same for single people, but would vary on availability of a partner.
The Benefits
For single people, while intercourse, intimacy, and orgasm have significant benefits, there’s always the possibility of contracting a sexually transmitted disease or becoming pregnant. So they need to be very aware and careful to make sure that both they and their sexual partners have been tested for STIs. It's safest to use a condom as well to prevent both STI and possible pregnancy.
For couples, if they are not monogamous, they should consider STI testing and contraception, as well.
For both single people and couples, they should also make sure to urinate as soon as possible after intercourse to lower the possibility of urinary tract infections.
Otherwise, for both single people and couples, regular intercourse has several benefits. These include (1) sharing mutual touch that is both sexual and just touching, (2) experiencing orgasm (for both partners hopefully), as well as (3) for some (but not all) women, the stimulation that occurs from the act of intercourse.
This not only has physical benefits, but relationship and emotional benefits, as well. All of these ultimately impact our health.
Weekly Sex = Happiness
I can't say specifically how often people should have intercourse because each person and couple is unique.
However, one study of a large group of people(1) indicated that for committed couples having intercourse once a week was associated with being happiest.
That being said, I suggest that each person, either single or both people in the couple, consider what their needs are. This includes the need for sexual expression, pleasure and orgasm, as well as the need for physical touch and emotional intimacy.
I personally believe that it's best for everyone to experience physical touch and intimacy, as well as emotional intimacy, every day coupled with sexual release as they feel the need.
For couples, I strongly suggest each person tells their partner what their sexual needs are and they agree to take care of them. This will likely vary for each person throughout the relationship.
For singles, this would depend on the partners they have available. But whoever they are with, they should still share what their needs are and ask their current partner to help meet those needs.
It all Comes Down to Intimacy
Regarding the above-mentioned benefits, numerous studies have shown that physical touch from someone that is trusted and is expressing care causes the receiver to increase oxytocin and other positive hormones, while decreasing cortisol and other stress-related hormones. Being able to have this frequently helps everyone deal with the stresses of daily living and enjoy life more.
As well, many studies have confirmed the benefits of having orgasms on a regular basis.
For women who enjoy the experience of penetration, Dr.'s Barry Komisaruk and Beverly Whipple at Rutgers University have published numerous studies on the benefits of deep vaginal and cervical stimulation, as well.
Reference
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Muise, Amy, et al. “Sexual Frequency Predicts Greater Well-Being, but More Is Not Always Better.” Social Psychological and Personality Science, vol. 7, no. 4, 18 Nov. 2015, pp. 295–302, journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/1948550615616462, 10.1177/1948550615616462. Accessed 4 Jan. 2020.
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