Have More Sex: Doctor's Orders

We all know that sky-high dopamine rush we all get when we have good sex. In fact, research has shown that it goes further than that. There are many ways in which sex can not only make you have a happier life, but live longer too. Here are just a few of the many ways it can help you get to the ripe old age of 96, just like Queen Elizabeth II. Or if you don't have the weight of the monarchy on your shoulders, 101 like the Queen Mother. Whether you are having sex with someone else or solo playing...here are the surprising benefits of being sexually active.

Sex reduces the risk of heart disease

In 2010, the New England Research Institute conducted a study that found that regular sexual activity, can reduce the risk of heart diseases such as heart attacks and strokes. 

It prevents against colds and flus

Sex can even guard you from the most basic of illnesses, the common cold. A study done by Wilkes University found that people who have sex a couple of times a week tend to have higher amounts of the antibody immunoglobulin A (IgA) than those who have sex less than once a week. IgA is a key antibody against common colds and flus, meaning you're less likely to contract them when the antibody exists in your system in high amounts. 

Sex can cure headaches

This one is surprising, but true! When you have sex, the hormone oxytocin is released, which has many effects, amongst them reducing pain. In a study published in the Bulletin of Experimental Biology and Medicine, volunteers who inhaled oxytocin vapour and had their fingers pricked afterwards felt only half as much pain as others who did not inhale any oxytocin.

Sex lowers your risk of prostate and breast cancer

The evidence that sex reduces your risk of contracting prostate and breast cancer is overwhelming. In 2003, an Australian study found that the more men between the ages of 20 and 50 ejaculate, the less likely they are to develop prostate cancer. The study therefore recommended that men in their 20s should be ejaculating once a day. A similar study in 2004 by the National Cancer Institute showed that men who ejaculated at least 5 times a week, through sex or masturbation, were less likely to get prostate cancer. 

The same seems to be the case for women. Studies have shown that women who have vaginal intercourse regularly run less risk of contracting breast cancer in comparison to women who don't have regular sex. 

Sex can even prevent preeclampsia

Research has shown that sex can significantly reduce a woman's chance of getting preeclampsia. Preeclampsia, the condition where your blood pressure rises and causes organ dysfunction, is particularly common during pregnancy. Studies have shown that if a woman has had enough exposure to her partner's semen prior to conceiving, she is much less likely to get preeclampsia. Interestingly, a study by Dutch biologists have also found that women who regularly have oral sex - and swallow their partner's semen rather than spitting - have a much lower risk of preeclampsia. 

There seems to be a consensus amongst doctors and researchers that the more sex you have, the higher your likelihood of living longer. Maybe that's the Royal Family's secret: a hell of a lot of sex.