Are You Over 70? This Research Says Sex Will Keep You Healthy

New study shows frequent sex and better quality sex have different benefits for different age group of seniors.

(Credit: Freepik, Unsplash)

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Worldwide, a new person gets diagnosed with dementia every four seconds.

In Malaysia, about 8.5 per cent of the population suffers from dementia and it’s estimated to triple in number over the next 30 years. Besides that, dementia is also known to lower a person’s life expectancy.

Scientists have determined a lot of factors to help curb the disease, including eating a proper diet, doing puzzles and hobbies regularly as well and surrounding yourself in a lively social group for support.

But other than that, they have also found another raunchy way to keep the cognitive function going and the spark alive. And it’s tender loving lovemaking. Or in simple terms, sex!

More sex means more years

Apparently, having sex frequently can boost brain power in older adults, according to a study in 2017.

Now, citing the New York Post, a recent study in July based on the sex habits of seniors revealed that frequent sex and quality sex have different effects for different age groups and genders.

“For [adults] aged 75–90, more frequent sex was related to better cognitive functioning,” said Shannon Shen, a researcher in the Department of Sociology and Social Work at Hope College in Michigan.

“For adults aged 62–74, better sexual quality (i.e., feelings of physical pleasure and emotional satisfaction) was related to better cognitive functioning,” she wrote in the Journal of Sex Research, along with her co-author, Hui Lui from the Center on Aging and the Life Course and Department of Sociology at Purdue University in Indiana.

So it means, to have better cognitive function, octogenarians and septuagenarians should have frequent sex, while sexagenarians and young septuagenarians should focus more on having better sex quality than frequent ones.

Better for men

Besides that, the study also noted that feelings of physical pleasure give men more cognitive functioning compared to women.

“Men who had sex once a week or more had lower odds of experiencing cognitive impairment five years later than men who had no sex in the last year,” elaborated the study.

Men always get the good stuff, don’t they?

The research was based on a survey and cognitive assessment of 1,683 American respondents. “Sex” was defined as a mutually voluntary activity with another person that involves sexual contact, whether or not intercourse or orgasm occurs while “frequently” was defined as one or more sexual encounters per week.

Why sex?

Citing Everyday Health, Linda Waite, a professor of sociology at the University of Chicago who has also studied the impact of sex on cognitive health in older age said that sex has several physical and social benefits as we age.

Some of those benefits include stretching, increasing blood flow and the releasing of hormones like dopamine (feel-good hormone) as well as endorphins (pain-reliever hormone) from orgasm. These hormones also alleviate your mood and reduce stress.

The social element here means that you and your partner will communicate more when you’re intimate, both wanting to make sure each other is comfortable and enjoying it. Patterned social interactions with long-standing partners can also help with brain health.

All in all, the new study suggests that frequent sex and best-quality sex affect the elderly in different age groups and genders.

Shen also added that even those with a low libido can enjoy high sexual quality. With the broad definition of sex in the study, seniors don’t always have to have intercourse to feel the cognitive benefits.

But do note that the sex factor only contributes to a part of the healthy lifestyle. The elderly still need to eat healthy, exercise regularly, avoid smoking and alcohol as well and stay mentally and socially active to avoid loneliness or depression.

So, what are you waiting for? It’s time to get busy with your partners, seniors! With consent, of course.

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