Intimacy or sexual actions form an important part of mental wellbeing. Multiple factors can affect mental health. Family relations, confidence, self-esteem and loss are also important factors. A lot of these factors cannot be controlled on how they contribute to our mental wellbeing, but sexual acts can be. Every time one feels anxious or upset, just try masturbating and you will feel better for a while. Mental health hasn’t been spoken about much in the past, and no one wanted to acknowledge it. But today, more and more are willing to talk about it, because it affects a person in a lot of ways. Sex can have a host of benefits, a big contribution to a good quality of life. A host of mental and emotional benefits result from good sex. Here are a few reasons why intimacy is important for mental wellbeing.
Stress relief
With work pressure and less time for family, individuals are experiencing stress like never before. The world is also changing – from a simple one to a more complex world. With such changes, people experience more stress, than our forefathers would have. Working professionals also have less me-time or downtime, chasing careers. But it is never too late to take things into your hands and ensure that you reduce the stress in your mind. Sex is an effective stress management technique. It can reduce the stress response to hormones and the soothing effect can last till the next day.
Self-image
Sex can improve the perceptions we have of ourselves. It gives a great boost to our self-confidence too. Knowing that another person likes your body, and is willing to give and take pleasure, can make a person feel great. One may not have a perfect body, but sex can remove all feelings of self-doubt. Be it a long-term relationship or temporary companionship, it definitely boosts self-confidence.
Happiness
With more sex, consensual sex, people tend to get happier. It is a proven study that sex and orgasms release feel-good hormones in the body and can make one happier. These days it is hard to be happy or even find reasons to be happy – all a result of a complex world. But sex is one thing that can still give joy.
Sleep
People who engage in sex have improved sleep quality. There is a scientific reason behind that too. Prolactin, which is a hormone, gets released while human beings engage in sex or intimacy. This hormone is known for aiding sleep. That is one can normally sleep like a baby after sex.
Bonding
Bonding and social interaction is the backbone of healthy human survival. Without this, humans would not evolve the way we have. It is often said that man is a social animal, and similarly, man needs to create bonds to feel happy. Sex is a means for that bonding to occur, as designed by nature. Two people are brought closer when they get intimate and this is absolutely essential and necessary for proper mental health.
Intimacy also has a host of physical benefits such as better fitness and lower pain levels. People that have sex feel calm and the sex endorphins can reduce the unpleasantness from painful conditions such as migraine or back pain. Better cognitive function is also seen in adults who participate in sexual activities and in a study, they had better memory performance. It also has positive impacts on immune function and if you are sexually active, your chances of getting the flu or cold decreases. Intimacy is important for mental wellbeing and if you are physically well, then your mind will have one less thing to worry about.