It's Good to Get Off

by Leslie Aronson — May 25, 2008

Though perhaps not surprising, sex has many health benefits (when engaged in responsibly). According to Newsweek, sex once or twice a week boosts your immune system, thus staving off colds and the flu. Regular sex can also make you look younger, according to a study from the Royal Edinburgh Hospital in Scotland. Regular sex also burns calories, can actually help relieve headaches, promote regular menstrual cycles, and can help prevent accidents, especially as you age. So what's to be learned from these useful tidbits? That sex can and should be engaged in as a regular part of your healthy lifestyle. Whether or not the benefits are derived from orgasm, the level of intimacy, or just the act itself is still relatively unclear, but there is also evidence to suggest that those who engage in solo sex (i.e. masturbation) also obtain similar benefits. According to sexuality.about.com, masturbation can provide stress relief, pain relief, improve your quality of sleep, and possibly reduce the risk of prostate cancer in men, as well as the less concrete benefits of self-discovery and self-awareness. So whether you're by yourself or with your partner, getting off definitely has health benefits.