Sex can sometimes be a touchy subject. Even though people are doing it...people don't always want to talk about it. Well here at the Skidatel, as you can see "I Keep it Real" so I am always open to talk about new and interesting subjects.
So what is on my mind at the moment? The question is brewing...Is having too much sex unhealthy? If so, what is a healthy amount? Well from a doctor or scientific point of view, I have no clue so I decided to do a little research on the subject. What did I find? Keep reading!!!!
So before I get into what the doctors say...I went straight to the people. The people are us. They are our peers/friends so they can sometimes be a little bit more relatable (as far as understanding where they are coming from). I am curious to know what the people think so I simply asked the question, Do you think too much sex is unheatlhy? Why or why not. Here are a few of the responses I got:
Is too much sex unhealthy? Why or why not?
Dzinone: Actually it's not unhealthy as long as you protect yourself and take vitamins to keep your energy. It also depends on your age.
The Skidatel: So are you saying that being older can be more unhealthier if you have too much sex?
Dzinone: Well yeah I wish I was at home because I have all that info in a book. But I do know if u have heart disease you gotta watch it...but it is always good for the prostate.
Rellivent: Nope not at all...sex is a very important part in a relationship. Also getting to know who you're dealing with is important so u can build a bond. But bad sex can break up marriages and relationships period.
E-Moe: Well I think too much sex can be good and bad. It also depends on who u do it with! If feelings are involved, u gotta watch what u do. But sex without feelings is the ultimate high! I was told that having an orgasm is the ultimate high! Which means it can be addictive! So that's when it gets bad because you go around thinking you need it just to get by! That's when bad things happen! But yeah, doctors have said that sex can be healthy!!! Use in the right way of course. Just like any drug...lol!
Mandingo: I dont think its unhealthy. I think it keeps people alive and motivated. It's also a stress reliever and i do believe it's a scientific fact lol.
Forenzic: Sex is always good and it is healthy. You just have 2 know how 2 take your time and not rush lol.
Well now that we've heard from the men...what are the women saying?
Raynette: Too much sex can be unhealthy especially if you have multiple partners... You are putting yourself and others at risk of catching a disease or unwanted pregnancies, which leads to either abortions or kids being left to fend for themselves.. I believe too much of anything can be unhealthy.
Jennifer: Too much yes... define too much though? I think the desire for an extreme amount of sex stems from an unhealthy self image and/or perception of sex. Example...I feel good when I have sex because it means someone values me...
The Skidatel: When it comes to too much...well I guess it depends on what people consider too much. What would you consider too much based on a daily or weekly amount?
Jennifer: I'd say multiple times a day..every day...or the addictive type need for it. I mean if you and your partner have the energy and ability to have normal functional lives...and fuck twice daily...every day.. more power to you!! If you have to have it or you get depressive or aggressive ...and can't function in a job etc because of your need for sex... you've got a problem. If I could find the time and energy ... I would have sex multiple times a day! Who wouldn't? Haha
Kiki: Yeah I do think that too much sex can be unhealthy. I think that if all you do is think about it and you can't function, then the actual person has a problem. I think that it's unhealthy for someone to constantly be like that.
Diane: Why would it be too much? If it makes you happy and feel good. more is better less is hurtful.
So that is what my peers and friends on FB think. I also asked this question on craigslist and got some feedback from people I don't know. What do they think?
Is too much sex unhealthy?
Anonymous: Only if it's so much it interferes with other areas of your life, as in OCD/Sex addiction or you engage in unhealthy practices.
Afavorate: Depends on who you're having sex with.
Lunge: Is overeating unhealthy? Take a look at the Chinese medicine view. Anything beyond balance wears on the body.
Okay so now that we've heard from the people...lets see what the doctors are saying. The first site I went to, Dr Chu says, "Sex feels good. And the proper amount of sex can help maintain your physical and emotional health. But balance is the key. Both having too little or too much sex can lead to unhealthy conditions".
So how much is too much sex? Dr Chu continues..."The theories of Chinese medicine warn of the dangers of having too much sex. A person could become what is called, in Chinese medicine, kidney jing deficient. Jing refers to the main essence fluids of the body, distilled from what we eat and drink. Jing is stored in the kidneys – the batteries of the body. It gives us energy and healthy internal systems. In fact, we are born with enough essence to ensure a lifespan of 120 years. Problem is, we exhaust it through our poor eating, poor rest, lack of exercise, unstable emotions, stress, disease and by having an unhealthy amount of sex!"
Wow, so we could live 120 years if we eat right, rest well, exercise, stabilize our emotions, difuse stress, don't get any diseases and have a healthy amount of sex? Could you do it? Well me personally I am thinking about a nice juicy burger now and maybe a lil something..something..so I don't know if I could do it. It's probably too late anyway because you probably have to start fresh out the womb to get those kind of results lol. Anyways, I also found a chart that breaks down a healthy amount of sex. This chart is a classic text on Chinese Medicine called "Su Nu Jing". This chart was published nearly 2000 years ago and suggests a healthy amount of ejaculations that a man should have according to his age as well as health conditions. Here is info from that chart:
Age Good Health Average Health Minimum
20 2x Day 1x Day Every 4 days
30 1x Day Every other day Every 8 days
40 Every 3 days Every 4 days Every 16 days
50 Every 5 days Every 10 days Every 21 days
60 Every 10 days Every 20 days Every 30 days
So what about too little or no sex? Well Dr Chu says, "Of course, the converse is true, that no sex at all can cause resentment, depression and anxiety... which could possibly lead to long term disease."
Is this true? Well let me ask you this...how many times have you ran into an old fart that was just mean and nasty for no reason? How many times have you met someone that was a snob, uptight or just hated on your relationship by continiously dropping salt on your significant other? Have you ever thought that maybe the reason that they act like that is due to lack of sex? I don't know but I must say that it makes sense! I mean I have a few people that I know off hand that seem to be a little angrier when they are not in a relationship or having sex at the moment lol.
So what are the other doctors or websites saying? Tech guy quoted Alan Furnham who asked the question "Is Sex Neccesary?" I thought the article was interesting, so I am copying it here:
Your Health Is Sex Necessary?
Fans of abstinence had better be sitting down. "Saving yourself" before the big game, the big business deal, the big hoedown or the big bakeoff may indeed confer some moral benefit. But corporeally it does absolutely zip. There's no evidence it sharpens your competitive edge. The best that modern science can say for sexual abstinence is that it's harmless when practiced in moderation. Having regular and enthusiastic sex, by contrast, confers a host of measurable physiological advantages, be you male or female. (This assumes that you are engaging in sex without contracting a sexually transmitted disease.)
In one of the most credible studies correlating overall health with sexual frequency, Queens University in Belfast tracked the mortality of about 1,000 middle-aged men over the course of a decade. The study was designed to compare persons of comparable circumstances, age and health. Its findings, published in 1997 in the British Medical Journal, were that men who reported the highest frequency of orgasm enjoyed a death rate half that of the laggards. Other studies (some rigorous, some less so) purport to show that having sex even a few times a week has an associative or causal relationship with the following: - Improved sense of smell: After sex, production of the hormone prolactin surges. This in turn causes stem cells in the brain to develop new neurons in the brain's olfactory bulb, its smell center.
- Reduced risk of heart disease: In a 2001 follow-on to the Queens University study mentioned above, researchers focused on cardiovascular health. Their finding? That by having sex three or more times a week, men reduced their risk of heart attack or stroke by half. In reporting these results, the co-author of the study, Shah Ebrahim, Ph.D., displayed the well-loved British gift for understatement: "The relationship found between frequency of sexual intercourse and mortality is of considerable public interest."
- Weight loss, overall fitness: Sex, if nothing else, is exercise. A vigorous bout burns some 200 calories--about the same as running 15 minutes on a treadmill or playing a spirited game of squash. The pulse rate, in a person aroused, rises from about 70 beats per minute to 150, the same as that of an athlete putting forth maximum effort. British researchers have determined that the equivalent of six Big Macs can be worked off by having sex three times a week for a year. Muscular contractions during intercourse work the pelvis, thighs, buttocks, arms, neck and thorax. Sex also boosts production of testosterone, which leads to stronger bones and muscles. Men's Health magazine has gone so far as to call the bed the single greatest piece of exercise equipment ever invented.
- Reduced depression: Such was the implication of a 2002 study of 293 women. American psychologist Gordon Gallup reported that sexually active participants whose male partners did not use condoms were less subject to depression than those whose partners did. One theory of causality: Prostoglandin, a hormone found only in semen, may be absorbed in the female genital tract, thus modulating female hormones.
- Pain-relief: Immediately before orgasm, levels of the hormone oxytocin surge to five times their normal level. This in turn releases endorphins, which alleviate the pain of everything from headache to arthritis to even migraine. In women, sex also prompts production of estrogen, which can reduce the pain of PMS.
- Less-frequent colds and flu: Wilkes University in Pennsylvania says individuals who have sex once or twice a week show 30% higher levels of an antibody called immunoglobulin A, which is known to boost the immune system.
- Better bladder control: Heard of Kegel exercises? You do them, whether you know it or not, every time you stem your flow of urine. The same set of muscles is worked during sex.
- Better teeth: Seminal plasma contains zinc, calcium and other minerals shown to retard tooth decay. Since this is a family Web site, we will omit discussion of the mineral delivery system. Suffice it to say that it could be a far richer, more complex and more satisfying experience than squeezing a tube of Crest--even Tartar Control Crest. Researchers have noted, parenthetically, that sexual etiquette usually demands the brushing of one's teeth before and/or after intimacy, which, by itself, would help promote better oral hygiene.
- A happier prostate? Some urologists believe they see a relationship between infrequency of ejaculation and cancer of the prostate. The causal argument goes like this: To produce seminal fluid, the prostate and the seminal vesicles take such substances from the blood as zinc, citric acid and potassium, then concentrate them up to 600 times. Any carcinogens present in the blood likewise would be concentrated. Rather than have concentrated carcinogens hanging around causing trouble, it's better to evict them. Regular old sex could do the job. But if the flushing of the prostate were your only objective, masturbation might be a better way to go, especially for the non-monogamous male. Having sex with multiple partners can, all by itself, raise a man's risk of cancer by up to 40%. That's because he runs an increased risk of contracting sexual infections. So, if you want the all the purported benefits of flushing with none of the attendant risk, go digital. A study recently published by the British Journal of Urology International asserts that men in their 20s can reduce by a third their chance of getting prostate cancer by ejaculating more than five times a week.
While possession of a robust appetite for sex--and the physical ability to gratify it--may not always be the cynosure of perfect health, a reluctance to engage can be a sign that something is seriously on the fritz, especially where the culprit is an infirm erection.
Dr. J. Francois Eid, a urologist with Weill Medical College of Cornell University and New York Presbyterian Hospital, observes that erectile dysfunction is extension of vascular system. A lethargic member may be telling you that you have diseased blood vessels elsewhere in your body. "It could be a first sign of hypertension or diabetes or increased cholesterol levels. It's a red flag that you should see your doctor." Treatment and exercise, says Dr. Eid, can have things looking up again: "Men who exercise and have a good heart and low heart rate, and who are cardio-fit, have firmer erections. There very definitely is a relationship."
But is there such a thing as too much sex?
The answer, in purely physiological terms, is this: If you're female, probably not. If you're male? You betcha.
Dr. Claire Bailey of the University of Bristol says there is little or no risk of a woman's overdosing on sex. In fact, she says, regular sessions can not only firm a woman's tummy and buttocks but also improve her posture.
Dr. George Winch Jr., an obstetrician/gynecologist in Elko, Nev., concurs. If a woman is pre-menopausal and otherwise healthy, says Dr. Winch, her having an extraordinary amount of intercourse ought not to pose a problem. "I don't think women can have too much intercourse," he says, "so long as no sexually transmitted disease is introduced and there's not an inadvertent pregnancy. Sometimes you can have a lubrication problem. If you have that, there can be vaginal excoriation--vaginal scrape."
Women who abstain from sex run some risks. In postmenopausal women, these include vaginal atrophy. Dr. Winch has a middle-aged patient of whom he says: "She hasn't had intercourse in three years. Just isn't interested. The opening of her vagina is narrowing from disuse. It's a condition that can lead to dysparenia, or pain associated with intercourse. I told her, 'Look, you'd better buy a vibrator or you're going to lose function there.'"
As for men, urologist Eid says it's definitely possible to get too much of a good thing, now that drugs such as Viagra and Levitra have given men far more staying power than may actually be good for them.
The penis, says Eid, is wonderfully resilient. But everything has its limits. Penile tissues, if given too roistering or prolonged a pummeling, can sustain damage. In cases you'd just as soon not hear about, permanent damage.
"Yes," says Dr. Eid, "It is possible for a young man who is very forceful and who likes rough sex, to damage his erectile tissue." The drugs increase rigidity; moreover, they make it possible for a man to have second and third orgasms without having to wait out intermission.
"I see it in pro football players," says Eid. "They use Viagra because they're so sexually active. What they demand of their body is unreasonable. It's part of playing football: you play through the pain." This type of guy doesn't listen to his body. He takes a shot of cortisone, and keeps on going. And they have sex in similar fashion."
There's a reason the penis, in its natural state, undergoes a period of flaccidity: That's when it takes a breather. The blood within it is replenished with oxygen. "During an erection," explains Eid, "very little blood flows to the penis. During thrusting, pressure can go as high as 200 mil of water. Zero blood flows into penis at that time." To absorb oxygen, the tissue must become relaxed. "If you do not allow the penis to rest, then the muscle tissue does not get enough oxygen. The individual gets prolonged erections, gets decreased oxygen to tissue, and could potentially suffer priapism." (We recommend you get a medical encyclopedia and look it up.) "The muscle becomes so engorged, it's painful. Pressure inside starts to increase. Cells start dying. More pressure and less blood flow. Eventually the muscle dies. Then there's scarring. That's why it's considered an emergency."
Interesting right? So sex can not only generate a healthier prostate, but it can also help with weight loss, pain relief and better teeth? I can see how sex can help with weight loss as well as pain relief because you are moving alot of muscles in your body, but lets talk about better teeth. Really? lol. Okay so even if seminal plasma contains zinc, calcium and other minerals to help with tooth decay...I think I rather get my flouride from regular toothpaste lol. But overall both sites I found are pretty much saying the same thing..."Sex is healthy and is definitely necessary, but too much or not enough of it can be considered unhealthy". I agree with alot of points made. I think that with charts like in Chinese medicine that there is a limit to what is considered a healthy amount of ejaculations or a healthy sex relationship. There are also positive and negative benefits of having too much or too little sex. But like with clothes & shoe sizes everyone is different. What works for one person may not work for someone else. And if its healthy for a man in his 20's to have sex 2 times a day (that's 14 times a week), does that mean it's cool to have all your 14 times in one day and just don't have sex again for a week? What about 7 times a day @ twice a week? You still average 14 times a week, but if you did it like that would it still be healthy? And don't start by going over or falling short of the suggested sex amount, if you do...does it then make it unhealthy?
I also learned from doing this study that most of the guys answered the question from a healthy point of view as far as pointing out the benefits of having a good sexual relationship. A majority of the women tended to talk more about the unhealthy parts of having too much sex and went into more details as to why. The doctors or experts as they call them talked about the health factors invovled with a healthy or unhealthy sex life and how it can affect our overall mental/physical conditions. They also went into details to back up or support their theories.
Overall I think that everyone brought forth good points. I think from the peoples point of view we know our body so we know what we can handle. When it comes to having a healthy sex life, you should base it on what is right for you. You also have to be on the same page as your partner or come to some agreement. That doesn't mean you should let sex take over or affect the decisions you make in life. It means that we basically base our decisions on our emotions and how we feel so we need to do what's right for us. Not to mention that anything you do should be in moderation because a good balance will lead to a healthier life. When you are balanced you tend to make better decisions because you are thinking more clearly. If you are unbalanced you may not think clearly and base your decisions on natural reactions instead of morality! This can lead to subconcious decisions where you are not even realizing what you are doing.
You can look at unhealthy sex as meaning the amount of times one engages in it, the amount of partners they engage with, their lifestyle, age and/or overall mental/physical condition...the end result is that most can come to the agreement that sex does feel good. If it doesn't, maybe you are not into it or maybe like one of the experts pointed out:
Women who abstain from sex run some risks. In postmenopausal women, these include vaginal atrophy. Dr. Winch has a middle-aged patient of whom he says: "She hasn't had intercourse in three years. Just isn't interested. The opening of her vagina is narrowing from disuse. It's a condition that can lead to dysparenia, or pain associated with intercourse. I told her, 'Look, you'd better buy a vibrator or you're going to lose function there.'"
Lose function down there? Well that's not nice at all...lol. Anyways don't get it twisted...if you are in a monogomus, commited relationship, there is nothing wrong with having a healthy sexual relationship.
But I want to know what do you think? Do you think too much sex is unhealthy? How much is too much? How much is too little? What points stand out? With all the research, studies and points made, there is still that question...is there such a thing as too much sex? Per Alan Furnham, "The answer, in purely physiological terms, is this: If you're female, probably not. If you're male? You betcha."
Is he right? What do you think? Share your thoughts by leaving comments/feedback. Also feel free to post any links to any other studies, videos and/or posts about this subject.
***THE POLLS ARE RUNNING***I haven't even published this article yet (it will be published by the time you read it..duh) and I have already posted a poll on the site. I still wanted to know what people thought before I posted this article so I simply asked the question, "Is too much sex unhealthy?" The poll is still open for a few more days so I will update this post with current results...as of now here are the results:
Is too much sex unhealthy?
Yes: 0 votes
No: 2 votes
Final votes: No wins with 3 votes!
Courtesy of TazDatMC for the Skidatel Newsletter
References:
Tech Guy via Alan Furnham
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