How Things Affect Sex: 20 Important Facts

02.05.2018

All men want to be good lovers and get the best out of every intercourse. Women want it too. When it comes to the debates about who loves sex more: men or women – men are the winners. For them, sex is more about physiology than psychology. Although, the best sexual acts are those that please you both physically and emotionally.

There are a lot of things that can enhance your performance in bed. At the same time, not all of them are healthy and, in the long, run can lead to intimate problems. If you want to know what affects your sex drive, how does sex affect the brain, your body, mood, etc., read this article to get the answers to your questions.

How does sex affect your body?

Sex is an important part of every person’s life. It is not only a physiological need, it’s a powerful force that guides people and defines their behavior. Both men and women benefit from regular sex. Its benefits are not limited only to physical pleasure. According to sexologists, orgasm, which is the result of sex, has the same effect on the organism as a painkiller. Regular sex has a beneficial effect on some brain areas responsible for learning and memory; it improves concentration and reaction. In other words, the more often you have sex, the better your brain works. During sexual intercourse, the level of oxygen in the blood increases thus increasing brain activity. This is how sex benefits other organs and systems of the male organism:

Improves reproductive function. Regular sexual acts enhance the quality of semen, which in its turn increases the chances of conception.

Prevents the organism from aging. During intercourse, male bodies actively produce testosterone. This hormone strengthens bones and muscles, improves the functioning of the prostate gland and testicles, launches metabolic processes that slow down the aging.

Improves the cardiovascular system. Your pulse speeds up and your heart works more intensively. This how you do your cardio while having sex. Men who have sex 2-3 times a week are less disposed to stroke and heart attack.

Strengthens the immune system. Sex facilitates the production of immunoglobulin A. This substance helps the organism fight different infections.

Boosts your self-esteem. The quality of sexual intercourse matters in this case. When the man knows that he satisfies his woman in bed, he feels like a male, like a winner.

Relieves stress. Due to an intensive release of endorphins, hormones of happiness, during a sexual act, the level of aggression drops and the mood gets better significantly.

Sexual continence can be harmful to men’s health. While women suffer mostly psychologically, long periods of abstinence have negative effects on men’s physiology. While the man is responsible for the quality of sex, his and his partner’s satisfaction, he should know what affects his male power.

Does masturbation affect sex?

There are many misconceptions related to self-pleasure. It’s time to dispel all the myths. Masturbation is a completely normal activity unless it’s done uncontrollably and very frequently. It’s the fact that even small children explore their sexuality through touching their genitals and getting pleasure from it. During puberty, boys often resort to masturbation as it is the only available way for them to outlet their sexual energy. As they grow up and get involved in sexual relationships with the opposite sex, their need for self-pleasure disappears or takes a back seat. Sometimes, though, the desire to masturbate doesn’t disappear even if a man has healthy sexual relations.

Positive effects of masturbation for men:

• Natural way to discharge sexual tension.
• The way to explore your sensations, which later will help you control ejaculation.

Negative effects of masturbation for men:

• If a man ejaculates often, he wastes a lot of vital energy.
• Masturbation can lead to addiction, and onanism can become the major form of sexual life.
• Masturbating for the sake of quick sexual discharge, a man can get used to a fast ejaculation which will take the form of premature ejaculation when having sex with a partner.

You should know that masturbation doesn’t affect: potency, weight, penis size, the sensitivity of the penis, quality of semen, testosterone level, eyesight.

Does smoking affect sex?

We all know that smoking is harmful to our overall health. Men and women are interested in one very important question: “Does smoking affect sex drive?” You should know that nicotine is a big enemy of erection. The smoker’s blood is thicker, thus transports less oxygen and flows more slowly through the network of blood vessels. As a result, its supply to the genitals drops. It means that the organ that is supposed to be filled with blood to perform its function doesn’t get enough blood. According to statistics, 12% of men aged 30-50 suffer from impotence due to smoking.

Cigarette smoke is a source of toxic chemicals. The body reacts to them intensifying the production of detoxicating enzymes. They destroy the toxins, but at the same time they destroy the hormones, sex hormones, in particular. That’s why smokers have lower levels of estrogen and testosterone in comparison with non-smokers. It causes low libido, which means low sexual desire. Unlike masturbation, smoking can affect penis size. If a man starts smoking at a young age, in 5-10 years, his blood vessels narrow down and the penile tissue deteriorates. Smoking prevents normal development of the organism. As a result, a smoker’s penis can become smaller than it was before, and this may cause some psychological discomfort.

Does alcohol affect sex?

Another controversial question to be answered is: “In what ways does alcohol affect your sex drive?” Alcohol can enhance your sexual desire and even help you last longer, but everything will depend on the quality and quantity of the alcohol you drink. For example, a glass of red wine has a beneficial effect on men’s health. It slows down ejaculation and prolongs a sexual act by increasing the time of erection. However, if alcohol is consumed regularly, ethanol contained in liquors will have detrimental effects on prostate and potency. First, nocturnal emissions and erotic dreams will disappear. Later, ejaculation will not happen soon, but orgasms will be less intensive. Drinking alcohol before having sex on a regular basis will gradually kill your libido and cause erectile dysfunction.

If an adult person gets used to having sex while a bit intoxicated, it can be difficult for them to do it when they are sober. They may find it difficult to relax and turn on because alcohol used to give them this illusion. However, if a man abstains from alcohol and starts leading a healthy lifestyle, he’ll get back to a normal sex life.

Does marijuana affect sex?

People who smoke cannabis, often do it right before sex. Do sex and marijuana make a perfect combination? Cannabis has always been a powerful aphrodisiac that intensifies sexual desire and enhances satisfaction. However, it works differently on different people, so it may even spoil your performance by totally killing your desire. Depending on the sort of marijuana, it can have either a sedative or exciting effect.

It’s been proved that weed excites you and makes you want sex, but smoking it too much and too often will reduce your testosterone level. And this can possibly lead to the loss of libido. Daily use of marijuana may result in erectile dysfunction three times as likely.

Many men claim that marijuana helps them last longer. However, it’s a fact that when smoking your sense of space and time alter, so it may seem to you that you’re doing for so long when indeed it’s been just several minutes. According to researchers, the dose matters. It’s like with alcohol – if you keep it low, you’ll get a boost, if you smoke too much, you’ll just lower your desire.

Speaking about drugs, does Adderall affect sex drive? Many men with ADHD take this medication. However, they should be aware of its side effects, which are erectile dysfunction and low libido.

Does a vasectomy affect sex drive?

Vasectomy is a widespread method of men’s sterilization. It’s relatively safe, and it doesn’t affect libido and sexual pleasure. There are a lot of myths about vasectomy that need to be dispelled.

Myth #1: It kills libido

Vasectomy is an operation during which vas deferens (through which sperm goes from the testicles to urethra) are excised. After the operation, sperm will be produced but it will have no pathway to go to your urethra. It will be digested and absorbed by your body. Ejaculation will happen during intercourse, but it will not contain sperm – there will be only fluid from your prostate. Vasectomy doesn’t affect libido because it doesn’t have any effect on your testosterone production as your testicles remain safe.

Myth #2: It’s a complicated surgery

Unlike women’s sterilization, vasectomy is a quite simple operation. It’s even performed under a local anesthetic. It lasts no longer than 30 minutes. The recovery period takes about two weeks. After that, you can have sex again. You’ll have to use a condom as sperm will completely disappear from the seminal fluid in 20 ejaculations.

Myth #3: Sterile men grow older faster

It’s a totally groundless stereotype. Sexual hormones keep being produced as testicles stay intact and function as they did before. Moreover, men feel more confident as he knows he and his partner are protected from the unwanted pregnancy.

Does sex affect muscle growth?

There is a direct link between sex life and muscle growth. After all, sex is a kind of physical activity during which a lot of different muscles work.

Muscle growth is a complex process that requires a lot of different microelements and vitamins. Zinc is one of those important elements. When men ejaculate, they lose a lot of zinc, which is an important building material for sperm as well as new muscle tissue. What conclusion you can draw from it is that frequent sex with ejaculation leads to zinc deficiency. Low levels of zinc can later cause sterility. It also affects the testosterone level. It’s important to supply your organism with zinc-containing products, such as liver, nuts, shellfish, oysters, some cereals.

High levels of testosterone facilitate muscle growth. If a man regularly has sex, he keeps his testosterone at high levels. And high testosterone levels help grow muscle mass. Both sex and work-outs have a direct impact on muscle growth. However, both activities shouldn’t be abused.

How psychology affects sex

A lot of sexual problems are in your head. Obsessive thoughts, lack of confidence, constant stress have a great impact on your sexual desire and your performance. Can stress affect your sex drive? Yes, it can, but another question is: does stress affect it positively and negatively? If it’s a pleasant stress (promotion, extreme sport), it will increase the level of sex hormones and facilitate the intercourse. If it’s a bad stress (distress), and it’s prolonged, it may soon result in erectile dysfunction.
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