Sex after divorce, what a frightening thought! But be honest, it’s a thought you’ve had. And, if you are thinking about it, isn’t it time to straddle that bike and start peddling again?
Let’s face it, the vast majority of us long for sexual intimacy and once you are divorced you become master of that domain with the ability to pick and choose what is and isn’t right for you, sexually.
If you are someone who isn’t interested in sex, for the first time since you married you don’t have to feel the pressure or obligation to have sex. On the other hand, if you are someone who is highly interested in sex, divorce is your opportunity to explore your sexuality in ways that may not have been possible during your marriage.
If you are finding it difficult to take the first step and become sexually intimate below are five health reasons that will motivate you and get you moving in the direction of a fulfilling sex life post-divorce. One disclaimer though, risky sex with lots of partners is dangerous. So, when you play, be picky and play it safe!
5 Reasons Intimacy After Divorce Is Good For Your Health:
1. Orgasm turns off pain receptors in the brain.
“Orgasm can block pain,” says Barry R. Komisaruk, PhD, a distinguished service professor at Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey. It releases a hormone that helps raise your pain threshold.
Stimulation without orgasm can also do the trick. “We’ve found that vaginal stimulation can block chronic back and leg pain, and many women have told us that genital self-stimulation can reduce menstrual cramps, arthritic pain, and in some cases even headache,” Komisaruk says.
During sexual activity, something healing happens: When the body releases its oxytocin surge, the high level of the hormone triggers the release of endorphins, the brain chemicals that bear an abnormally close resemblance to morphine. Endorphins are associated with a “runner’s high,” the feel-good “brain burst” that occurs after vigorous athletic activity. Since sex is a form of exercise it only makes sense that the release of endorphins during can help relieve body aches and pains.
2. Sex is a stress reliever!
We all know that divorce stress doesn’t end once you sign your final decree of divorce. What better way to relieve some of that stress than having fun between the sheets.
Science suggests there are natural ways to regulate stress. In a study by Benedetta Leuner, Erica R. Glasper and Elizabeth Gould for Princeton University, it was found that daily intercourse for two weeks led to cell growth in the hippocampus, the part of the brain that keeps stress levels under control. If the idea of having sex every day for two weeks causes you stress, not to worry, the research also showed the more you have sex, the less stressful having sex becomes.
3. Sex increases metabolic rates, stretches muscles, and increases flexibility and energy.
The average sex session lasts about 30 minutes and burns between 50 and 100 calories. That doesn’t sound like much, but sex is a physical activity like any other, you will get out of it, what you put into it. So if you are vigorous between the sheets, you’ll burn more calories. Adding sex to your exercise “routine” two or three times a week will help keep you lean healthy.
4. Sex keeps you younger.
A study by Duke University, reported in the December 1982 Journal of Gerontologist found that frequent sexual intercourse for men and frequent sexual enjoyment for women increased lifespans. In 1976 a study published in the Journal of Psychosomatic Medicine linked frigidity and sexual dissatisfaction in women with incidences of myocardial infarction.
David Weeks, MD, author of Secrets of The Super Young, says that “sex helps you look between four and seven years younger.” He attributes this to substantial reductions in stress levels, greater contentment with life in general for those who have regular sex and, the fact that sex helps regulate sleep habits.
No need to invest in Botox, just have regular, enjoyable sex!
5. Sex trumps money when it comes to happiness.
According to Money, Sex, and Happiness: An Empirical Study, sex makes people happier longer than having money does. The study found that sexual activity enters strongly into the happiness of folks who are having regular sex. Greater income doesn’t by more sex or, sex partners but the study found that more sex reduced more happiness despite income.
Let’s be honest, sex and money play a role in how happy someone is but, based on research if you are ever given the choice, sex or money, you’ll find more happiness if you choose good sex.
Sex feels good and it’s good for you. If you’ve been holding back out of fear or insecurity let go and “get some.” Now that you know that a healthy sex life can reduce stress, help you look younger, relieve pain and keeps you fit, you’ve no excuse to not take advantage of what can be found between the sheets. Unless, of course, this just isn’t the right time for you to be engaging in that particular activity.
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