Ace-Anti-Ageing

The Anti-ageing Power of Sex

Look 10 years younger and increase your lifespan all through having sex, says Jayney Goddard

In this month’s article – given that we’re in Valentine’s season, and thoughts turn to love and relationships – I want to share with you some scientifically proven, useful, sexy strategies to boost your life span by an extra 10 healthy years, while simultaneously helping you to look years younger!

Now, I know that you’re thinking “Hey, Jayney, that’s a big promise!” But I guarantee that what I’m about to share with you really does work – it doesn’t cost anything, no pills or potions are involved; it’s just an incredibly powerful, sexy and effective lifestyle strategy that we can all take advantage of.

Anti ageing

Now we all know that a bit of naughty nookie gives us that little bit of an extra glow, and certainly puts a spring in our step, but what’s the actual evidence that sex is such a powerful anti-ageing strategy? Dr David Weeks, a consultant neuropsychologist at the Royal Edinburgh Hospital discovered that ‘good sex’ can help a person to look between four and seven years younger. He explains: “A good sex life leads to greater contentment, significant reductions in stress, better sleep and, in men, an increase in testosterone output.” For his astonishing study, Dr Weeks questioned more than 3,500 volunteers throughout the decade of his research into the secrets of youthful appearance and behaviour. He concluded that genetic factors were only 25 percent responsible for youthful looks while behaviour was 75 percent the cause. And one of the main behavioural factors was sex as part of a longterm relationship.

The importance of having great sex

So what actually is ‘good sex’? It is different for everybody, and sexuality is ‘plastic’ (to use the scientific term), meaning that it is changeable – so what appeals to us at one time may not be so sexy or arousing next time. I have found, among my friends and I, that our turn-ons nowadays are very different from those things that revved our engines many years ago. Dr Weeks’ research shows that loving, connected, exciting sex – and doing whatever turns you on and works for you – can actually add up to a decade of life expectancy.

Great sex isn’t just for young people! We often make the mistake of thinking that the benefits of sex are limited to younger people only – however, yet more research shows that satisfying sex can help people in their 80s and older to enjoy a higher quality of life.

Researchers from the Stein Institute for Research on Aging at the University of California, San Diego, found that quality of life, successful ageing and sexual satisfaction were all strongly linked – even in people aged 60 to 89 years plus. This is particularly interesting as women traditionally seem to experience a decline in physical health (in industrialised nations) between these ages – and it is thought that maintaining a good sex life can help stave off this decline.

The concept of good sex being so healthy isn’t new – in fact, sex is immensely important in ancient tantric and taoist philosophies. Both of these have practices for conserving and building sexual energy, and the joining of sexual energies by two partners is purported to bring the highest pleasure and spiritual enlightenment. In tantra and taoism, prolonged, deeply-connected sex enhances health and dramatically increases longevity. Satisfying sex produces a soup of feelgood, health-promoting neurotransmitters (including oxytocin and serotonin), while inflammation is reduced as production of the stress hormone, cortisol, is decreased – thus combating all forms of chronic disease. Finally, orgasms have beneficial effects on our immune system as they strengthen our infection-fighting cells by approximately 20 percent. Lastly, if you feel a migraine coming on, having an orgasm can often halt it in its tracks.

Love, hugs, connection and longevity

To further enhance the benefits of sex, when a couple experiences orgasms they should hug each other as this facilitates the excretion of the ‘connection hormone’ oxytocin, which is directly linked to life expectancy. Cuddling can increase life expectancy by as much as seven years and reduces the risk of depression and chronic diseases. Don’t worry if you’re not with a partner though – you’ll still reap many of the benefits of an oxytocin rush after orgasms – no matter how you have them.

But what if you don’t have orgasms? We are all so incredibly different and many women never have orgasms from penetrative sex – and some women report that they simply never climax at all. If this rings true for you, you’re not alone. Orgasms, as wonderful as they are, are a learned response and, given that 99 percent of our sexual response is centred in the brain, it is crucial to get your mind-set right – if, of course, having orgasms is something that you really want. Orgasms are complex, elusive things – if you are finding them challenging, take a look at some of the excellent online resources out there.

Help from toys

By the way, something else I need to share with you regarding the orgasm age-rewind puzzle is that we really do need to take advantage of all the sex toys out there – and more so as we get older. Obviously, they are fun and can really help you to relax and orgasm in the way that you want to. However, as we get older, our vaginal lining becomes thinner and our muscles become somewhat weaker and this is where toys and other sex aids become very useful. They can help prevent and reverse this atrophy – and this in itself is an absolute game-changer! I have recommended these to many of my clients – women who previously wouldn’t have been interested in them (possibly because of not knowing about their legitimate health role, and because there’s a bit of a stigma in this area) have told me that they now experience pain-free, enjoyable sex, have better muscular control and tightness overall. To be honest, I was overjoyed when Sainsbury’s supermarkets came out with their own range of sex toys last October – by taking them into the mainstream, it helps to de-stigmatise and normalise them. Long gone are the days of having to sidle into a private shop with the dirty mac brigade and take your chances!

So, this Valentine’s season, whether you have a partner or not, claim your orgasms, boost your sex life and rewind your age to look younger and vibrant – and add up to a decade of healthy years to your lifespan!

You’re invited to join my exclusive Facebook group ‘Rewind Your Body Clock’ for more tips, techniques and discussions on everything to do with natural age reversal. Also, join my mailing list at my site JayneyGoddard.org to access lots of fantastic free gifts and downloads that I have set up especially for Natural Health readers.

Jayney has created a series of exclusive free downloads on a variety of health topics – and some wonderfully effective relaxation and sleep meditation just for Natural Health magazine readers. Find these at jayneygoddard.org