HAVING s3x may be one way older adults can feel better and enjoy life more, suggests a new paper published in the journal s3xual Medicine.
“The general conception is that older adults are not as s3xually active as younger adults, or not s3xually active at all,” says study co-author Lee Smith, a reader in epidemiology at Anglia Ruskin University in the U.K. “s3xual activity does decline as we age, but older adults are not as3xual.” In fact, other recent research found that many American seniors have active s3x lives; 40 per cent of the people surveyed, who were between age 65 and 80, said they were having s3x.
In the new research, Smith and his colleagues examined data from nearly 7,000 U.K. adults ages 50 to 89. People self-reported how and how often they were having s3x, and said how much they agreed with statements about their quality of life and well-being (such as “I enjoy the things that I do” and “I feel full of energy these days”). Based on their answers, each person was then assigned a total life enjoyment score on a 0-to-15 scale.
Adults who were s3xually active tended to have higher total quality of life scores in general, as did those who reported feeling close to their partner. s3xually active men had average life enjoyment scores of 9.75, while those who were not s3xually active had average scores around 9.44; for women, those ratings were 9.86 versus 9.67. These differences were small, but statistically significant enough to suggest an association.
Men, engaging in intercourse at least twice a month and frequent “kissing, petting or fondling” were both associated with more life enjoyment, while only non-intercourse activities were significantly associated with enjoyment among women.
Smith isn’t sure of the reasons behind the gender difference, but suggests that it may have evolutionary roots. Biologically, intercourse serves less of a purpose for women after they go through menopause and cannot become pregnant, while men continue to produce sperm and can stay virile throughout more of their lives, Smith notes.
Nonetheless, the findings suggest that s3xual activity of any sort is important for older adults, perhaps because of its ability to produce endorphins and foster feelings of emotional closeness, Smith says.
Of course, s3x may not be the sole thing fueling those positive associations. Adults who are happier and healthier to begin with likely also have more s3x. Smith’s study couldn’t prove whether s3x causes better well-being or vice versa, and he says it probably “goes both ways.”
Still, Smith says there’s no harm in encouraging adults of all ages to prioritize their s3xuality as part of their overall health, especially since life enjoyment and well-being is linked with everything from better mental health to lower rates of chronic disease.
“To me, s3xual activity is a form of physical activity,” Smith says. “If you’re older and have more s3x, you’re going to feel better.”
Why you should be having s3x in the morning
MOST nights, after a long day at work, all you want to do is flop into bed and go to sleep. But in the morning, with the sunlight streaming in through the window – with the world at your fingertips – a round of s3x seems like a mighty fine idea.
If you love morning s3x, you’re not alone. In 2015, the s3x toy company Lovehoney surveyed 2 300 adults about when they preferred to bone. Men tended to crave s3x between 6am and 9am, with “peak horniness” occurring at 7:54am. (The opposite was true for women, who said they preferred to have s3x between 11pm and 2am.)
Morning s3x is awesome, and not just because it feels great. Here’s why you should consider getting down the moment you get up.
Morning s3x makes you more productive
In a 2018 survey, Mattress Advisor asked nearly 1 000 adults who lived with a partner about their attitudes toward morning s3x. More than half of the men – 53% – said a morning romp made them more productive during the day.
Guys on Reddit agreed. On a thread that asked men why they preferred morning s3x, one user said, “It gets me out of bed… I feel like I can totally tackle the day and be productive if I get laid in the morning.”
Morning s3x can help beat morning stress
s3x floods your body with oxytocin, a stress-relieving hormone that makes you feel relaxed and happy. Not a bad way to kick off a tough day at work. For an extra dose of stress relief, make time for a little cuddling before you get out of bed and hit the shower.
“Oxytocin can be released not only during masturbation and intercourse, but also during close touching,” Dr Debby Herbenick, a s3x researcher at Indiana University, previously told Men’s Health.
Your testosterone levels are higher
The morning is when your testosterone levels are highest, which means your s3x drive is higher, too. s3x is significantly better when you’re already ready and raring to go.
What if my partner doesn’t like morning s3x?
You may love morning s3x, but there’s a chance your partner doesn’t feel the same way. In that 2015 Lovehoney survey, 33 per cent of men and 44 per cent of women said they’d had past relationships suffer due to differing s3x drives.
See if you and your partner can find a compromise – that’s what relationships are all about, right? Split your s3x sessions between morning and evening, so both parties get to capitalise on their respective “peak horniness” periods. You could also save your morning romps for the weekends, when you don’t have to wake up as early, and nobody’s stressed about getting to work on time.
—Times Health & Menshealth.com