With many of us enforcedly spending more time with our partners, it may seem like the perfect opportunity to indulge in a little more sex to help strengthen the bonds within our relationships. That's without mentioning the release sex provides in the battle to mitigate the boredom of staying at home.
However, it turns out that sex isn't just beneficial to our relationships and mental health, it's also a fantastic activity for boosting our immune systems. With COVID‑19 cases rapidly approaching two million worldwide, there's been no better time to give in to your desires and reap the health benefits in return.
But how exactly does sexual activity cause those changes within our bodies?
Orgasms help to reduce and rebalance cortisol levels
Whether achieved with a partner or alone, the event of reaching orgasm has a considerable influence on the chemicals and hormones that play essential roles within our immune response.
Lockdown restrictions and the daily news bulletins relating to the COVID‑19 outbreak are enough to make even the most robust among us anxious and stressed. When we find ourselves in that mental state, our levels of cortisol (a stress-inducing hormone) rise, exacerbating stress, and anxiousness.
While cortisol can be useful in small doses as part of an inflammatory immune response, if it hangs around in the blood for too long, it can cause complications with excess inflammation.
During sexual intercourse or masturbation, both dopamine and oxytocin (sometimes referred to as the love hormone) are released. When reaching climax, a burst of these two hormones helps to reduce the level of cortisol circulating in our body, rebalancing the immune system and reducing inflammation.
Sex increases your white blood cell count
White blood cells are the elements of the immune system responsible for protecting the body against infectious diseases and foreign pathogens. There are several different types of white blood cells, but one of the most important is lymphocytes, as these are the cells that create antibodies to fight against bacteria, viruses, and other potentially harmful invaders.
Studies have shown that having sex boosts the numbers of lymphocytes in our systems. Researchers from the University of Duisburg‑Essen in Germany discovered that participants had more lymphocytes in their system 45 minutes after reaching orgasm than they did five minutes prior, demonstrating that these crucial players in our immune system react to sexual arousal and orgasm.
Sexual activity increases immunoglobulin levels
As mentioned, one of the crucial roles of the lymphocytes is to produce antibodies. These antibodies are made up of different types of immunoglobulins, which are proteins that latch on to invading pathogens. The more immunoglobulins you have in your system, the better you can fight off diseases and viruses such as COVID‑19.
Fortunately, sexual intercourse can also help in this regard. In a separate study, scientists found that college students who had frequent sex (once or twice a week) had the highest levels of immunoglobulin in their systems when compared to all other control groups.
Get an accurate picture of your immunity
Here at Because Health, not only can we help you to overcome any issues you're experiencing related to sexual activity, we can also give you a more accurate picture of the current state of your immune system. With our take‑at‑home immunity test, you can use the information provided to develop a tailored plan to boost your immunity over the coming weeks and months.
Our kit only requires a small finger‑prick blood sample. Within ten days, you can view vital information concerning your vitamin levels, your levels of inflammation (cortisol), and the health of your blood proteins (immunoglobulin) within your profile on the secure Because Health portal.
With a clear picture of your immune system, you can begin to understand which areas need improvement and act immediately to address them.
