Experts reveal the impact of celibacy on both your physical and mental health

So you've clicked on this article to learn about the physical and mental impact of celibacy, first things first my condolences for your sex life not going how you were hoping.

Unless, of course, you're wanting to remain celibate, in which case you do you.

Anyhow, you came here to learn about what not having sex does to your mind and body, and there's been a study on over 17,000 people where exactly that has been measured.

First off, the good news as the information shows that people who aren't getting any still tend to show 'very similar happiness levels as their sexually active counterparts.

So, that's nice.

However, there's still more to it as the experts dug deeper into what having sex or not having it did for your health.

Getting physical can have an impact on your physical health. (Getty Stock Photo)

Let's start with the physical consequences of not getting physical, staying celibate is unlikely to be a negative thing for your health.

On the other hand, in the right context, sex can be a very healthy thing for you to do and the absence of it from your life could mean you're missing out on some benefits, if you know what I mean.

I am, of course, referring to the data that shows regular sex leads to a boost in your immune system, lower blood pressure, a drop in stress levels and greater cardiovascular health.

Some of these benefits you can umm... handle solo, with figures from a 2016 study indicating that blokes who blow their load at least 21 times a month have lower risk of prostate cancer than men who only managed it between four and seven times in 30 days.

Meanwhile, for women frequent sexual activity can help strengthen the pelvic floor muscles which can prevent incontinence, so celibacy could see you running the risk of that.

There are also some more obvious benefits, as if you're not having sex then you're not really at risk of sexually transmitted infections.

It's not going to be good for your mental health if you don't want to do it. (Getty Stock Photo)

As for what's cloggin' up your noggin, the mental health impact of celibacy has much to do with how welcome an extended period of not doing the horizontal bop is.

Many who want to be having sex but aren't don't feel great about themselves, which can lead to some rather problematic behaviours to say the least.

Negative impacts on mental health can also result in physical consequences.

For people who are in a relationship where the sex like is moribund, experts have warned that this can make people feel 'insecure and anxious', and the best remedy for that is an honest discussion about where you're at.

On the other hand, people who would prefer not to have sex because they don't want to are more likely to see a boost to their mental health from not partaking in rumpy-pumpy.

There are also times when a person needs to work through their feelings about sex, and a period of time not having sex can help them do this.

Topics: Health, Mental Health, Sex and Relationships

Joe Harker

Joe graduated from the University of Salford with a degree in Journalism and worked for Reach before joining the LADbible Group. When not writing he enjoys the nerdier things in life like painting wargaming miniatures and chatting with other nerds on the internet. He's also spent a few years coaching fencing. Contact him via [email protected]

@MrJoeHarker