Having less sex makes you sadder, according to experts. Humans regularly need to have sex to feel their best, say experts, and it appears women are the ones who suffer most from a lack of action - feelings of sluggishness, tiredness and a loss of libido are among the results of a prolonged dry period.
"When people have sex they're usually having skin-to-skin contact, and this kind of contact is the first primal way we as humans get comforted [as babies with our mothers]," sex therapist Sari Cooper told Readers's Digest.
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"Sexual connection gives partners loads of skin-to-skin caressing and touch and can help to regulate one another's moods.
"For some people who refrain from sex, they begin to feel more sluggish, with less vitality and hunger for sex," she added. "'Out of sight, out of mind' is how some of my clients describe the scenario."
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A lack of sex can also lead to changes in women's bodies that make enjoying sex again more difficult. For women going through the menopause or later on in life, this can be a particular problem, as physiological changes take effect.
"If you take a young woman who's 20 or 30 years old she's going to have plenty of estrogens around to make sure those tissues stay healthy, elastic and lubricated when she's not having sex," claims Dr Lauren Streicher, sex expert and author of the 2015 book Sex Rx: Hormones, Health, and Your Best Sex Ever.
"If you take someone who's 60 and has no estrogen, she has lost that piece of it."
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Dr Streicher also attributes sex to improving period pains for those who are menstruating.
"The uterus is a muscle and many women will actually have a uterine contraction when they orgasm, which will cause the blood to expel more quickly, which will in turn decrease menstrual cramps," she says.
"Also, there may be an increase in endorphins, which also will help with menstrual cramps."
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Sex often falls by the wayside in long-term relationships, but if you're in that category, reading this and starting to wonder whether you should be adding regular romp sessions to the calendar, be warned: a rigorous, tightly-adhered to schedule is not the answer.
Although the act of getting it on is a great way of destressing, scheduling sex can cause stress in itself, and Dr Streichers warn against placing an emphasis on having sex as a way of relieving stress.
"Sex is actually stressful for a variety of reasons: it may be painful, or it could be one more thing on [a person's] to-do list," she says.
So there you go. Regular sex is good for you (within the confines of a consensual, mutually understood agreement, of course). Mandatory sex according to a timetable is stressful. Yep, everything seems to be in order here.
Featured Image Credit: Universal PicturesTopics: Interesting, Sex, Health