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Can Having Sex Regularly Reduce Risk Of Dementia For Older Adults
July 25, 2019 | Health | By Amanda Johnson
A recent study carried out by the Universities of Coventry and Oxford pointed out that regular sex reduces risk of dementia in Seniors and improves brain functioning. Read on to know more about this.
About The Research
The details of the result obtained from the research was published in the Journals of Gerontology, Series B: Psychological and Social Sciences. This study was carried out amongst 73 people who were in the age group of 50 to 83 of these 28 were men and 45 were women.
For this research, each individual was asked to complete a questionnaire regarding their frequency of having sex in the past one year. This ranged from never to monthly and then to weekly. It also involved answering questions related to their health and their lifestyle. They were also made to complete a test which was used to measure the various patterns of their brain functions, to judge their attention span, their language skills, their ability to remember, the degree of fluency and also their visuospatial ability.
When the test results were analysed it was found that the seniors who engages more frequently in sexual activities scored the best in the verbal fluency tests.
Researchers behind this study believe that hormones like dopamine and oxytocin are released into the brain during sex which help to improve the brain’s functioning. However, they also added that hormones affect brains differently for men and woman and it is due to this that men fared better than women in the test result.
There was a test done earlier in 2016 which had also shown that sexually active seniors obtained higher scores on cognitive tests.
The next step that the Coventry research team is aiming at is to find out whether the frequency and kind of sexual activity influences the degree of satisfaction in a relationship.
A Changing Perception
There is still little uncertainty as to whether improved brain function due to frequent sex is driven by social or physical elements. For example, sex creates an emotional connect which is good for the brain as well. Researchers thus feel that this study definitely brings out a fact that should be studied more in depth.
This study is also proving to be a beginning in changing the perception of people that older people don’t like to have sex. In fact, if one were to go by the results of this study then seniors should indulge in sex more frequently. For example, nursing homes have started to become proactive towards this. The New York Times recently reported how nursing homes are recognising the need that seniors have for sex and taking steps in this regard like putting a “do not disturb” sign!
What To Keep In Mind
Even if sex has the ability to reduce the chances of dementia, there are certain things that a senior should bear in mind before he engages in the act. For example:
- He should asses his health and know the amount of physical exercise that his body can take. For instance, if he is suffering from a heart condition, then it is best to take a doctor’s permission before indulging in sex. Another example is if someone sufferers from extreme aches and pains then he should be careful of the positions he can have sex in without feeling any discomfort
- Even if sex is good for the brain, he should refrain from having sex indiscriminately since the possibility of STD always exists. In this context, if he does have sex with a new partner, using protection is always advisable.
A relationship based on love goes a long way in keeping the couple happy and in a mental well-being. If one adds sessions of satisfying sex to it, then it increases the benefits even more. So if you are in a loving relationship, you surely have a lot to say cheers about.
