THE HEALTH BENEFITS OF SEX FOR MEN: A COMPREHENSIVE GUIDE

DR. JUSTIN LEHMILLER·AUGUST 16, 2025

5 MINS READ

Can having sex make you healthier?

While there is certainly some truth to the idea that men in poor health tend to have less desire for sex and do it less often, it’s also the case that sex itself is actually good for our health.

Sex and Fitness

Sex can be viewed as a form of light exercise. Although men don't spend as much time on sex as on a typical gym workout, sex still raises our heart rate because it requires some physical effort.

How many calories does sex burn on average? Studies show that sex burns around 100 calories. However, if you engage in more vigorous activities, that number could increase quite a bit.

This classifies sex as a moderate-intensity exercise. While few people have sex enough to use it as their main form of exercise, it can still be a part of a healthy weight-loss or fitness plan.

Sex and Heart Health

Is sex good for your heart? You better believe it! As a form of exercise, sex is fundamentally a cardiovascular event. All forms of exercise (sex included) promote healthy circulation throughout the body. It’s important for us to get our heart rates up regularly in order to strengthen our heart muscle and have healthy blood flow.

To that end, research finds that men who have sex once a month or less actually have a 45% higher risk of having a heart attack than men who have sex a few times per week. This association exists even when controlling for age, cholesterol, diabetes, and other risk factors, suggesting that frequent sex does indeed seem to be good for the heart.

Does Sex Lower Blood Pressure?

During sex (and other forms of exercise), our heart rate and blood pressure temporarily increase, which is important for strengthening the heart and making it work more efficiently over time. So as we get more exercise, our resting heart rate and blood pressure tend to go down, which is a sign of better cardiovascular health.

Consistent with this, research has indeed found that men who engage in more frequent sexual activity tend to have lower blood pressure.

But it’s not just that: research also finds that when men engage in sexual activity, they subsequently experience less blood pressure reactivity to stress. In other words, sex can help to blunt the body’s stress responsiveness, which is another way that sex can be beneficial for health: it appears to give us more capacity to cope and deal with stress.

Immune System Benefits of Sex

Some research has found that orgasm stimulates the immune system in men, leading to an increase in the number of several types of immune cells. It is thought that this could temporarily enhance the function of the overall immune system.

Another benefit of sex is that orgasm can help to temporarily blunt feelings of pain. This is due to endorphins released during sex, which have soothing, feel-good properties.

In addition, given the stress-lowering properties of sex discussed above, that could open another path to boosting the immune system. When we’re stressed, the body releases more of the hormone cortisol, which dampens immune function. So to the extent that sex helps to blunt the stress response and (by extension) cortisol, we can potentially get another immune boost that can help in maintaining our overall health.

One specific type of pain that sex helps many people with is headaches. Some studies have found that among migraine sufferers, a majority report that having sex provides moderate to full relief from their symptoms. Of course, not everyone is in the mood for sex when they have a headache, but to the extent that you feel up to it, sex just might make you feel better.

Sex and Pain Relief

In short, sex and orgasm can be thought of as all-natural pain relief remedies!

Sex and Disease Prevention

Among the many health benefits of frequent sex is that it might also play a role in preventing certain chronic diseases. For example, as discussed above, sex has cardiovascular benefits, which means that tapping into those might play some role in reducing the odds of cardiovascular disease.

It’s also possible that sex might help in preventing certain types of cancer in men, most notably prostate cancer, which is the single most common cancer diagnosed in men. Research has found that men who ejaculate frequently (whether through sex or masturbation) are substantially less likely to be diagnosed with prostate cancer.

Likewise, the immune-boosting properties of sex may also play a role in reducing the odds of developing various diseases to the extent that men engage in regular sexual activity.

Longevity and Sex

Does sex help you live longer? It very well might for all of the reasons we’ve discussed thus far! Staying sexually active throughout your life seems to confer long-term health benefits.

In fact, research on men has found that frequency of sex is a significant predictor of longevity, such that those who have the most sex tend to live longer.

Adding a little nuance to this finding, research on older adults finds that perceiving sexuality as important and enjoying sexuality is associated with increased lifespan, suggesting that the people who get the most health benefits from sex are the ones who enjoy sex the most. This makes sense because if the sex you’re having isn’t enjoyable or you otherwise have a conflicted relationship with your sexuality (e.g., due to sexual shame), you’re probably going to do it less often and experience fewer of the feel-good benefits of sex.

Conclusions

Sex is essential for men’s health. Research has shown that sex is beneficial for the body in many ways, from strengthening the heart to reducing blood pressure and improving the immune system.

It’s important to discuss men’s sexual health openly. Healthcare providers can discuss sexuality with their patients and normalize conversations about sex, helping to improve health and potentially extend lives.

Enhance your sex life:

INSTANT REACTION

Donald A Droesch shared his personal experience on a blog. He writes about his relation to sex in his marriage and after divorce. He talks about submission and chastity.

His narrative touches on themes of marital sex, personal discovery, and unconventional relationships. He discusses the challenges and pleasures he faced in adapting to a new sexual dynamic.