Not having sex can suck. Like, really suck. Maybe you’re going through a dry spell in your relationship or you’re single and short of quality partners. Whatever the reason, forced abstinence isn’t fun.
Plus, having regular sex is good for your health. It has all sorts of benefits, from increased serotonin and oxytocin levels to better cardiovascular endurance. You sleep better, you feel more relaxed and, more than anything else, it allows for intimate physical connection with another person.
If you stop having sex, your body reacts to that too. Here are some of the things that happen to your body if you stop having sex for a while.
You Might Feel More Stressed
Sex is a stress inhibitor. The hormones released during sex help the body recover from stressful periods. That’s why a regular dose of sexy time is especially beneficial for people with high-stress jobs. It’s also why so many of us use sex as a way to blow off steam and decompress from our super-busy, anxiety-inducing lives.
If sex helps you cope with stress, what happens if you stop? Obviously, it will be harder to deal with your normal stress levels. A small study in Biological Psychology showed that people who had recently had sex had lower blood pressure in response to stressful events than people who hadn’t gotten it on. (A little self-lovin’ can go a long way here, though.)