Seniors: How you can experience more intimacy as you age

A lot of things in your life have probably started to slow down as you’ve aged. Maybe your digestion isn’t as effective and running around isn’t as easy. 

These are to be expected as we grow old. But there’s one aspect in our life that can actually get better over the years and that’s intimacy with our partners.

You may not believe it but seniors are having more sex in their golden years. And the best part is they’re enjoying it more than their younger counterparts.

One study in particular revealed that individuals between 57 to 85 were not just enjoying sex but the longer couples were married for the more sex they enjoyed. These findings were part of the National Social Life, Health, and Aging project.

So why exactly are seniors having more sex? Well let’s examine some key factors.

Intimacy improves with age

There are numerous reasons as to why seniors are enjoying more sex some which include:

• As you age you become more comfortable with your body and are more aware of its needs. Because of this you may be more confident and thus leading to more sex.
• You’re not as stressed as you age. This doesn’t mean you don’t have any stress but because you’re over the child-caring years and working full-time you have greater piece of mind. Stress is a key factor which can interfere with sex and sexual pleasure, so less stress means more sex.
• Your hormones are changing. As you age your estrogen or testosterone change. When you’re young these essential sex hormones are what keep you revved up but as you age you also develop a second wind keeping you going.

These are just some factors which come into play and lead to and the increase in sex as you age. So clearly age doesn’t determine one’s ability to want and desire sex after all. And really it shouldn’t.

Sex offers many health benefits, no matter your age. Here are some benefits intimacy can offer you.

Benefits of intimacy

As previously mentioned seniors may be more inclined to have sex because they are less stressed. On the other hand if you are stressed you should still do the deed as sex can greatly reduce stress. Because stress can wreck havoc on your health – it can increase blood pressure for one – reducing it is vital for overall good health.

Additionally sex is a great calorie-burner. It may be harder to exercise as we get older but maintaining a healthy weight is still very important. Sex can be a means of burning some calories and even boosting cardiovascular health.

Lastly, a pressing issue among seniors is their bladder. It seems the older we get the weaker our bladders become. But did you know sex can actually help improve the strength of our pelvic muscles? It’s true! During sex our pelvic muscle contract and relax thus strengthening them. You can improve your urine flow by improving your pelvic muscles.

With so many healthy benefits surrounding being intimate the next step is to “get busy.” Here are some tips to improve your sex life and start improving your health.

Tips to improve intimacy

First and foremost, sex is not only physical but it involves the mind as well. Stress and mental illness can interfere with one’s ability to perform. Managing your mental health can improve your ability to not only want, but to even perform sex.

Being open with your partner is also a means if improving intimacy. You can discover what your partner needs and in turn provide your own needs as well. Being open to new ideas as well can be a means of sparking intimacy.

Additionally, medical conditions and medications can interfere with one’s ability to get intimate. Taking control of both aspects can open up the doors to intimacy. 

If you have concerns about your health preventing your ability to have sex, speak with a doctor to see what options you may have.

Sex doesn’t just have to be something young people enjoy. As you age intimacy is still a means to keep your relationship blooming and having a sense of closeness with your partner. If you still have an interest in sex, speak with your partner as he or she is probably on the same page as you.

References:
http://www.cyclebeads.com/blog/691/the-benefits-of-intimacy_-5-reasons-sex-is-good-for-you
http://www.prevention.com/sex/why-sex-better-your-40s