Sex and your heart health go hand in hand, but not for the reason you think.

Despite popular belief, sex doesn’t give your heart the aerobic workout you think it does, but that doesn’t mean it’s not good for you.

As it is technically a form of exercise, even if it only burns around five calories a minute, it can pay off both physically and emotionally, which includes:

• Lowering your blood pressure
• Reducing stress
• Improving your quality of sleep due to the release of oxytocin
• Increasing intimacy in a relationship

Increased intimacy and strong social connections can also reduce your risk of heart disease, as it lowers feelings of loneliness, depression and anxiety.

Studies have suggested that men who have sex at least twice a week and women who report having satisfying sex lives are less likely to have a heart attack.

And if your partner falls asleep soon after sex? Don’t worry. Science has shown that the tendency to fall asleep first after sex is associated with greater partner desire for bonding and affection.

"The more one's partner was likely to fall asleep after sex, the stronger the desire for bonding," explains Daniel Kruger, research fellow at the University of Michigan and lead author of the study.

If you’re not currently having regular sex with another person, new research has shown that masturbation that leads to sexual pleasure or orgasm still triggers feel-good hormones, such as endorphins, dopamine, oxytocin, serotonin and more.

These hormones can help reduce your stress, improve the quality of your sleep and leave you feeling more relaxed and calmer throughout the day.

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