A new study has found that sex can help mothers with young children avoid the harmful effects of stress, especially metabolic disorders. In this category of mothers with children of various disorders, from the autistic spectrum to physical problems, the results of the study proved that those who had regular sexual activity showed higher levels of healthy metabolic hormones than the mothers who were not sexually active.
Long-term stress is harmful to the body, increasing the risk of heart disease, diabetes, depression, stroke and obesity. Meanwhile, research has shown that any increased physical activity can help prevent such diseases.
"Considering the harmful consequences that chronic stress can have on health, it is essential to explore protective factors. As a relationship researcher, I'm particularly interested in how different aspects of our experiences can play a protective role," says Yoobin Park, a researcher at the University of California, San Francisco.
Researchers asked 183 women aged 20 to 50, with at least one child between the ages of two and 16, to take part in regular assessments of their stress levels over two years. During each assessment period, participants were asked to complete seven-day questionnaires and clinic visits to collect health data, including blood samples for key metabolic indicators such as insulin, insulin resistance, and more. Asking the mothers daily if they had had sexual activity the night before, while other indicators related to overall satisfaction were also measured.
Those who reported having sex at least once during the one-week assessment period were considered sexually active. After the data were collected, a total of 101 women had indicated that they were either consistently sexually active or consistently inactive.
Mothers caring for at least one child with a disorder were included in the "high stress" group, as opposed to other mothers designated "low stress."
So, highly stressed mothers were more likely to have higher levels of insulin and insulin resistance, unless sexual activity was a factor. Compared to the low-stress group, sexually inactive high-stress mothers fared significantly worse than those who had more sex.
Suggested articles:
