Sex and sleep is better with exercise

Filed in archive Studies , Treatment on June 21, 2006

My husband and I recently started taking walks at night. We use the time to unwind and talk about our day. As we're unwinding, we're also getting the extra exercise that both of us desperately need. We're burning calories, firming up our muscles, and making sleep and sex, two of life's greatest pleasures, even more pleasing. We're feeling better, of course, but a recent article on CNN.com explains why we feel better.

It's true that regular exercise helps keep diabetes, heart disease, and cancer at bay. Researchers at The National Sleep Foundation found that an afternoon workout made it easier to fall asleep and stay asleep, though they cautioned that a vigorous evening workout may have an opposite effect. According to a 2003 study at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, a morning workout may work better as a sleep aid. The researchers found that evening exercise had little or no effect on research subjects' sleep habits. Both these studies are contrary to what my husband and I are finding-that is, evening exercise has indeed helped us sleep better.

Regular exercise can also help smokers kick the habit. The adrenaline rush and stress relief that comes from a workout can temporarily replace those same feelings that come from a smoke. Quitting smoking is not a concern for my husband or me, but we are interested in having good sex.

Keeping fit has been proven to improve sexual function. The Harvard School of Public Health studied over 31,000 men and found that those who were physically fit had a 30 percent lower risk of Erectile Dysfunction than those who were less active. A study at the University of British Columbia found that women who exercised for 20 minutes were more sexually responsive than those who did not exercise.

All my husband and I have to do now is remember all of these benefits the next time we feel too lazy to take a walk!

About the author: In her spare time, knotheadus writes for Epinions.com and maintains her own Web site, knot-heads.com.