You've really no excuse! There are a lot of perks (sorry) to having a good sex life, with a number of far-reaching health benefits including lower blood pressure along with a number of physical benefits. Here are just some of our favourites. ____________________________________________ A happy heart Anything that helps to exercise your heart is good for your health and this of course includes sex. Sexual arousal is known to increase your heart rate but the average peak heart rate at orgasm is only the same as during light exercise. This is not enough to keep people fit and healthy though so it is advised to incorporate other exercise into your routine. Hug it out! According to the experts, hugging it out with someone special can reduce your blood pressure and reduce stress levels. Research has shown that couples who hold hands followed by a quick hug have healthier reactions to stressful situations. Stressed Out? Speaking of being stressed, sex has been shown as an extremely helpful way to cope with stress. As aforementioned, it’s known to bring down blood pressure and it has also been shown that sex helps you to relax. A strong immune system Sex can also help to strengthen your immune system. According to researchers, there’s a link between how often you have sex and how strong your immune system is. A study that was carried out in Pennsylvania showed that people who had sex once or twice a week had higher levels of Immunoglobulin A (an important illness-fighting substance). There is still more research being carried out in this area but all in all, having more sex definitely can’t do you any harm! Wellbeing A study of 3,000 people showed that those who are having sex regularly rated their general health and wellbeing quite highly. The emotional aspect of sex boosts our sense of wellbeing and people are more likely to feel in “excellent” health rather than “good” or “poor”. As always, if you are worried about something, experiencing any issues or need more advise, pay a visit to your local GP.