20 AWESOME Perks Of Spending More Time In The Bedroom *Wink*

My work as a couples counselor is to help you create passion in your relationship, and sexual passion is certainly one strong contributor to overall passion.

According to Drs. Patricia Love and Steven Stosny, "Studies show that when things are going well, sex contributes only 15 percent to the overall satisfaction of a relationship. But if things aren't going well, it contributes 85 percent to the dissatisfaction."

In keeping with this theme of passion, I present to you the following list of ways sex benefits you, excerpted with permission from the book How To Improve Your Marriage Without Talking About It by Drs. Love and Stosny.

1. It improves marriage. 

Even though you didn't technically promise to "love, honor, and have sex once a week," when you made a commitment to your relationship, it was understood that sex would be part of that bargain. Imagine how the marriage rates would go down if people said, "I'll marry you, but don't expect sex." If you polled one thousand people on the street and asked them, "Is it reasonable to expect to have to have sex when you are married?" the overwhelming majority would say yes. If you expect a monogamous commitment from your partner, then it stands to reason that you are a cooperative sex partner.

2. It prevents fights. 

Oxytocin, which triggers orgasm, has an amnesic effect that lasts up to five hours. So for a period of time you forget that he maxed out your Visa card or she was an hour late getting home from work. Women get an additional benefit. During orgasm that parts of the brain that govern fear, anxiety, and stress are switched off. (Faking orgasm gives no such benefit.)

3. It rewires you for pleasure. 

Every time you share a positive experience with your partner, your brain comes to associate him or her with pleasure. You can transform any relationship simply by increasing the number of enjoyable times you share together.

4. It puts the "P" back in partnership.

Passion is what separates your relationship with your intimate partner from those with girlfriends and buddies. Yes, you two are best friends and confidants, but without sex you will not have passion.

5. It heightens your sense of smell.

After sex, production of prolactin surges, causing stem cells in the brain to develop new neurons in the brain's smell center (olfactory bulb).

6. It aids in weight loss. 

Rambunctious sex burns a minimum of two hundred calories, about the same as running fifteen minutes on a treadmill. British researchers determined that the equivalent of six Big Macs can be worked off by having sex three times a week for a year.

7. It reduces depression. 

Prostaglandin, a hormone found in semen, modulates female hormones. Orgasm releases endorphins, producing a sense of well-being and euphoria.

8. It relieves pain. 

During sex, levels of oxytocin surge five times their normal level, releasing endorphins that alleviate pain. Sex also prompts production of estrogen, which reduces the pain of PMS for women.

9. It keeps your heart healthy. 

Women who have more sex have higher levels of estrogen, which protects against heart disease.

10. It can cure the common cold. 

Once-a-week sex produces 30 percent higher levels of immunoglobulin A, which boosts the immune system.

11. It improves bladder control. 

Sex strengthens the pelvic muscles that control the flow of urine.

12. It protects your prostate.

Some urologists believe they see a relationship between infrequency of ejaculation in men and cancer in the prostate. In this case, solo sex works just as well, but why opt out on all the other benefits?

13. It makes you more beautiful. 

For women, extra estrogen from orgasm makes hair shine. Sweat produced during sex cleanses the pores and makes skin glow. Serotonin produces the afterglow of sex.

14. It reduces stress. 

Sex is ten times more effective than Valium, with no side effects.

15. It relieves a stuffy nose. 

Really. Sex is a natural antihistamine. It can even help combat hay fever and asthma.

16. It firms your tummy and butt. 

Regular sex can firm your tummy and butt, plus improve posture.

17. It boosts your immune system. 

Endorphins stimulate immune-system cells that fight disease.

18. It keeps you young. 

Sex actually slows down aging. It lowers cortisol levels in the bloodstream, which reduces stress and slows down the aging process.

19. It protects against Alzheimer's and Osteoporosis. 

Women who have more sex have higher levels of estrogen, which protects against Alzheimer's and osteoporosis.

20. It gets you high.

Who wouldn't want more? The best way to get a natural high is sex!

P.S. Would you like to receive my Special Report: "20 Rituals for Romance" for free? Click here!