The frequency with which a person has sex varies over their lifetimes. Everyone is different. There is no exact “right” amount of times a person should have sex, and abstaining from sex shouldn’t cause any harmful side effects as far as sexual and overall health is concerned.
How often an individual has sex changes over time. It can change depending on health, age, changes in sex drive, and changes in relationship status. Many people enjoy long, fulfilling lives while abstaining from sex entirely.
But before we get into the specifics as well as the benefits and drawbacks of taking time off from sex, it’s only fair to provide the advantages of having sex, whether with a partner or whether you go solo. These include:
- Sex boosts your overall mood. Ever get that extra pep in your step after having sex? Thank your endorphins, or the happy hormones that are released into your bloodstream after having sex and climaxing. They boost your mood and help manage pain.
- Sex is a stress reliever. Sex, like most activities that require some degree of physical exertion, helps relieve your stress. Physical activities inhibit hormones linked to stress, such as cortisol and adrenaline. This, in turn, boosts cardiovascular health, since these hormones are responsible for raising your blood pressure and heart rate, and likewise, cause the narrowing of blood vessels.
- Sex builds your connection with your partner. Sex helps build emotional and physical bonds between partners because sex releases oxytocin – a hormone that may strengthen bonds and reduce stress.
Besides these, sex is also associated with enhanced immune health and function in men.
That said, sex isn’t all rainbows and butterflies – there are also negative aspects of sex, such as STDs and unintended pregnancies when one engages in reckless sexual behavior.
Okay, so we’ve determined the benefits and drawbacks of sex as far as health is concerned. But what about abstinence? Let’s find out.
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What are the health benefits of abstaining from sex?
Taking a “tolerance break” from sex for several days to months is easy for some individuals. But what if you begin abstaining for longer than months or years? Is it a genuine cause for concern? More importantly, are there any negative consequences as a result of taking time off from sex?
Here’s the thing: there are valid reasons for wanting to abstain for multiple reasons, including the following:
- The onset of old age. Age sometimes brings changes to your sex drive, affecting your libido and interest in having sex over time.
- Asexuality. There are individuals that identify with asexuality, which is defined as the lack of sexual attraction and interest in sex.
- Relationship problems. Emotional strain can cause you to abstain from sex, especially if you feel a lack of connection with your partner.
- You simply aren’t interested. Sometimes, circumstances in your life just make sex the farthest priority in your life. There’s nothing wrong with that, it’s normal, and we totally get it.
That said, does abstaining from sex cause any negative effects on your overall health? Based on the science, it’s unlikely that it will cause any physical harm – except, of course, if your sexual needs are different.
Sexual disorders can cause disinterest in sex
For some people, their disinterest in sex may indicate an underlying sexual disorder. Two known sexual disorders are known to cause a lack of interest in sex as follows:
- Hypoactive sexual desire disorder. This sexual disorder is characterized by a chronic lack of interest in sexual activity, as well as a lack of sexual desires and fantasies.
- Sexual aversion disorder. Sexual aversion disorder is characterized by a continuing disinclination to genital contact with individuals you might have typically engaged in sex with.
Both disorders may be experienced by individuals with a particular number of individuals, or everyone you might be interested in having sex with.
These sexual disorders might have come from certain traumas or recent life circumstances, or otherwise, something that an individual living with either disorder has struggled with for most of their lives.
While these disorders may cause considerable stress or problems with your relationship and your partner, both disorders are unlikely to cause any harm to your overall physical health.
Moreover, chronic illnesses like type 2 diabetes, lesser-known diseases called Cushing’s disease (caused by high cortisol exposure) and Addison’s disease (caused by a lack of cortisol production) may all cause low libido.
Does abstinence cause ED?
We’ve established that your overall physical health is largely unaffected if you abstain regardless of duration.
But if you’ve done a modicum of research on men’s health as it relates to their sexual activity, you might have read a couple of studies that appear to suggest ED might be linked to abstaining from sex.
For instance, a 2008 study showed that men who had sex at least once a week enjoyed lower ED risks. Meanwhile, in the same study, men who reported having sex less often than once a week were twice as likely to run the risk of ED compared to the aforementioned group.
But does this study hold any actual water?
Another study indicated that men who engage in frequent masturbation or sex showed the same result (reduced ED risk), as opposed to those who didn’t.
While such studies appear to demonstrate a potential link between extended abstinence, it goes without saying that much more convincing research is needed to establish a conclusive link between the relationship between abstinence and ED.
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What are the side effects of abstinence?
There’s no question that the link between abstinence and ED is still out for the jury to decide – but what are the side effects of long periods without sex pose to your overall health, if any?
As priests, monks, and ascetics may say, abstaining from sex isn’t likely to cause any noticeable effects on your overall health. However, abstaining has been reported to cause the following effects in some individuals:
- Sexual performance anxiety
- Relationship problems if one partner wishes to be or is sexually active
However, with regard to health, studies show that frequent or heightened ejaculation may reduce prostate cancer risk. While studies continue on this finding, this benefit may not be something that someone who fully abstains from masturbation and sex entirely might enjoy.
The final word on abstinence and ED
It’s perfectly understandable to want to abstain from sex – there are indeed plenty of valid reasons for doing so, and the likelihood of abstention causing risks to your overall health is slim.
The bottom line is that there are no concrete links that conclusively link abstinence from ED. Therefore, if you feel that taking a break from sex is what you need to do for your own mental and physical well-being, then there’s absolutely nothing that will stand in the way (health-wise) of your success.
