There's a good reason why it gets so much coverage. Sex is not only enjoyable, it's healthy. As long as it's done properly, it can make you a happier person and - according to some surveys - it can make you live longer.

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Apart from making you feel appreciated, what's so great about sex? Here are a few good reasons.

It keeps your hormones in shape
Testosterone gets bad press. It's blamed for everything from road rage to those silly helmets with beer cans on them that some blokes wear to rugby games. In reality, testosterone helps maintain energy levels and according to one study, can reduce the risk of heart trouble. Testosterone levels peak after sex and seem to benefit from extended bouts of foreplay - as if you needed an excuse.

It makes you live longer
The benefits of a fulfilling sex life include an overall sense of wellbeing and peace. Having a fulfilling relationship with a dose of intimacy is likely to aid this. One study among 900 middle-aged men in Wales found that those who had sex twice a week were likely to live about ten years longer than those who didn't. There may be a chick-of-egg paradigm here, as the men who were sickly and lonely may have been less likely to have sex anyway, but there's little doubt that sex and intimacy is good for your self-image, which is good for your health.

It makes you look after yourself
The more your use your plumbing, the more likely you are to keep an eye on your prostate and testicles, which can end up helping you detect the symptoms of life-threatening disease earlier.

It keeps you in shape
Don't expect a quickie every fortnight to burn off the cheeseburger you inhale each lunchtime. But sex does push up your heart rate from around 75 beats per minute to around 140 or even 170 beats per minute during orgasm. Increases in heart rate are good for your heart as long as they happen regularly. So, combine your lovemaking with regular aerobic exercise and reap the benefits. Just don't tell your partner you're only after her for the exercise.

It makes you look younger
According to a 10-year study of a whopping 3 500 people in Europe and the US, couples who have sex at least three times a week look a decade younger than those who make love less often. Even if your hit rate isn't as high as that (Some couples find that quantity doesn't equal quality), you'll still reap some benefits from smiling more often.

It can make you live longer
Regular sex could keep you alive for longer. The more orgasms a man has, the longer he is likely to live, at least according to a study of over 900 middle-aged men in Wales, which found that men who had sex at least twice a week were less than half as likely to die in the next ten years than men who had sex less often. Again, it could be a chicken-or-egg scenario, where healthy men are more likely to have sex, but it seems to bear out other research that found that people who regularly share intimacy are healthier than those who don't.

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