The number of times you need to have sex weekly to stave off depression – especially if you're aged 20 to 30
WE all know a quick romp can do wonders for our mood.
Now, scientists say regular intimacy could help stave off depression, especially between the ages of 20 and 30.
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A study from Shantou University Medical College showed that having sex just once a week could boost mental health.
Experts analysed the questionnaire responses of 15,000 US adults, which covered how often they had sex and whether they suffered from symptoms of depression.
They found that people who got freaky at least once a week had "significantly" lower odds of depression, compared to those who had sex less than once a month.
Researchers said weekly intimacy could reduce the risk of developing depressive symptoms by 24 per cent.
The greatest benefits were observed in younger adults between the aged of 20 and 30.
Researchers said the mood-boosting benefits of sex might have something to do with the heady cocktail of "feel good" hormones - such oxytocin, dopamine, and endorphins - that course through the body during sex.
Previous research also shows that regular romps may also soothe stress and anxiety.
"Regardless of sexual orientation, sexual activity offers benefits such as enhanced well-being and quality of life, significantly impacting mental health," co-author Professor Mutong Chen wrote in The Journal of Affective Disorders.
Researchers suggested their findings may pave the way for alternative ways of treating depression.
"Despite advancements in medical treatments, the primary approaches to managing depression remain pharmacological and psycho-therapeutic interventions, with drug therapies being the most commonly applied in clinical practice," Prof Mutong noted.
What is tDCS?
"However, only 50 per cent of patients experience significant improvement in depressive symptoms through medication, often accompanied by side effects, highlighting the pressing need to explore alternative or complementary treatment strategies.
"Identifying low-cost, modifiable risk factors is therefore crucial, with behavioural patterns offering promising opportunities for the prevention and management of depression."
The study team analysed the survey responses of 14,741 US adults aged 20 to 59, of whom 1,288 had depression.
Participants' mental health was assessed through a survey commonly used to diagnose depression, called the Patient Health Questionnaire-9.
Depression can manifest in many ways.
We all feel a bit low from time to time.
But depression is persistent and can make a person feel helpless and unable to see a way through.
They may also struggle to about daily life.
Mind says these are some common signs of depression that you may experience:
How you might feel
Down, upset or tearful
Restless, agitated or irritable
Guilty, worthless and down on yourself
Empty and numb
Isolated and unable to relate to other people
Finding no pleasure in life or things you usually enjoy
Angry or frustrated over minor things
A sense of unreality
No self-confidence or self-esteem
Hopeless and despairing
Feeling tired all the time
How you might act
Avoiding social events and activities you usually enjoy
Self-harming or suicidal behaviour
Difficulty speaking, thinking clearly or making decisions
Losing interest in sex
Difficulty remembering or concentrating on things
Using more tobacco, alcohol or other drugs than usual
Difficulty sleeping, or sleeping too much
No appetite and losing weight, or eating more than usual and gaining weight
Physical aches and pains with no obvious physical cause
Moving very slowly, or being restless and agitated
If you feel this way, visit your GP who can help you.
If you, or anyone you know, needs help dealing with mental health problems, the following organisations provide support.
The following are free to contact and confidential:
Samaritans, www.samaritans.org, 116 123, jo@samartiands.org.uk
CALM (the leading movement against suicide in men) www.thecalmzone.net, 0800 585 858
Papyrus (prevention of young suicide) www.papyrus-uk.org, 0800 068 41 41
Shout (for support of all mental health) www.giveusashout.org/get-help/, text 85258 to start a conversation
Mind, www.mind.org, provide information about types of mental health problems and where to get help for them. Email info@mind.org.uk or call the infoline on 0300 123 3393 (UK landline calls are charged at local rates, and charges from mobile phones will vary).
YoungMinds run a free, confidential parents helpline on 0808 802 5544 for parents or carers worried about how a child or young person is feeling or behaving. The website has a chat option too.
Rethink Mental Illness, www.rethink.org, gives advice and information service offers practical advice on a wide range of topics such as The Mental Health Act, social care, welfare benefits, and carers rights. Use its website or call 0300 5000 927 (calls are charged at your local rate).
Researchers found that increasing sexual frequency had a positive effect on psychological well-being.
"Our findings suggest that a sexual frequency of one to two times per week may provide the greatest protective effects on psychological well-being within this age group [adults aged 20–59]," researchers said.
But they noted that protection against depression seemed to peak at around 103 romps per year - this amounts to having sex about twice a week.
"To the best of our knowledge, this is the first observational study to quantify the association between sexual frequency and depression in young and middle-aged, community-dwelling adults in the United States," Prof Mutong said.
Researchers acknowledged that their study had several limitations.
For one, the study design limited their ability "to exclude reverse causality" - meaning it wasn't clear if people suffering from depression were just less motivated to have sex, instead of sex having mood-boosting properties.
Depression - which affects about one in six people in England - can result in loss of sex drive, as well as low mood, lack of motivation and feelings of emptiness, hopelessness or despair.
Researchers said more long-term research was needed to confirm their findings.
"Secondly, the self-reported sexual frequency data may be subject to recall bias, which could be mitigated by employing repeated surveys to improve accuracy," they added.
It comes after scientists from Qingdao University suggested that having sex more regularly could lower the risk of heart disease, as the activity gets the heart pumping, improves circulation, and helps reduce stress - all of which are great for the old ticker.
Another study from Walden University in Pennsylvania found that women aged 20 to 59 who had sex less than once a week had a 70 per cent higher risk of dying within five years, compared to those who had sex more than once a week.
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