Get down and get rid of these symptoms!
This week POPSUGAR brings us a list of all the strange things that sex can cure. From hiccups to migraines, getting down has never seemed more fun and healing!
It’s no surprise that there are benefits to sex, but now a new study has come out saying that sex can do something else: cure migraines. Published in Cephalalgia, the journal of the International Headache Society, the study found that more than half of migraine-suffering participants who had sex experienced an improvement in symptoms, and 20 percent were completely cured of their headache. According to the researchers, it’s all about the endorphins released during sex:
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“Our results show that sexual activity during a migraine attack might relieve or even stop an attack in some cases, and that sexual activity in the presence of headache is not an unusual behavior. Sex can abort migraine and cluster headache attacks, and sexual activity is used by some patients as acute headache treatment.”
But headaches aren’t the only thing sex cures; here are six more:
- Cramps: Having sex can help with period pain. Orgasms cause the uterine muscles to contract and release brain chemicals that act as a natural pain reliever, immediately relieving menstrual cramps.
- Colds: Regular sex has also been shown to have immune-boosting effects that can cure the common cold. Intercourse raises immunoglobulin A, an antibody that fights the cold virus.
- Morning sickness: Oral sex can cure morning sickness? Yes, according to Gordon Gallup, a psychologist at SUNY-Albany. He says that the best way to cure morning sickness during pregnancy is with semen from the person who got you pregnant. Gallup believes that a woman’s body rejects the father’s semen, causing sickness, so if you build up a tolerance by ingesting it, you can prevent the stomach problems.
- Insomnia: After sex, your body releases the hormone oxytocin, aka the “cuddle hormone,” which makes you sleepy. And women produce more oxytocin than men.
- Hiccups: Dr. Francis M. Fesmire came up with two cures for hiccups, “digital rectal massage” and orgasms. He said, “An orgasm results in incredible stimulation of the vagus nerve. From now on, I will be recommending sex — culminating with orgasm — as the cure-all for intractable hiccups.”
- Depression: Sex has been proven to help mental health thanks to numerous studies. James Coan, Ph.D., professor of psychology at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, says, “When you have sex, you release feel-good hormones, including oxytocin and endorphins.” And a recent study found that oral sex can help, too, since semen contains chemicals that elevate mood, increase affection, and contain antidepressants.
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Photo credit: Flickr / kainr
The problem with sex helping depression is it can help mild depression, but for moderate to severe, the you generally lack a sex drive. Another problem is that even if you are having sex, you take longer to orgasm and your orgasms usually aren’t as intense. It also never helped my insomnia because I think we mislabel being unable to sleep for one night as insomnia when insomnia is actually a serious medical condition that generally needs to be treated with meds. I have insomnia and no amount of sex could help because the problem for true insomniacs is they… Read more »
Over the years, sex played and continues to play an important role in overcoming insomnia and helping me to enjoy really good sleep. I’d always figured it was the brief workout period that led to sleep. I had no idea the body released a “cuddle hormone.” I agree – my woman appears to have an overflow of oxytocin within her system (at least during the times where she doesn’t have a headache). Jokes.
And I certainly see how sex would go a long ways towards curing depression, albeit temporarily.
Re: migraines/headache: It’s not really new; I have known (good) sex can relieve headache for years. “According to the researchers, it’s all about the endorphins released during sex” Not only that; many headaches are caused by tension; and sex/orgasm are powerful stress/tension reliever. Other (not mentioned) things that sex can improve: – Metabolism and immune system: sex strenghten and stimulates both; during a passionate intercourse, your body goes into “overdrive” – it’s better than cardio-fitness! 😆 – Pubo-coccygeal muscles and urine leaks: since you exercise and strenghten those muscles during sex, urine leaks definitely improve. Of course, with “sex” I… Read more »
From someone who suffers from cluster headaches believe me, sex is the last thing on your mind. Clusters are not tensions headaches, neither are migranes. The last time I checked only 2-3% of the population has cluster headaches, so the research is scarce. I’ve had a cluster headache once during sex and I would never put myself or partner through that again.
But what woman who had cramps, period pain, a cold, morning sickness or any other problem ever let their man near them to have sex? I am sure it worked well on the woman the author tried with.
You ripped that thought right out of my head. My wife won’t let me touch her if she even thinks she might be having symptoms of any of the above.
I had cramps and asked my husband for sex. It works, if your hubby doesn’t mind potentially riding the red tide it can actually help. Question is how many times can we get you gentlemen to administer said medication?
Sorry, but I have to call BS on the semen one. There’s so many things wrong with it I don’t know where to start. – Semen composition is pretty much the same for any human male. And the human body can’t do DNA analysis on stuff it eats. – Allergies don’t work that way. You don’t ‘build up an immunity’ by exposing yourself to more of something – that just makes it _worse_ – Anything that starts with ” believes” isn’t particularly credible. Where’s the study? Science! – This doesn’t even make sense. If women were allergic to their partners… Read more »
While also skeptical of the scientific basis for this one, I have to point out that IS how allergies work. That’s why one gets allergy shots for 2 years, injected with tiny does of the allergen on a regular basis so that your body stops perceiving it as a threat. Conversely, many people use raw local honey to expose your body year-round to local pollens and therefore avoid a strong seasonal attack. I still think the semen thing is likely BS, for lots of other reasons, but in general, that is how allergies work. I just don’t think it would… Read more »
Seconded on that one Nick. That is a load of crap. I do believe there is basis for the first however I suggest that an easier method can be used to relieve yourself of cramps and headache. Masturbation. Simple
It sounds crazy but it actually has scientific basis. Several years ago a national magazine (Time, Newsweek, Popular Science…one of those, I can’t recall which) published a very similar article about oral sex and how it may help with pregnancy-related issues.
“I once saw it in a popular magazine” is not science – it’s an anecdote.