The excruciating pain, the pounding heart, and the total calmness of mind—or the overwhelming longing to nap—that follows. Sex, at least briefly, alters a person. Not only are you feeling strong emotions, but the whole experience is filled with bodily reactions that send thrills down your spine to your toes (or, at the very least, your thighs), from the initial stirrings of desire to the climax orgasm and beyond. (If you believe that your chances of experiencing an orgasmic climax are as slim as your laundry folding itself, Rodale’s 4 1 pressure-sensitive massager can assist.)
It may not seem important to know these intimate details about your sexual life if your sleep routine is fulfilling. On the other hand, knowing this information could help you recognize the problem when something is wrong.
Lauren Streicher, MD, the author of Sex Rx and clinical associate professor of obstetrics and gynecology at the Feinberg School of Medicine, states, “Sex function encompasses so many diverse organs and systems, and for everything to go well, you need every single one to be in working order.” It’s not simply hormones all the time. These other things are going on while you’re getting it on.
Brain chemicals and hormones get busy.
Streicher says that the brain is where the libido originates. Researchers may define feeling happy as having the right balance of neurotransmitters, including serotonin and dopamine, to arouse desire. Streicher claims that despite the brain’s inability to produce estrogen or testosterone, it does contain receptors for these vital substances. Ob-gyn According to Sherry A. Ross, MD, author of She-ology: The Definitive Guide to Women’s Intimate Health, men go through their enthusiasm period below the waist, while women go through it above the shoulders. Of course. This is why racing thoughts, tension or depression, or even just thinking about what’s on your to-do list, can make you feel down quickly.
As sexual desire rises, so too do adrenaline and the other three sex hormones, according to Ross. That’s right, Streicher points out that sex drive is also influenced by testosterone and progesterone; if estrogen were the only factor, menopausal women would experience issues.
By releasing endorphins during and after sexual activity, one can experience deep relaxation, excitement, and sometimes even less pain (Heart: The Inside Story of Our Body’s More Heroic Organ, Johannes Hinrich von Borstel). Von Borstel also brings up the well-known cuddle hormone, oxytocin, which is released during close physical contact and lowers blood pressure, stress, and feelings of love (don’t even think that sex is one of these 13 natural ways to lower blood pressure).
Your heart flutters.
Because you’re eager, active, and in need of blood to reach the areas of the primary appeal, your heartbeat quickens and concentrates on your genitalia. According to Ross, your breathing rate will increase to sustain your heart’s higher rhythm. (Try these 5 best sex positions to help you climax.) In this way, having sex is like exercising, according to von Borstel, and it’s a lot more fun than riding a bicycle outside in the rain or stumbling through it.
Blood vessels dilate.
When your pulse rate increases, your blood vessels dilate or widen, enabling more blood to enter those erogenous zones. According to Streicher, a woman begins to lubricate while a man gets an erection because there is increased blood flow to the genitalia. (If you’re having trouble lubricating, try Rodale’s organic body butter and lubricant.)
Skin flushes.
Dilated blood vessels allow more blood to enter the skin. That is the reason for any flushing, blushing, or heat of the skin.
Muscles contract.
In particular, those in the pelvic floor and the surrounding ab and leg muscles should get ready for the climax, according to Ross. She goes on, “Your body tenses up before the relaxation of an orgasm.” (These six exercises can strengthen your pelvic floor and help you orgasm.)
The vagina lubricates.
Ross claims that increased blood flow below leads to the enlargement of the clitoris and labia in addition to promoting vaginal lubrication. She claims that stimulating the afflicted location directly with the body can intensify this effect. (These are four more alterations that happen in the vagina during sexual activity.)
Breasts swell.
One possible reason for the breasts’ transient expansion and heightened sensitivity is blood flow to them. Additionally, one could get erect lips. (See these eight nipple-derived health indices.)
