In honor of this month of love, you’ve probably been inundated with messages about dating, romance, sex, and relationships. And all those things are wonderful, of course, but all Valentine’s Day hoopla leaves out one very important matter of the heart: self-love. Of course, this means feeling confident and content with all the amazing things you have to offer the world, but it also means something pretty specific and hugely important -- getting off.
Let’s get real and talk about the top 10 reasons to thank your orgasm this month. And hopefully, by the end of this article, you'll be inspired to rededicate this month to self-love.
If your regular MO is to stress about everything and put off pleasure until, well, never, then pay attention. Investing in your own pleasure will do wonders for your wellbeing. Here are my top ten reasons, taken from my book WomanCode, as to why regular orgasms are your prescription for better health:
- Increased Circulation: Orgasms improve circulation to organs in the pelvic cavity and help regulate your periods. In fact, women who have intercourse at least once a week are more likely to have normal menstrual cycles than women who are celibate or who have infrequent sex.
- Improved Fertility: Trying to make a baby? Regular sex boosts your fertility by energizing the hypothalamus gland (which regulates appetite, body temperature, and emotions) and the pituitary gland (which in turn regulates the release of reproductive hormones that induce ovulation and cervical fluid).
- Natural Detoxification: Sex provides overall lymphatic massage, helping your body’s natural detoxification process to improve digestion and mood.
- Regulated Estrogen: Regular orgasms promote healthy estrogen levels to keep the vaginal tissues supple and protect against osteoporosis and heart disease
- Reduced Stress: Orgasms also induce deep relaxation by boosting endorphin levels and flushing cortisol out of the body.
- Boosted Healthy Hormones: Orgasms spike levels of nitric oxide and DHEA, a hormone that improves brain function, balances the immune system, helps maintain and repair tissue, and promotes healthy skin.
- Anti-Aging: Skip the expensive creams and procedures: sex is your real ticket to a youthful glow! One study actually showed that making love three times a week in a stress-free relationship made participants look a full decade younger.
- Immune-Strengthening: Orgasms boost infection-fighting cells up to 20 percent which will help you fight off those stubborn colds and flu.
- Pain Relief: They can actually help cure migraines and treat other types of pain by elevating pain thresholds (a bonus when preparing for childbirth!).
- Passion Enhancement: And of course, orgasms increase levels of the hormone oxytocin, which is linked to passion, intuition, and social skills -- the hormone of bonding and success!
Thinking all these benefits are mind-blowing but not really sure how to reap the rewards of a great orgasm? Follow this foolproof recipe for cultivating pleasure:
- Quit the things that drain your adrenals (at least temporarily). That means taking a break from stimulants like caffeine for at least a month and seeing if some added low-to-moderate intensity exercise every day switches off your stress.
- Take vitamin C with bioflavonoids and ashwagandha every day. These both help heal adrenal tissue and boost adrenal function.
- Shut off your devices and relax. Take the five or ten minutes before bedtime to do something truly relaxing like reading or meditating.
- Schedule self-pleasure. That means literally blocking off 30 minutes in your busy week to use just your hands and fingers to get the biggest nitric oxide bang for your buck.
- Schedule time to do nothing. Really! Make sure your packed calendar includes a weekly 30-minute block reserved for doing absolutely nothing other than napping, sitting in nature, or just daydreaming.
- Increase your healthy fat intake. Avocados, oils, nuts, and seeds do wonders for your reproductive system.
- Fill your diet with adrenal-nurturing foods. Boost your intake of blue/black foods like sea veggies and dark chocolate and yellow/orange foods like carrots and oranges. These represent water and earth in Chinese medicine -- two important qualities for enhancing energy and libido.
If you’re struggling to get in the mood, or feel like your orgasmic response is diminished, it's important to consider what you can do to get your sexy back. Some root causes to look at include thyroid imbalance, micronutrient deficiency, birth control pills, and problematic periods.
So during this month of love, instead of focusing all of your energy on your partner, put a good amount of your focus on yourself, your response, your desire, the quality of your orgasm, and see how you can expand your own capacity for pleasure.
Explore More Pleasure:
The Sakara Guide to Orgasmic Living
