{"id":10781,"date":"2016-06-13T13:23:29","date_gmt":"2016-06-13T13:23:29","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.viamedic.com\/blog\/?p=2917"},"modified":"2016-06-13T13:23:29","modified_gmt":"2016-06-13T13:23:29","slug":"how-sex-leads-to-better-brains-for-older-adults","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.edrugstore.com\/blog\/erectile-dysfunction\/how-sex-leads-to-better-brains-for-older-adults\/","title":{"rendered":"How Sex Leads to Better Brains for Older Adults"},"content":{"rendered":"

Many 50 Years and older suffer long-term and short-term memory has been fading<\/figcaption><\/figure> If you are older than 50 and your long-term and short-term memory has been fading, recent studies show that more sexual activity may be the ideal remedy.
\nIf you feel your memory and clarity of thought is getting worse with each passing year, you are not alone. It is happening to everyone as we age. In fact, the part of the brain that is essential to the normal functioning of memory processes<\/a>, the hippocampus, loses about 5% of its nerve cells every 10 years that pass, up to a total loss of 20% by the time we reach the age of 80.<\/p>\n

Why is this happening? According to National Institute of Health<\/a>, as we age, the size of the brain can change (shrink) and cognition can be impacted. Our brains change with age just as our bodies do. Incidence of stroke, white matter lesions, and dementia also increase with age.<\/p>\n

But, research has shown that a person’s lifestyle (and sex life) appears to be almost as important in cognitive decline as physical changes in the brain or health issues associated with aging.<\/p>\n

One recent study, conducted by a researcher in cognitive aging at the Centre for Research in Psychology, Behavior and Achievement at Coventry University in England, has found there is a strong connection between sex and good cognitive skills as we age.<\/p>\n

The Study Link Between Sex and Memory<\/b><\/p>\n

The study<\/a> involved the collection of data from more than 6,800 men and women ages 50 to 89 in England who had agreed to participate in a long-term study on aging. Those participants responded to questions about whether they had engaged in sexual activity over the past year. This question was based on a fairly broad definition of “sexual activity”, including everything from actual intercourse to masturbating, and even foreplay or fondling.<\/p>\n

Next, the participants were tested on their cognitive abilities. Two tests were administered:<\/p>\n

1. The first test was focused on measuring memory, a basic recall test in which people were asked to remember a list of 10 common words immediately after hearing them. The participants were asked to recall the same words again after a few minutes had passed.<\/p>\n

2. The second test was designed to gauge the participant’s executive function, and it required them to identify the missing number in a numerical sequence.<\/p>\n

Sexy, Sharp Thinking<\/b><\/p>\n

The study indicated that in people over 50, there is a significant correlation between the frequency of their sexual activity and their overall cognitive function, especially memory function. The sexually active men and women scored higher than those sexually inactive on both the word-recall and number-sequencing tests.<\/p>\n

The researchers next studied the data and even took into account other variables that may have affected the results, such as age (age 55 vs. age 65 for example), education, financial status, health, physical activity and even emotional factors such as loneliness.<\/p>\n

The results for men did not change with the variables. But for women it appeared that frequency was not the factor, but rather if they had sex at all. The researchers found that only sexually active older women had higher scores on memory tests than the women who were not ever sexually active.<\/p>\n

The researchers concluded that the variation in the females’ results may be due to hormonal differences that can influence brain function in men and women in different ways.<\/p>\n

So, sex may in fact give the male brain a greater boost than it does for females. Published in the online, Jan. 28, edition of The Journal Age and Ageing it stated:<\/p>\n

“Men who were more sexually active showed higher scores on tests of memory skills and executive function — the mental processes involved in planning, solving problems and paying attention — whereas women who were more sexually active saw only a higher score in their memory skills<\/a>, according to the study.”<\/p>\n

Are There Other Studies?<\/b><\/p>\n

There have been a few studies<\/a> that investigated the correlation between sexual activity andhttps:\/\/mediashower.com\/studio\/content\/article\/41984\/fulfill good cognitive skills for those over 50, but those studies focused only on men. The research did however come to the same conclusions about improved memory and clearer thinking being strongly linked to the frequency of sexual activity in older men.<\/p>\n

Researchers agree that more studies are needed, because the more neuroscientists learn about this process of decline, the easier it will become to curb the impact of aging.<\/p>\n

What Can You Do?<\/b><\/p>\n

There are a few tricks that health officials and researchers have uncovered to help slow – or even reverse – the memory ad cognition decline. According to the National Institute on Aging, you can:<\/p>\n