What's so great about sex?

I'm EM Lynley, author of m/m erotic romance, and brand new Midnight Seductions author. I agonized over my first blog post here, and I thought what's the one thing that everyone here is interested in? SEX, of course!

You know what you like about sex, it feels so damn good, right? But did you know that in addition, there are lots of health benefits from having sex? There are. Lots of them. So every time you have sex, you are getting healthier!

Here are just a few of them. [Source: WebMD article]

1. Sex Relieves Stress
A big health benefit of sex is lower blood pressure and overall stress reduction, according to researchers from Scotland who reported their findings in the journal Biological Psychology. Dozens of men and women kept records of their sexual activity. Then the researchers subjected them to stressful situations and measured their blood pressure response to stress. Those who had intercourse had better responses to stress than those who engaged in other sexual behaviors or abstained.

2. Sex Boosts Immunity
Good sexual health may mean better physical health. Having sex once or twice a week has been linked with higher levels of an antibody called immunoglobulin A or IgA, which can protect you from getting colds and other infections.

3. Sex Burns Calories
Thirty minutes of sex burns 85 calories or more. It may not sound like much, but it adds up: 42 half-hour sessions will burn 3,570 calories, more than enough to lose a pound. Doubling up, you could drop that pound in 21 hour-long sessions.

4. Sex Reduces Pain
As the hormone oxytocin surges, endorphins increase, and pain declines. So if your headache, arthritis pain, or PMS symptoms seem to improve after sex, you can thank those higher oxytocin levels.

5. Sex Helps You Sleep Better
The oxytocin released during orgasm also promotes sleep, according to research. Getting enough sleep has been linked with a host of other good things, such as maintaining a healthy weight and blood pressure. Something to think about, especially if you've been wondering why your guy can be active one minute and snoring the next.

In the event you can't get as much sex you'd like, I believe that reading about can make you feel just about as good. If you like reading m/m erotic romance—or you're curious about what make it so damn HOT—come and check out my website for lots of excerpts! I'm also on LiveJournal, Facebook and MySpace.

Just a bit about me before I go:

EM Lynley works in the wine industry, though she'd rather be writing hot, sexy man-on-man action. She spent 15 years as an economist and financial analyst, including a year as a White House Staff Economist, but only because all the intern positions were filled. Tired of boring herself and others with dry business reports and articles, her creative muse is back and naughtier than ever. She has lived and worked in London, Tokyo and Washington, D.C., but the San Francisco Bay Area is home for now. She even spent a year traveling the world on her own, and has she got stories to share about that!

Questions for you: Going forward, what would you like me to write about here? Updates on writing? Stories from my year traveling the world? Trends in erotic romance? Something else?