12 Side Effects Of Not Having Sex For A Long Time – Still Thinking Of Celibacy?

If you have had a pretty active sexual life and you put a stop to it abruptly, chances are that you will experience the side effects of it. While there is nothing wrong with celibacy, doing it abruptly around can impact your health in the long terms. Knowing the side effects of not having sex for a long time can hence clarify the doubts you have in your mind.

That said, it is also quite important that you do weigh out all the pros and cons and do what you think is the best for your body. Nobody understands your body better than you, so it is you who has to make the choices.

In here, we are going to share some of the things that happen to your body when you stop making love.

Side Effects Of Abstinence

When it comes to celibacy or abstinence, there are some health risks and side effects that majority of the people aren’t even aware of. Knowing them can help you gauge the problems and take a decision accordingly.

But, to be honest, abruptly stopping having sex isn’t the end of the world but the impacts in the long run can impose issues with the next partner that you have.

To help you gain a better understanding of things, we are going to discuss about some of the health risks of not being sexually active for a long time.

1. Enhanced stress

If you aren’t aware, sex is often referred to as the stress buster and abstaining yourself from the same for an extended period of time has often found to have impacts on your mental health in the long run.

Studies (R) have found that the body releases a whole range of oxytocin and endorphins in the body during sex which has direct impacts in helping improve the condition of stress and anxiety.

Stopping this act all of a sudden also impacts the hormonal balance of these “happy” hormones, thus impacting the levels of stress that one endures.

2. Affected immune system

Our body is exposed to a plethora of bacteria and germs on a daily basis. Indulging in regular sex has direct impacts in improving one’s overall immunity which is then affected if you do abruptly stop indulging in sex out of the blue.

What this means, in simpler terms, is the fact that not having sex for a long time can weaken one’s immune system like the normal cold or flu.

In a conducted study (R), it was found that the college students who indulged in having frequent sex were found to have better levels of Immunoglobulin A in their blood stream in comparison to the ones who didn’t.

3. Enhanced pain before and during periods in females

When it comes to explaining the side effects of abstinence in females, it is suggested that the same has impacts on inducing pain during and before periods or during the time of PMS. Sex has amazing impacts in maintaining a balance between the levels of testosterone and estrogen in the body, the lack of which has been found to create an imbalance.

Women who tend to abstain themselves from sex for a long time, because of whatever reason, have excess accumulated estrogen in their bodies.

The excessive production and residual estrogen in the body is what ends up causing the discomfort and the painful cramps that one experienced during the time of the periods.

4. Lacking sexual drive

One of the most common side effects of not having sex for a long time is the fact that it affects one’s libido abruptly. What this means is that it reduces your sexual drive, reducing the interests in the long run.

Some of the people who tend to refrain from sex for a long time have been found to develop a feeling of sluggishness which is one of the primary reasons behind the reduced sexual desires.

But, this is not the case with every single person. Everyone’s body is different and thus their desires and their needs are also different.

5. Enhanced Risks of Erectile Dysfunction

If you have been wondering what happens when a man is not sexually active for a long time, the same has been found to impose risks of erectile dysfunction in them.

The conducted studies around this subject have been more emphasized on the older men but the impacts are relevant for anyone, irrespective of their age. This is the reason why it is best to not opt for abstinence is you are planning for a partner later down the line.

The studies have actually found it the other way around stating that indulging in sexual activity on a daily basis has positive benefits on the sexual health of an individual.

In addition to that, regular or frequent ejaculation in men has also been found to have beneficial impacts in helping reduce the risks of prostate cancer.

6. Affected Memory

If you are experiencing a sudden impact to your memory and experiencing reduced recalling of things, chances are that the same could be because of not having sex for a long time.

Even though there isn’t much to describe around in this and the researches around this are still in the early stages, the scientists have found that lack of sex abruptly does end up impacting the memory in the long run.

It is believed that sex has impacts on promoting better neural connections and better impacts on the brain activity that further help in improving the memory in the individuals as well.

7. Impacts Your Vaginal Health

If you are wondering what happens when you stop having sex, the same has direct impacts on the vaginal health. The reason why that happens is because the body and the hormonal levels change abruptly.

Not just that, it has also been found that it also affects the lubrication and can make your vagina dry as well.

When one indulges in having regular sex, the same keep the vaginal tissues active and lubricated, thus keeping a good look on the vaginal health. The same isn’t the case when it comes to a lack of sexual activity.

8. Hypertension

One of the most common issues with not having sex for a long time is the fact that it imposes a risk on the blood pressure levels.

If you have been under stress for quite some time, the same will reflect on the blood pressure levels in the body. Hypertension is one of the common side effects of not having sex for a long time as it is not possible for you to handle the stress.

In addition, the lack of oxytocin and the endorphins in the body further affects the condition even more so.

9. Impacts on cardiovascular health

Yet another one of the common health risks of not being sexually active is the fact that it affects cardiovascular health. Having an active sex life has been associated with improved heart health because of how well it boosts the blood circulation around the body.

When you enter a sex drought, the same stops abruptly with the activities and there are impacts with the hormonal boost in the body as well.

The impacts aren’t that drastic but they are there. If you don’t want the same to take an overwhelming turn and for the worse, we would suggest that you run out your frustration of dry sex life on the treadmill to at least keep your cardio exercises going.

10. Lack of Connection With Your Partner

Sex is not just about the physical intimacy but the emotional intimacy as well. This is the reason why one of the common side effects of not having sex for a long time with your partner is the fact that you end up losing that emotional connection between you both.

Statistics have proved that majority of the couples who do indulge in having sex on a daily basis have been found to have better impacts on their relationship. They are also believed to be happier in comparison to the ones who haven’t been intimate in a long time.

Apart from all this, it is important that you know for a fact that this doesn’t mean that you have to have sex every single day. Having sex every once in a while or a week is enough to keep that connection intact.

11. Lack of sleep

One of the most common health effects of celibacy is the lack of sleep.

As we did mention before, one of the hormones released during intercourse, oxytocin, does have direct impacts on your sleeping patterns. It helps you get better and more quality sleep.

Lack of it can most definitely impact your sleep, making it harder for you to get some quality rest that you need after a stressful day.

Sex also tires people out because of how much of a calorie burning activity it is, thus making you fall asleep quicker.

12. Weakened Bladder

Lastly, one of the most common health risks of not being sexually active is the fact that it directly affects your bladder.

If you didn’t know, having sex has been found to help strengthen your kegel muscles which are directly responsible for helping your bladder prevent micturition.

And there have been several studies which have found that if you stop having sex out of the blue moon, the same will impact those kegel muscles and make it harder for you to control your pee in.

If you wish to keep that in check, better include some kegel exercises in your day to day activities to keep things in check.

What are the Benefits of Not Having Sex?

If you are convinced that abstinence is not the way to go, we have a few pointers in for of not having sex that can abruptly change your mind as well.

Some of the benefits of not having sex include:

Lesser risks of pregnancy

If you didn’t know any better, practicing birth control can still lead to scares of pregnancy because even they aren’t a 100% foolproof.

This is the reason why not having sex reduces those scares and ensures that you wouldn’t have to worry about any human who could be born by accident.

Lower risks of infection

Even though you do practice hygiene during sex, there is no telling that you won’t get a UTI. This is predominantly very highly seen in women which are the reason why it is very important that you do focus on peeing after you are done with the deed.

When you are not indulging in sex, the risks behind those are also a lot lesser as well. But, there have been reports which suggest that you might contract a UTI if you abstain from sex as well but the risks are higher when you are having sex.

Much needed space

Sex and the sexual pleasure do have the capability to cloud your judgement in a relationship. Just because you are physically compatible doesn’t mean that you are going to be emotionally compatible as well. Abstaining from sex thus lets you get clarity about things and helps in reducing the associated risks involved in you getting hurt in the process.

If you have been celibate for quite some time now, chances are that you might be experiencing the side effects of not having sex for a long time. Even though there are side effects, 12 of which are mentioned above, it is important that you do what your body feels like. It is important that one never forces themselves to do things that they feel is not right for their mind and body.