Moderate sex can prevent colds

"Don't kiss me, I have a cold"! There must be many people who have heard or said this. There is some truth in this. Close contact does "help" spread colds. Therefore, avoiding physical contact with people with colds is an effective way to prevent this most common human disease. However, one study found the opposite: that intimate contact during sex can reduce the risk of catching a cold.

1. The higher the immunoglobulin A, the less likely you are to catch a cold

A survey study asked 111 people (44 boys and 67 girls) about the frequency of their sexual life with their partners. The results were: never; less than once a week; 1 to 2 times a week; 3 times a week or more. The researchers also collected saliva samples. Because saliva contains immunoglobulin A (IgA), which is the body's first line of defense against colds.

The higher the level of IgA in a person's saliva, the less likely that person is to have a cold. The results showed that the group who had sex 1 to 2 times a week had the highest level of immunoglobulin A (Immunoglobulin A, related to mucosal immunity, can resist pathogens transmitted through the respiratory tract) in their saliva, and also had the strongest resistance to colds.

Compared with the other two groups, one group that had sex less frequently and the other group that had sex more frequently had 30% higher levels of immunoglobulin A (IgA) in their saliva.

The researchers also investigated the duration and satisfaction of the respondents' relationships and found that IgA levels increased with the increase in relationship duration and satisfaction.

2. Why can sex effectively prevent colds?

1. Relaxation and social support are major immune advantages. Why would frequent and enjoyable sex with a long-term partner help prevent colds? Contrary to popular belief, close contact can increase the chances of spreading colds, but that would be different if the benefits of such close contact were enough to offset the risks. In addition to increasing levels of the immunoglobulin IgA, a happy and active sexual relationship does produce two major immune advantages - relaxation and social support.

2. Deep relaxation can stimulate the immune system. In a good relationship, sex can be deeply relaxing. And a large body of research shows that deep relaxation can stimulate the immune system. In a study on the effects of relaxation induced by meditation and guided imagery on the immune system, psychologists and immunologists collected blood samples from 65 respondents and measured the number of white blood cells in the blood. Next, the respondents watched a video describing the immune system.

Afterwards, one-third of the respondents did nothing else; the rest learned meditation and practiced it twice a day; and the remaining one-third learned visualization, visualizing the process of strengthening their immune system, and practiced this visualization twice a day. A week later, the researchers collected blood samples from the subjects again. In the control group that did not do anything, the white blood cell count of the respondents did not increase, while the white blood cell count of both the "meditation group" and the "visualization group" increased.

3. The more social support you have, the lower your chances of catching a cold. Sex is also a powerful form of social support (social support refers to the fact that an individual can feel, perceive, or receive care or assistance from others). Many studies have shown that social support can enhance immunity and thus prevent colds.

The study involved 276 volunteers who completed a study about social relationships (with romantic partners, friends, family and organisations) and then had live cold viruses sprayed up their noses. The results showed that the more social support the subjects had, the less likely they were to catch a cold.

4. You can still do things you love even if you have a cold. The research concluded that in a long-term relationship that is satisfying to both parties, having sex 1-2 times a week can effectively prevent colds. People often say, "Not tonight, honey, because I feel like I'm coming down with a cold." Now, this should be changed to "I feel like I'm coming down with a cold, let's do what love does!"

3. Six sweet tricks to make couples closer

Trick 1: Make yourself funny. Good-natured joking can defuse arguments and turn a drudgery around the house into something humorous and funny. But remember that jokes should be appropriate and should not contain any sarcasm or ridicule that may be detrimental to relations between the sexes.

Trick two: Give your kiss. Give your love a big kiss when you wake up in the morning, at the end of a workday, or even when you say goodnight, and it will let him/her know that he/she is still as charming as ever in your eyes.

Trick three: Appreciate your lover. Remember, "You can never appreciate your love enough." Whether it's when the bills are paid, when the kids' activities are organized, when you cooked delicious lobster last night, when you reconnected the wiring in the basement, when you cleared three months of old magazines from around the sofa, and when you took the trash out the door just in time for the garbage truck, your loved one needs to hear you praise him/her.

Trick 4: Give him/her a surprise. Go home and bring him/her a small unexpected gift. He secretly washed the car before he filled it with gas. Breakfast in bed on Saturday morning. (Show the kids some Superstars, then lock your bedroom door and do whatever you want!)

Trick 5: Reminisce the good old days. Play the songs you both loved listening to when you were dating. After dinner, we took out the wedding album and looked through it together. Talk about the good old days - remembering your past relationship can make both of you feel satisfied and passionate.

Trick six: learn to forget. Be tolerant of your loved one's shortcomings and then forget them. No one is perfect, especially under pressure. (Well, you're like that, aren't you?) Graciously overlooking each other's flaws, mistakes, and ugliness can set a sweet, loving tone for your relationship.