Sex leads to better sleep

Sleep is essential to maintaining a stress-free and energetic lifestyle — and there are a variety of ways in which sexual pleasure can help us wind down. "Orgasm in men and women causes the release of oxytocin, one of the brain's stress-reducing chemicals," explains Dr. Paul Zak, Ph.d, author of The Moral Molecule: The Source of Love and Prosperity. "In order to reach orgasm, one must be sufficiently relaxed or the brain inhibits this response." In other words, we have to relax to get in the mood for sex.

In addition, sex is energetic. ("At least, good sex is," Dr. Zak notes.) Muscle contractions and movement involved in sex burn energy stored in muscle mass. When that energy is depleted and the body is flooded with soothing hormones, we transition to an intuitively restful state. Those relaxing effects of orgasm might explain why many people masturbate in order to fall asleep. So, the next time insomnia hits, instead of popping Ambien, reach for a partner — or the Magic Wand.