This month, I’ve reported quite a bit on dementia and cognitive dysfunction.
So today, let’s consider the healthy aging brain. And what you can do to support your brain as you get older.
Crossword puzzles, playing chess, learning a foreign language, taking an adaptogen supplement…these are all good ways to help keep your brain sharp as you grow older.
Sexual activity also helps keep your brain working. And it even increases brain activity. In fact, researchers from Rutgers University recently found that having an orgasm increases brain activity far more than so-called “brain exercises” do.
For this study, Rutgers researchers asked participants to engage in a variety of activities, ranging from crossword puzzles to computer games. Then, they asked the participants to achieve orgasm through self-stimulation. The researchers used an fMRI scan to measure blood flow to the brain.
The researchers found that mental exercises like crossword puzzles and computer games increased activity in certain parts of the brain. But only achieving orgasm increased activity in all parts of the brain. It also increased blood circulation and oxygenation to the brain. And distribution of nutrients.
And this makes perfect sense.
Previous studies have shown that orgasm helps improve blood circulation, burn calories, promote better sleep, improve mood, and decrease stress. Orgasm is even a natural pain-blocker. In fact, the same research team previously found that orgasm lessens pain by up to 50 percent.
So, as the nights grow longer this autumn, consider putting down that crossword puzzle and doing some really stimulating brain exercises…perhaps indoors, under the covers.
Source:
1. “Women’s Clitoris, Vagina, and Cervix Mapped on the Sensory Cortex: fMRI Evidence,” The Journal of Sexual Medicine October 2011; 8(10): 2822-2830