Sex is a healthy part of aging and it is a fact that the world is waking up to. However this was not a widely accepted belief just few years back. People all over the world believed that sex and aging could not go hand in hand due to the umpteen changes that take place in a person’s body while he or she ages. People believed that their body does not work well and since there is a decline in libido, sex matters less when people grow older.
However today, there are studies that prove that the attitude of seniors towards sex is changing and an increasing number of seniors actually enjoy a healthy sex life. Seniors also admit that sex is an important part of ageing and they are willingly working towards tackling all the issues of ageing in order to maintain a healthy sex life. The main reason for this changing attitude is the change in activity patterns, diet patterns as well as new medical treatments – these ensure that people in their seniors are relatively healthy and lead and active life.
There are studies that have shown that an individual’s sex drive does not diminish with age. In anything the entire experience becomes more satisfying as individuals enter their senior years. It is also believed that sex contributes to both the psychological as well as physical health of the elderly.
In case of men, they are at the peak of their sexual health when they are 18 and from there on they begin to experience a slow decline. By the time they are 40 and as they proceed to their 50’s and 60’s most men experience a decrease in sexual performance. However the pleasure that men derive from sex is not significantly affected as they age.
As far as women are concerned they are capable of sexual reproduction with the start of puberty, when they are 14 or 15 years old. As women age, with the diminishing hormones, the vaginal lubricants production decreases, the vaginal walls become rigid and thin thereby making sex uncomfortable. However women are capable of achieving an orgasm well into their senior years and women who are sexually active do not face any issues with vaginal lubrication up until menopause. With menopause menstruation, ovulation as well as fertility ends and it has been believed that a woman’s interest in sex also wanes post menopause. However this belief does not hold true in recent years as there are reports of women enjoying sex post menopause as they do not have to worry about getting pregnant any more.
Apart from these physical changes, as individuals move into their senior years they also face issues with their body as well as their health. They become susceptible to diseases and they need to take extra care of what they eat and the kind of lifestyle they lead and more.
Given these changing attitudes of individuals towards sex and aging, more and more individuals work hard to maintain their sexual health as they get older. People no longer hesitate to follow a disciplined lifestyle and control their alcohol consumption, avoid smoking as well as manage stress in such a way that it does not affect their sexual health. There are a number of individuals who take up a new hobby or attending yoga classes to deal with daily stress. They also realize the importance of staying active and this is achieved by exercising regularly, drinking plenty of fluids and eating a healthy diet because not only does an active lifestyle helps in controlling fat, but it also causes feel good hormones to be released in the body which in turn contributes to better sex life.
