Everyone reading this can breathe a sigh of relief because there’s still going to be sex after you hit the age of 50. In fact, it might even be the best sex of your entire life. The AARP has recently sponsored a nationwide poll on adults and found that “up to 91 percent of men and 86 percent of women are sexually active.” It doesn’t end there, though. They also learned that “one in three 50-somethings is having sex at least once a week.” That means that there’s still plenty of hope for an active sex life after you hit a certain age.
This poll also found out some other interesting information:
- 72 percent of people between 65 and 80 have a romantic partner and of those 54 percent are sexually active.
- Close to two-thirds of those 65 to 80 say they’re still interested in sex whether or not they are sexually active.
- Women were less likely than men to be sexually active — 31 percent overall, compared with 51 percent of men — but were more likely to be extremely or very satisfied with their sex lives.
That means it doesn’t really matter how old you get. You can still have a satisfying sex life and here are some of the reasons why.
Empty Nests mean Alone Time
One of the biggest reasons for an active sex live after 50 is the fact that most married couples are living in any empty nest. After the kids have moved out of the house, there’s a whole lot of alone time that spouses can use to get to know each other all over again. It also leaves a lot of spontaneity and that’s always a good thing when it comes to sex. The simple fact is that the more sex you have, the more sex you’re going to want!
They also spoke to author Iris Krasnow who had this to say: “The best way to stoke the fires and keep a marriage hot or at least really warm after 50 is to remember to put ‘have sex’ on your to-do list,” she said. “Busy couples with two professions and long marriages can take each other for granted and/or be too exhausted at the end of the day to even speak to each other, let alone undress each other.
“If you’re not talking, you’re probably not touching,” she added. “And if you’re not touching, you’re in trouble. Sustained intimacy, emotional and to some degree physical — even if it’s hugging and kissing — are essential for making a marriage last as we age.”
It seems pretty obvious that all you have to do is put in the effort to sustain your intimacy with your partner. After you do that, everything else will work itself out. It doesn’t take a whole lot to keep your sex life active and there’s really no reason that it should decline. Just keep up your intimacy levels with your partner and make it a point to have sex and it will keep the fires burning.
Erectile Dysfunction
Naturally, we can’t talk about sex after 50 without talking about erectile dysfunction. It’s a common pert of many men’s lives and tends to hit about halfway through their 40s. As Dr. Robert Ortiz, M.D. puts it: “as part of the normal aging process, this is the time where men begin to experience a significant natural decrease in the overall production and physiologic levels of sex hormones known as androgens, particularly in the levels of testosterone. This specific hormone, along with others, plays a major role in the maintenance of normal sexual function throughout a man’s younger years.”
It’s a very good thing that erectile dysfunction isn’t the end of sex that it used to be. Viagra and Cialis are commonly available everywhere and they’re really helping men with their ED problems. The National Poll on Healthy Aging found that 18% of men and 3% of women between the ages of 65 and 80 have taken medications to improve their sexual function. That just means that there’s really no reason at all to believe that aging leads to less sex. It’s only a matter of finding the best ways to keep it up.
Sex and your Health
It’s not all about having fun and sharing intimacy with your partner, though. Having sex past the age of 50 can improve your overall health as well. A study published in Psychoneuroendocrinology found that “women who enjoyed sex at least once a week had significantly longer telomeres. The longer the telomeres, which are DNA strand protectors, the less likely you are to develop a degenerative disease or die young. Sex also boosts your immune system, helps lower blood pressure, and burns calories — about 150 an hour. For men, it may lessen the risk of heart attack.”
That’s even more of a reason to add sex to your to-do list as often as you possibly can. The more time you spend having it, the healthier you’re going to be in the long run. Staying healthy as you age is one of the most important things that you can ever do for yourself. It’s just an added bonus that having sex with your partner can help you out on that front. If there’s ever a time when you don’t feel like it, just remind yourself that your health is the most important thing in your life and it’s dependent on sex.
It’s Okay if you don’t do it
With all of this being said, it’s also totally okay if you don’t have as much sex with your partner as you age. If you’re not up for it, then you’re just not up for it. What really matters is that you continue to share intimacy with each other. Simple acts like touching each other and being open and honest are key to a healthy relationship. The more time you spend focusing on that, the stronger your relationship will be well into your old age. That’s really what it’s all about in the end.