There are tons of health benefits to sex.  It counts as exercise, it’s important for heart health, it boosts the immune system, relieves stress, and lowers blood pressure.  As important as sex is for the health benefits it provides, it is also important in building a strong, healthy relationship with your partner. One part of this healthy sex life, healthy relationship equation is keeping things fun and exciting in the bedroom.  This includes trying new things and not underestimating the power of foreplay to add some spice to your bedroom.

Sex is such a big part of a relationship because it forces a connection of mindfulness and is an act of being present with your partner.   This action of being both mentally and physically present helps to reduce stress in a similar way physical exercise does. According to some research, happiness occurs when you are fully engaged both mentally and physically in the experiences.  Alternatively, we reduce our levels of happiness when we are distracted by thoughts and doubts.  To add to this benefit of sex, orgasms can be considered the ultimate body high.  Besides the increase in blood flow and heart rate, sex floods the blood stream with hormones.  Hormones released through sex such as oxytocin and dehydroepiandrosterone, both act as stress reducing chemicals in the brain.  Both these hormones have been shown to reduce depression – and the happier you are the happier you can be together. 

Sometimes a couples sex life can get boring, like anything in life, if it becomes more routine than fun.  Adding a little spice in the mix can only help make everyone happier.  Here are some things to try to spice up your sex life:

·       Share your desires: a big part of sex is communication with your partner.  Sharing desires and trying new things with your partner can open up an entire new avenue of pleasure.   Building up the excitement of trying new things can be enough to keep things interesting.

·       Make eye contact:  taking a moment to look deeply into your partner’s eyes can have a huge impact on the relationship.  It is an exercise that builds trust and can help you remember why you are together in the first place.  Trust and eye contact facilitates openness and communication, which is what you want when having sex with your partner.

·       Speak up in sack: verbalizing what you want is the only way to get it.  Of course you can use physical cues as well, but part of staying happy in the bedroom is getting what you want.  Your partner may not realize certain things would fulfill you sexually if you never let him/her know.  There’s no harm in asking, right?

·       Try sex at different times of day: Sometimes all you need is a change of scenery to spice up your sex life.  All you need to do is try it in a different place or different time of day.  If you typically have sex before bed, why not try it in the morning?  If you are always having sex in the bedroom, try it somewhere else in the house.  Something this simple could be enough to keep things exciting.