Try Sex As A Stress-Buster

Study Shows Sex Has Calming Effect, Lasting Benefits

(CBS)  Sex might have significant benefits in lowering stress, blood pressure and anxiety, according to a new study.

A psychologist in Scotland based his study on the sexual activities of a group of men and women over the course of two weeks.

Comparing those who had sexual intercourse, those who engaged in indifferent types of sex, and those who abstained completely, the study found some intriguing results.

Volunteers who had sexual intercourse were the least stressed and had blood pressure levels that returned to normal more quickly than people who engaged in other types of sex. But people who had abstained from sex had the highest blood pressure response to stress.

The Saturday Early Show explores this topic further with Dr. Laura Berman, a sex therapist from West Palm Beach, Fla.

Among the interesting findings of the study is the suggestion that the benefits of sexual intercourse can be long-lasting, lingering not just for a few hours, but for days.

The study also points to a difference between men and women.

It shows that men have a higher sex drive when they are stressed, except when they are anxious about finances.

But women's sex drive appears to go down when they are stressed. According to Berman, women go into a "tend and befriend" mode when they are under stress and are more inclined to "nest" than to have sex.