Sep 12, 2008

Can 365 Nights Of Sex Bolster A Marriage?

When Their Marriages Fell Into The Doldrums, Two Long-Married Couples Took Action

  •  (CBS/iStockphoto)

(WebMD)  If you decided to have sex every day, would your relationship benefit?

Two long-married couples decided to find out. When lovemaking fell off their respective "to-do" lists, they ditched the sweats, bought sex toys and books, stepped up exercise, lit candles, and took trips. Then they chronicled their "sexperiment" in two recently released books, Just Do It: How One Couple Turned Off the TV and Turned On Their Sex Lives for 101 Days (No Excuses!) by Doug Brown and 365 Nights: A Memoir of Intimacy by Charla Muller with Betsy Thorpe.

But will daily sex really help a relationship that's hit a rough patch? Some experts say yes; others aren't so sure. As for the two couples who tried it, the Browns and the Mullers, both say the experiment strengthened their marriages in -- and out -- of the bedroom.

Charla Muller had been married for eight years to her husband, Brad, when she embarked on what she calls "the year of the gift" as a way to celebrate her husband's 40th birthday Rather than fixing anything wrong in her marriage , she writes that frequent sex made her happier, less angry, and less stressed.

Doug Brown's wife, Annie Brown, initiated the offer of daily sex after hearing about sexless marriages on Oprah. He had a similar revelation after they started having daily sex. A feature writer for The Denver Post, Brown writes of releasing "an avalanche of flesh pleasures upon our relationship."

"There's a special sense of being desired that only comes from sex," he tells WebMD. "You can be good at your job or at sports, but the daily confirmation you get through sex is a super feeling."


Reversing the Downward Sex Spiral

According to the National Opinion Research Center, the average American couple reports having sex 66 times a year. Newsweek has noted that 15% to 20% of couples have sex less than 10 times a year, which is defined as a "sexless" marriage.

Familiarity, advancing age, work pressures, the challenges of raising a family, and household responsibilities all conspire against regular sex among many otherwise loving couples who feel too harried to get physical.

When Doug Brown and his wife began their experiment in 2006, they were juggling two kids and two jobs. Married for 14 years, they averaged sex three times a month. And he admits he had performance anxiety .

"I felt I had to be a porn star or an Olympic gold medalist. That melted away with [daily] sex. We learned so much about each other. Sex became much more playful and that translated into a more playful union. We regained an electricity that wasn't always there before."

They also lost their inhibitions and embarrassment about the subject and gained confidence. "Now we can talk about anything."

The Mullers had a similar experience.

"I didn't realize how much not being [regularly] intimate stressed our relationship," Charla Muller tells WebMD. "I was a bit of a dodger, because I felt pressure to make it fabulous, because who knows when it will come around again? Now I'm not willing to give it up again."

She says an unexpected benefit of daily sex was the kindness it required of the couple.

"I wasn't expecting that. I thought we would only have to be really nice after hours. But we both had to bring our best game to the marriage every day. That was an important part of what went on behind closed doors."

Continued



By Suzanne Wright
Reviewed by Louise Chang
©2005-2008 WebMD, LLC. All rights reserved.
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Add a Comment See all 61 Comments
by elymayi September 15, 2008 4:40 PM EDT
I am realy glad I read this article. Me and my husband average 3 to 4 times a week in this arena, but he would like it to be more and I am eager to comply even though I get pretty tired. *** does bring you closer and it really does open the doors to become a better communicator in what makes you happy and any desires you may have. Its almost like a feeling of freedom to express what you like or dont like. For me, its about connecting to my husband and really enjoying ourselves through intimate interaction and afterwards it really makes him less stressed and just happy.
Reply to this comment
by cheeta21 September 15, 2008 3:37 PM EDT
my wife and i have *** maybey once or twice a week even though my wife is 5 years older then I am. We did have had *** every day but that only lasted a month
Reply to this comment
by kaviz September 15, 2008 1:45 PM EDT
Hi ho hi ho it''s off to work I go.
Reply to this comment
by sly_64 September 15, 2008 1:39 PM EDT
You mean I have to have sexxx only 365 a year ? Not good.
Reply to this comment
by incog-nito September 14, 2008 10:54 PM EDT
It won''t work. I tried this before, and I''m STILL not married.
Reply to this comment
by barefootboy9 September 14, 2008 8:46 PM EDT
Voltaire777 , youir mother need to change your diaper. Run home and let her do it and if you will be a good little boy, she may give you a soda pop. Be nice now.
Reply to this comment
by barefootboy9 September 14, 2008 8:44 PM EDT
No it would kill me.
Reply to this comment
by gaye5 September 14, 2008 8:36 PM EDT
Hey, the CBS must be running out of news, as this stupid bit of news article has been on their site for a few days now.
I have only come on here to put a message and still havent bothered to read it..
Reply to this comment
by ajaxtheleast September 14, 2008 11:34 AM EDT
You mean reschedule our yearly 265 from

supper time to night time, add 100 and

try to answer your question.!!???

I think not.
Reply to this comment
by powerman2001 September 14, 2008 9:26 AM EDT
I couldn''t do it. I don''t have the energy. After work, i just want to eat and go to bed. On the weekends, it''s great. Maybe I''m getting old. BTW, never believe those folks that claim to have *** everyday. They are mostly liars.
Reply to this comment
by smurfcrusher September 14, 2008 4:25 AM EDT
"Can 365 Nights Of *** Bolster A Marriage?"

Only if it''s between husband and wife.
Reply to this comment
by melv1n-2009 September 14, 2008 3:29 AM EDT
In order for this to work, does the s e x
have to be only with your own spouse?
Reply to this comment
by whiskyrokr September 14, 2008 3:00 AM EDT
*** is overrated. Everyday is too much.
Reply to this comment
by drivelphobe September 13, 2008 11:01 PM EDT
dede70071..

Your husband has no issues other than you turn him off and for probably good reason. You sound like so many women who think they are hot but are actual dead beats in the bedroom. At least he has the guts to cut you off.


Reply to this comment
by rdupuy11 September 13, 2008 10:04 PM EDT
when my wife and I first got married, I sure as heck didn''t care about any period. They said 365 days, I say 365 days, it doesn''t need any clarification.

Reply to this comment
by dede70071 September 13, 2008 9:02 PM EDT
What do you do if it''s your husband who "doesn''t want it"? I read tons of articles about the woman "not" wanting ***, but what about the men who don''t? It''s just as devastating to a marraiage when the husband REFUSES to seually satisfy a wife, (like me)regardless of how I look, act, etc. He has some serious sexual issues that he won''t address. He just keeps ignoring them. I can''t take it anymore.
dede70071
Reply to this comment
by thgdriver September 13, 2008 8:16 PM EDT
When I was young, and in my prime, we liked to do it all the time. Now that I am old and gray, we only do it once a day.
Reply to this comment
by downpillow September 13, 2008 7:53 PM EDT
So is that like spaced out over 38 years?
Stef
http://www.ShopDownLite.com
Reply to this comment
by ajaxtheleast September 13, 2008 7:09 PM EDT
"And what''ll it be, sir?"


"A Trojan 365-Pack please"
Reply to this comment
by neo268 September 13, 2008 5:30 PM EDT
The important part isn''t the ***. The important part is that they made time for each other each day.
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