• Regular sex helps people look youthful for longer, expert claims
• Older people can look up to seven years younger than their age
• People of all ages ‘should be aware of healthy love life’s benefits’

By Fiona Macrae   –   Daily Mail UK

If you are feeling amorous but your partner would rather turn over and go to sleep, it might help to pass this information on.

Regular sex helps people look youthful for longer, an expert claims.

Dr David Weeks’s research shows that older men and women with an active love life look between five and seven years younger than their actual age.

REGULAR SEX: Research shows that older men and women with an active love life look between five and seven years younger than their actual age (file picture)Other British research has credited regular lovemaking with halving the odds of early death.

Dr Weeks, former head of old age psychology at the Royal Edinburgh Hospital, said that people of all ages should be aware of the benefits of a healthy love life.

The psychologist spent a decade quizzing thousands of men and women of all ages.

Those who looked younger than their age claimed to have sex an average 50 per cent more – in the 40-to-50 age group equating to three times a week rather than twice.

Dr Weeks says that the pleasure derived from sex is a ‘crucial factor’ in preserving youth.

Biology also plays a role, with sex releasing endorphins, the body’s natural feel-good chemicals.

These act as natural painkillers, easing anxiety and making it easier to drop off to sleep.

Exercise boosts circulation, which is important for the heart and gives skin a healthy glow.

Human growth hormone is also released by lovemaking and can help keep the skin elastic and so less likely to wrinkle.

Sex can help burn fat and release substances which bolster the immune system, while simple stress relief can improve the quality of sleep.

Dr Weeks, who is addressing a British Psychological Society conference today, also found that Peter Pan types tended to be married to a younger spouse – probably because their looks belied their age.

The researcher, a ‘quite youthful’ 59-year-old, said: ‘My message is that love-making is good.’

PLAYFUL: Biology also plays a role, with sex releasing endorphins, the body’s natural feel-good chemicals

He will tell the conference in Colchester, Essex, that people should be sexually and physically active throughout life. This includes old age.

‘Sexual satisfaction is a major contributor to quality of life, ranking at least as high as spiritual or religious commitment and other morale factors, so more positive attitudes towards mature sex should be vigorously promoted.

‘Sexuality is definitely not the prerogative of younger people and nor should it be.’

By Fiona Macrae – Read more at: Daily Mail UK