Sex may Help Aussies Battle Christmas Stress

Majority of Australian couples may turn to sex to help cope with the stress during Christmas, says a new study. According to the national Bupa Stress Survey 2011, 77 percent of Aussies believe sex is a great way to help manage stress, and unsurprisingly, 81 percent of men are the greatest advocates, compared to 73 percent of women.

88 percent of men aged 45 years and above and 76 percent of women aged 35 years or below are the biggest advocates of the stress busting benefits of sex.

"Everyone knows Christmas can be a stressful time of year; there are many heightened expectations from family, as well as time and financial pressures," the Daily Telegraph quoted Bupa's Head of Clinical Advisory, Stan Goldstein as saying.

"It's important to find appropriate strategies or outlets to help manage stress, rather than letting it build up and potentially overwhelm you.

"It's not just a matter of taking your mind off things. Hormones called endorphins, released in your nervous system by all sorts of physical exertion, can have an impact on feeling stressed. There may also be a calming effect of physical intimacy.

"While the survey points to many people finding that they can help manage their tension in the bedroom, let's not forget there are also many other effective ways to alleviate stress outside of the bedroom," Goldstein added.

Interestingly, the survey also revealed that a failure to appropriately manage stress could lead to quite destructive behaviour and place significant strain on relationships.

Nearly 75 percent of respondents reported an increase in arguments as a key side effect of stress, while 64 percent said they were unkind to their partner when they got home from work.

While men and women equally admit to taking stress out on their partners, 75 percent of women are more likely to believe stress has negatively affected their relationship compared with 69 percent of men.

Source-ANI