6 romantic gestures that are good for your health

Falling in love in therapeutic! Dont believe us? Check out romantic gestures that boost your health

Kissing boosts your immune system
A good old snog isn’t just fun — it can also help fight off germs. Dutch scientists recently reported that 80 million bacteria are passed on during a 10-second kiss. By sharing these germs, couples can actually help boost each other’s immune system. Passionate kissing is also good for the metabolism as it burns up extra calories, experts believe. When we’re in an intimate embrace, our Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) is raised. Increasing this rate helps lose the pounds, making us fitter. Author Andrea Demirijian says, “It can burn up to two to six calories a minute, compared to 11 calories on a treadmill.”

Holding hands can relieve pain
Holding her husband’s hand can minimise a woman’s feelings of pain, says a study. “Researchers studied people that experienced electrical shocks and found that holding someone’s hand ameliorated the pain and the perception of pain,” says psychiatrist Dr Joseph Hullett. These feelings decreased even more when the female subjects in loving marriages held their husband’s hand.

Sex relieves stress
Sex can be a great way to release tension and a study suggested people who didn’t have regular sex with a partner were significantly more stressed than those who did. Oxytocin may play a role, too. This important hormone is released when we kiss or touch, and studies show that it can suppress stress hormones and boost immunity. Reaching orgasm can also help you sleep better and by boosting production of your vital sex hormones — oestrogen and testosterone — it will help you look younger too.

Love makes men eat more healthily
Moving in together with romantic meals and cosy nights on the sofa can often mean we quickly pile on the pounds. But it’s not all bad news — at least if you’re male. A study showed that although some women might fall into worse eating habits when they begin living with their partner, men actually start eating more healthily. This is because both parties try to please each other in the initial phase of the relationship and change their diets. For her it could be more fattening food, while for him it’s often proper meals as well as more fruit and vegetables.

A hug lowers blood pressure
Simply holding your loved one’s hand can help reduce the strain on your heart, researchers discovered. In a study, one group held their partner’s hand for 10 minutes while watching a romantic film, followed by a 20-second hug. A second test group had no contact with their partner. Both groups were asked to give a public speech, and the group that enjoyed the physical contact were found to be calmer with a lower heart rate and reduced blood pressure.

A partner lowers stroke risk
Men who are not in a relationship have a much greater risk of dying prematurely after a stroke than those who are, a new report from Swedish researchers concluded. The study tracked 1,090 victims of ischemic strokes. It found that 36% of those living alone died, compared to only 17% who had a partner. “Among the conceivable causes are that people who live alone lead less healthy lives, are less prone to take their medication and wait longer before going to their doctor,” said researcher Dr Petra Redfors.