How to make sex after 60 exciting, pleasurable and comfortable, and the health benefits involved
- There are many things to be celebrated about sex after 60, including having the time to play and explore, as well as physical and mental health benefits
- All kinds of products exist to make it more comfortable on ageing bodies, such as special pillows, straps and swings, medication, and sex toys
It’s not just millennials that are at it. Research from the US suggests that 40 per cent of people aged 65 to 80 are sexually active.
“We recognise that sex and sexual health is important to the well-being of older people – but it’s not something that gets a lot of attention,” said Dr Erica Solway, who led the University of Michigan study.
Solway said two in five study respondents indicated that they were currently sexually active, with sexual activity decreasing with age: 46 per cent of those aged 65 to 70 claimed to be sexually active, compared with 39 per cent aged 71 to 75 and 25 per cent aged 76 to 80.
Men were more likely to report being sexually active – 51 per cent versus 31 per cent of women – as were those who self-reported that their health was excellent, very good or good compared with those with fair or poor health (45 per cent versus 22 per cent).
About half of those with a romantic partner (54 per cent) reported being sexually active, compared with 7 per cent of those without one. The vast majority respondents who were sexually active (92 per cent) reported that “sex is an important part of a romantic relationship”.
Nikki Green, a psychotherapist, sexual and marital therapist, and affairs expert, says there are many wonderful things to be celebrated about sex after 60.