Despite all of the movies depicting a man having a heart attack leading up to or during sex, new research suggests that coitus actually may improve post-heart attack survival rates.
The study published last month in the American Journal of Medicine involved 1,120 participants who had their first heart attack in 1992 or 1993 and were monitored through 2015.
While, overall, researchers found that sexual intercourse decreased mortality, they also found it to be just as beneficial following a heart attack, the New York Post reports.
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Having sex after a heart attack was found to decrease mortality by 37 percent — if the deed was completed once per week, the Post reports. A higher frequency of sex was not associated with more of a decreased mortality. But researchers theorize that the intimate relationship itself, is more important than sex itself likely due to the benefits of human connection.
The Post reports:
Adjusting for age, lifestyle, socioeconomic factors and health concerns weakened the connection between sex and survival, study authors found, noting that sexual activity is possibly a sign and not a cause of superior health.
Sex has a slew of other surprising health benefits, too, including improving immunity, relieving pain, reducing the risk of prostate cancer, and improving sleep, according to Medical News Today.