Scientists reveal how many times you should have sex per week to avoid depression

There's apparently a sweet spot when it comes to how often we should be having sex to help improve our mental health, according to scientists.

From spending time outside and exercising regularly, to eating a balanced diet and having strong social connections, there's a handful of ways you can boost your mental health.

Exercising doesn't have to be running on the treadmill for 30 minutes though, it could come in the form of sex too (an arguably more enjoyable way to burn a few calories).

Experts from the Shantou University Medical College, China, have looked into this further and conducted a study on 15,794 US adults aged 20 to 59.

The background of the newly published study reads: "While sexual activity is known to benefit physical health, its connection to psychological well-being is less studied. We hypothesized that lower self-reported sexual frequency would be independently associated with higher odds of depression, as assessed by the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9)."

Roughly 21 million Americans have depression (Getty Stock Image)

In regards to the perfect amount of times we should be getting laid to lower our changes of getting depression, apparently it's once or twice a week.

The effect was most prominent for study participants who were 20 to 30 years old, Mail Online reports.

As for how it helps ease depression symptoms, it's believed to come down to hormones such as endorphins and dopamine being released while doing the act.

"A sexual frequency of 1-2 times per week showed the greatest protective effects on psychological well-being and may serve as a reference standard for mental health evaluation and monitoring during depression treatment," the study concluded.

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"Further research is needed to determine directionality, causality, and potential modifiers of this association," it added.

Couples that have sex 1-2 times a week had lower rates of depression (Getty Stock Image)

Speaking further on the findings, co-author professor Mutong Chen said: "Regardless of sexual orientation, sexual activity offers benefits such as enhanced wellbeing and quality of life, significantly impacting mental health."

While having sex has many benefits, sometimes couples find that their sex lives fizzle out further on in their relationship.

Apparently there are five main reasons why men in particular may start showing less interest in sex.

Sex expert Tracey Cox revealed these to be because of erection issues, feeling unattractive, mental health reasons (stress and depression being common), generally having a low sex drive, and past trauma.

For women, decreased interest in sex may be caused by hormonal changes, relationship issues, and physical illness, says Associates in Women's Healthcare.