• Vitamins & Supplements
  • Food & Drink
  • Sports Nutrition
  • Free From
  • Natural Beauty
  • Weight Management
  • Offers
  • Summer Shop
  • The Health Hub
  • Learn more Healthbox
  • Account
Track your order Delivery & Returns Help Centre My subscriptions

Customer Service

  • Contact us
  • Site map
  • Site map
  • Store locator

About us

  • Who are we
  • Working at Holland & Barrett
  • Press releases
  • Privacy & cookie policy
  • Terms & conditions
  • Holland & Barrett More
  • Holland & Barrett International
  • Corporate Social Responsibility
  • Modern Slavery Statement

Connect with us

Store
0370 606 6606
My account
Rewards
  • Sign in
  • How do I join?
  • What are the benefits?
  • FAQs
Holland & Barrett :: the good life
  • Menu
  • Account
  • Store
  • Basket
    Search for
    • Vitamins & Supplements
    • Food & Drink
    • Sports Nutrition
    • Free From
    • Natural Beauty
    • Weight Management
    • Offers
    • The Health Hub
    • Healthbox

    Home / Conditions / Sexual Health / The truth about sex

    The truth about sex

    We debunk the myths about your favourite subject: sex!

    MYTH: Everyone’s at it

    FACT: A survey found 51 per cent of women think having sex a few times a week is healthy, but only 30 per cent are actually having this much sex. In fact, 66 per cent confessed to getting it on once a week or less. We all crave different amounts of sex at different points in our life, so stop worrying about what’s “normal”

    MYTH: People are less interested in sex as they get older

    FACT: Researchers found for people aged 50 and over, being satisfied sexually depends more on the general quality of the relationship than it does for younger couples. Among 60-plus-year-olds having regular sex, 74 per cent of men and 70 per cent of women said they found their sex lives more satisfying than when they were in their 40s. And over half of men and around a third of women are still sexually active over 50. One-third of respondents said they even had sex at least twice a month – so that’s something to look forward to!

    MYTH: Everyone’s having orgasms

    FACT: Sadly, 30 per cent of women have trouble reaching orgasm, so if you’ve ever had difficulties climaxing, don’t think for a second it’s unusual. As many as one in three women have trouble reaching orgasm when having sex.

    MYTH: It’s usually young people having one night stands

    FACT: More than 80 per cent of women have had at least one casual sexual encounter, and 63 per cent said they felt absolutely fine about it the morning after. But what was unexpected is that women aged 30 and older are more likely to have had casual sex than 18- to 29-year-olds – what most consider the hook-up generation. This may be related to the fact that 38 per cent of the 30-plusers said they felt freer to try new things with a casual partner than they did with a long-term one. In contrast, only 23 per cent of 18- to 29-year-olds said they would be more experimental with a one night stand.

    MYTH: Men think about sex every seven seconds

    FACT: That would be more than 9000 times a day, which would seriously affect their ability to get anything done! A study asked 18- to 25-year-olds how often they thought about sex a day – men said around eight times, and women around six. They were then asked to click a counter throughout the day each time they thought about sex, with men clicking 34 times on average and women 18. What’s interesting is the lower a woman’s tally of sexual thoughts, the higher she scored on seeking social acceptance, suggesting women may be more reluctant to admit their sexual desire for fear of judgement. Interestingly, men also thought more than women about their needs generally, such as food and sleep.

    Handpicked content: The health boosting benefits of sex

    Sources
    Sexual Health and Positive Subjective Well-being in Partnered Older Men and Women, David Lee, Bram Vanhoutte, James Nazroo, Neil Pendleton
    Sex on the Brain?: An Examination of Frequency of Sexual Cognitions as a Function of Gender, Erotophilia, and Social Desirability, Fisher TD, Moore ZT, Pittenger MJ
    SELF and TrèsSugar’s Sex Survey Results

    Tweet
    Follow on Instagram
    Sexual Health

    You may also like

    5 types of lubricants

    Article

    5 types of lubricants

    Sex is an important part of many relationships, and provides pleasure, intimacy and love for..

    READ MORE...
    Got a low sex drive? Here are 9 potential reasons why

    Article

    Got a low sex drive? Here are 9 potential reasons why

    Found yourself lacking in the sex drive department? Just don’t fancy ‘it’ as much as..

    READ MORE...
    Lost or low libido: 7 reasons why

    Article

    Lost or low libido: 7 reasons why

    How many times have you felt in the mood to dance the horizontal tango, only..

    READ MORE...

    Connect with us

    • Log in Register
    • rewards for life

    Customer service

    • Store locator
    • Contact us
    • Site feedback
    • Frequently asked questions
    • Delivery & returns
    • Site map
    • My account

    About us

    • Who we are
    • Working at Holland & Barrett
    • Press room
    • Privacy & cookie policy
    • Terms & conditions
    • Holland & Barrett More
    • Holland & Barrett International

    Brands

    • Holland & Barrett
    • Bootea
    • Dr Organic
    • Precision Engineered
    • Manuka Doctor
    • Good n Natural
    • Miaroma
    Register
    Click to verify if this website is operating legally

    Copyright © Holland & Barrett Retail Limited, 2017. All rights reserved. hollandandbarrett.com is a trading name of Holland & Barrett Retail Limited,. Registered office: Samuel Ryder House, Barling Way, Nuneaton, Warwickshire CV10 7RH. Registered in England: company no. 2758955. Registered VAT no. 211727395.