- [Narrator] As the Hollywood
cliché goes, post-coital, some of us sit back against the headboard, proud of our accomplishment
at gratifying our lover, spouse, or one-night stand,
and then light up a cigarette. How was it for you? Good enough, you surmise, as
you take a well-earned drag. Or are you the kind of person
to roll over in an instant, perhaps leaving your
bed-fellow exasperated and hardly ready to catch some Zs? Or, perhaps you spare
just a moment reposing, and then compose yourself and start again? Do you cuddle up, have a
chat, talk about deep things, or even request a favor of your lover? According to research,
these are all common, but what happens to our
bodies during and after sex? That's what we'll find
out today, in this episode of The Infographics Show, What Happens to Your Body
While You Are Having Sex? Today we'll talk about
what happens to both men and women having heterosexual sex, and when we say sex we mean
intercourse, lovemaking, copulation, fornication, or as
the Brits say, having it off. So, let's start with the
man, what happens to him? At some point during sex, men
reach a point of no return. This is sometimes called
Ejaculatory Inevitability. Pulse rate and blood pressure
rise, the sperm leaves him, and his penis has contractions. Now he can return to resting
and let his body calm down, which apparently happens
faster for men than women. The penis becomes flaccid,
and most men will have to wait some time before
they can go at it again, but it all depends on age,
fitness, and, of course, the urge to return to
the hearth of passion. Some guys at this point will
just want to go to sleep; is this plain rude or is
it a biological necessity? Well, listen up disgruntled
women: science says it's natural for men to want to sleep,
and for various reasons. Notwithstanding the obvious,
in that it's often nighttime and tiredness might be normal,
another reason is because upon reaching orgasm, men
release lots of pent-up anxiety. So do women, and they
might feel tired, too, but it seems men sleep more after sex, according to research. Another thing is brain chemistry. All these chemicals spill out in the brain when men ejaculate, including
serotonin, oxytocin, norepinephrine, vasopressin,
and nitric oxide. Some of these chemicals
are related to de-stressing and the readiness to sleep. This can lead to that feeling of Phew, and then men want to
relax, just as they would after any strenuous exercise. It's kind of like getting
a hit of morphine, and apparently that hit is much stronger when having sex than when masturbating. One doctor puts it like this when talking about the release of chemicals: "They give you a very relaxed feeling, "slow down your brain waves
and cerebral functioning, "and make you feel pleasantly tired." But it's thought the
hormone that is released, called prolactin, is the main
reason men want to sleep. It gives you satisfaction,
and the less of it you have, the more likely you will
go for round two quicker. Really satisfied men may just
turn over and start to snore. Another thing is, is that he
might want to go for a pee. The reason? It's chemicals again. Oxytocin and prolactin affect the kidneys, and this makes him run
off to the bathroom. Some experts also think
it's to clean the urethra from bacteria, a kind of natural need. It might also just be because
he's been holding it in during all that messing around. He then finds the pee won't come out. That is normal, because
for the sperm to come out, your internal sphincter muscle clamps, and this is to close the bladder. This is to stop the semen
from entering the bladder. In a recent article in
Cosmopolitan magazine, it was suggested that men who
want to cuddle are keepers, but it also says that men who
don't might just be succumbing to their own body's demands. You might find that your
penis feels a bit sore, but this is just normal
after all that contracting. Don't worry, it shouldn't last long. And don't be shocked if
your testicles have shrunk, because this is normal, too. A doctor talking to Men's Health magazine explained it like this,
"When you ejaculate, "the cremaster muscle contracts "and brings your testicles
up closer to your body, "giving you the perception
that they're smaller." Lastly, you may get a cramp in the toe. Apparently, this happens a lot, but it's just because
orgasm causes stimulation in the nerves, especially
S1 in the spinal column, and that nerve affects the toes. If you look at some research, it also says some men's moods
change dramatically after sex, but given the release of all that tension and all those chemicals flooding out, that's not so surprising. Some men have reported feeling
emotionally handicapped after a great orgasm,
and that's thought to be because huge amounts of
dopamine were released. It's like coming down from a drug that makes you feel happy or ecstatic. In women, the feelings can
be similar, as we shall see. So, what about post-coital women? Well, women may not always orgasm. According to an article
in Psychology Today, which cited a number of studies, around half of women will regularly orgasm during intercourse, about
20% of women rarely orgasm, 20% consistently orgasm,
and 5% never orgasm. When they do, it's different
from a man's one great push to the sun, as women have
what has been called, "Rapid, rhythmic contractions." This can be quite the event, and some women certainly
show this in their face, sometimes looking like they've
had an ecstatic experience. These shock waves go through
her genitals, her anus, her uterus, and her pelvis, and she too will have a magnificent rush of chemicals flooding through her brain. She may experience female ejaculation, which is when a milky liquid
will come out of her urethra. Don't worry, women, there's
nothing wrong with this. But what about when a
lot of liquid comes out? A neurophysiologist from
Rutgers University in Newark, says, "It's not the same
milky stuff if it comes out "in large amounts;" in
that case, she says, "It is urine diluted with substances "from the female prostate." Scientists are still not clear
as to why some women do this and others don't, but it's
certainly not harmful. So, why are women often up for a chat about tomorrow's activities
or the meaning of life while some men are already
halfway to Lalaland? According to a study in the
Netherlands undertaken in 2005, women are more focused
than men during sex, their minds completely set to
the task of reaching orgasm. This is because their
amygdala and hippocampus, which regulate feelings,
kind of turns off. They are at one with sex, well, at least if they are fully immersed in it. "Once we've come, we return to our bodies, "our consciousness re-calibrates, "and our emotional intelligence returns," said an article in Bustle
about this phenomenon. But after sex they switch back, and it's then they get that
lovely hit of oxytocin, sometimes called the cuddle chemical. One study found that
people with high levels of testosterone release
less of this after sex, and men generally have high levels; some women do too, of
course, just not as much. So men, next time you turn over, blame your lack of oxytocin. And women may not experience
a refractory period at all. This is the downtime men need
to get ready to do it again. Note: teenagers may not need
much downtime, but then again, sex doesn't always last that long for these hyper-carnal kids. Women are multi-orgasmic, and they usually could just start again. But be careful there, women,
because sex can be more painful for you than it can be for men. Women might cramp up in the uterus, and this is due to the
cuddle drug, oxytocin. Let's now call that the
double-edged sword chemical. There might also be some burning because of the vaginal
tissues getting dry, but lubrication can help. The stinging doesn't
mean there is a problem, but obviously if it
persists longer than a day or two, it might be something else. And if men see shrinkage,
then women see the opposite, in their breasts at least. Many women's breasts get bigger after sex, and in some women by as much as 25%. According to Women's Health magazine, just how swollen the
breasts become differs from woman to woman. The same article also
said, "A woman's clitoris "will become very small at point "of orgasm, almost disappearing. "At the same time, women's nipples "may become more sensitive,
but this is very natural." Other reports say some women
become giddy after sex, and others feel great
confidence, seeing their bodies as much more attractive than before. Most reports we can find state that while some women may
experience a slump after the sex, it's the men that really
suffer from depression, sometimes a week long. But as the saying goes, what
goes up, must come down, and most of the time it's worth the ride. So, does this video accurately
describe what happens to your body during sex, or
did we leave something out? Let us know in the comments. Also, be sure to check out
our other video called, What Happens When You Die. Thanks for watching, and, as always, don't forget to like,
share, and subscribe. See you next time.
