Can Swimming Improve Your Sex Life?

It’s a truth universally acknowledged that people have less sex as they age. Testosterone, a main hormonal driver of desire in people, begins to decline starting around age 40, right as the stresses of life are reaching max complexity. Juggling work, children, and aging parents all make it harder for partners to set aside time for intimacy.

But swimmers should take heart: A study coming out in the International Journal of Sexual Health in 2023 found that Masters athletes, and specifically Masters swimmers, maintain better sexual function and satisfaction later into life.

Sexual and cardiovascular health are closely related, according to Hirofumi Tanaka, a professor within the University of Texas’s department of kinesiology and health education whose research group conducted the study. The study points out, for example, that erectile dysfunction has been proposed as an early warning sign of heart disease. The same is true in reverse: Because regular exercise promotes heart and vascular health, it also helps ward off trouble in the bedroom.

The nearly 200 swimmers involved in Tanaka’s study report significantly lower rates of physiological issues related to sexual performance, including ED, dyspareunia (painful intercourse), and trouble achieving orgasm. Although women tend to engage in sexual activity less often than men, Tanaka’s research found that women who logged six or more hours per week in the pool have as much sex as their male counterparts. In other words, women who swim keep up with the guys in more ways than one. What’s more, the study claims the majority of female Masters athletes demonstrate higher sexual satisfaction than women “in the general population.”

Regular sexual activity — which can include activities other than intercourse, such as kissing, hugging, and oral sex — plays a crucial role in the quality of life as we age, Tanaka says. Sex staves off isolation and loneliness, and allows couples to maintain intimacy and meaningful companionship.

But older adults are vulnerable to negative social stigmas regarding sex that make it hard to get in the mood. Pop culture rarely portrays older people — with the possible exception of George Clooney — as worthy of erotic desire. Combined with the biological and environmental factors such as lagging testosterone or ratcheting stress, sex can start to feel like a thing of the past.

Yet Tanaka’s study found that Masters swimmers, in contrast to the general population, do continue to see the importance of sexual activity later in life.

“[P]ositively-oriented sexual attitudes in Masters athletes might derive from better body image,” the study says. “Individuals with higher body satisfaction have more frequent sexual experiences, engage in a wider range of sexual activities, feel more sexually desirable, and report fewer sexual difficulties than those with lower body satisfaction in both men and women.”

Two female Masters swimmers who asked to only be identified by their first names agreed with Tanaka’s thesis. Lynn, 55, says that starting her day in the pool leaves her feeling “strong, energized, and with a sense of accomplishment. When I feel good, all things are possible, which definitely benefits my husband.” Rae, 57, says, “The grace with which I’m able to swim allows me to feel attractive beyond the pool. The honesty and openness with which I approach sex comes from feeling confident in my body.”

Swimmers are unique in that they participate in their sport almost naked. Briefs, after all, leave little to the imagination. Showing up on the pool deck in skimpy suits possibly helps us get over ourselves, Tanaka says, smiling.

A few extra laps, it seems, might lead to a few more rolls in the hay.

Looking for more great information about swimming? Check out our Swimming 101 guide featuring swimming pool and stroke basics, how to start swim training as an adult, and more.