Wellness Mind & Body Body and Soul: Stress-Relieving Sex By Health.com Editorial Team Health.com Editorial Team An article by 'Health.com Editorial Team' indicates a collaborative effort from our in-house team. Sometimes, several writers and editors may contribute to an article over the years. These collaborations allow Health.com editors to provide you with the most accurate, up-to-date, and comprehensive information available. The editors at Health.com are a dedicated team of experienced health editors, writers, and other media professionals who strive to bring trustworthy and responsible health and medical content to their readers. As a team, we have decades of experience in health journalism, and have worked at legacy publishers and some of the biggest news and media companies in the U.S. health's editorial guidelines Published on April 22, 2013 Share Tweet Pin Email You know that sex is good—especially for bonding, relaxing, and relieving stress. But did you know that if your husband picks up a mop, you might both get more nookie? Men are doing more housework than ever before, but its still about 20% less than the amount done by women. “A woman is held to a higher standard for the way her home looks, which is why she stresses out more when its messy,” says Joshua Coleman, PhD, author of The Lazy Husband. Most women arent in the mood for sex when they feel overwhelmed, Coleman says, but the odds of having the time and energy for it go up when men help out around the house. And, according to Coleman, this also raises the desire factor in another way: “To the wife, the husband helping with housework not only reduces stress but also can feel like an act of affection.” Get more time for sex by saying to your partner, “Hey, after you do the dishes, lets go make love.” If he doesnt catch on to the trade-off, theres nothing wrong with telling him that too much stress (and, yes, that includes housework) means no sex for him. 9 Secrets to a Healthier Heart Heart Health Step-by-Step Two Little Steps to Less Stress This Is Your Heart on Aspirin Why Women Should Worry More About Heart Attacks More than 450,000 American women die from heart disease each year. Here's what you need to know now. Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit