Can Sex Stop Your Heart? It’s Possible

While having sex increases your vitals, it is less of a workout than walking up two or three flights of stairs or even walking on a treadmill, according to research published in Harvard Men’s Health Watch. The study, which primarily focuses on men, reported that women also experience increased pulse rates, blood pressure and breathing, but to a lesser degree.

In a separate study, researchers backed these findings by examining hospital records of more than 4,500 cardiac arrest patients in the Portland, Oregon, area across a 16-year span. They found only 34 of those cardiac arrests — or less than 1 percent — could be linked to sexual activity. Of those cases, 18 occurred during sex and 15 immediately after, with one case where they were not able to determine exactly when the cardiac arrest occurred. The vast majority of the patients (32 of the 34) were men and tended to be middle-aged, African-American and have a history of cardiovascular disease.

Cardiac Arrest vs. Heart Attack

It’s important to distinguish between a cardiac arrest and a heart attack. While they are often confused with each other, there are many differences between the two.

Cardiac arrest occurs when the heart suddenly stops beating due to a problem with the signals it receives via the nervous system. This leads to loss of consciousness and possibly death if not revived through CPR. A heart attack, on the other hand, is when the flow of blood to the heart is blocked, causing the heart to shut down and stop pumping blood.

As with cardiac arrest, sex can increase the risk of a heart attack occurring, and at a higher rate than cardiac arrest. However, in both cases, the risk is minimal and outweighed by the health benefits sex provides. Sex is generally safe for heart patients, as long as they can otherwise maintain low levels of physical activity, such as doing basic household chores like cleaning or making the bed.

A Silver Lining

While experiencing cardiac arrest is never a good outcome for anybody, patients who suffered cardiac arrest during or immediately after sex were almost twice as likely to survive. Research shows that approximately 19 percent of the sex-related cardiac arrest patients survived their ordeal, compared to a national average of only 10 percent survival rate. While the exact reason for this is not known, it is widely understood that patients who suffer cardiac arrest when someone else is with them are more likely to survive because emergency medical help can be called quickly and the patient can be given the medical attention they require.

Suffering a cardiac arrest during or immediately after sex almost guarantees that another person will be present and able to provide help.