This Week in Health: More sleep equals more sex (at least for women)

Location of study: U.S.

Study subjects: Over 170 women

Results: Can sleep quality impact a woman’s sex drive? New research suggests that ladies who get more sleep also have more sex. In fact, each additional hour of sleep ups the possibility of sex the following day by 14 percent. And not only does sexual frequency go up — the quality of sex also appears to be better among women who get more sleep. (In the study, both desire and arousal were stronger for the gals with better sleep habits.)

Significance: Researchers report that consistently getting sufficient sleep plays a critical role in next-day sexual desire and genital response, as well as the likelihood of engaging a partner in sexual activity. They add that future research could investigate whether sleep disorders might be related to sexual dysfunction.

Location of study: U.S.

Results: Women with a curvier backside are considered highly attractive to many men, but why? Researchers zeroed in on the types of curves that men prefer most. When guys were presented with digitally enhanced photos of women, they were consistently more attracted to women with greater lumbar curvature. (In simple terms, this means that the lower part of the spine curves out, creating a curvier backside.) Men repeatedly found this sexier than a bigger booty.

Significance: Researchers say that a greater degree of lumbar curvature would have made ancestral women better able to carry out and support multiple pregnancies. This suggests that evolution may play a major role in today’s standards of beauty and sexiness.

Location: U.S.

Results: When researchers examined the cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) data for nearly 14,000 guys, they found that men with high midlife CRF who developed lung, colorectal or prostate cancers later in life lowered their mortality risk by 32 percent. Overall, a strong inverse relationship was particularly observed between high midlife CRF and incidences of lung and colorectal cancers. What’s more is that for men who were diagnosed with cancer after the age of 65, those who had been in good shape during midlife also lowered their risk of cardiovascular death by a whopping 68 percent when compared to guys who’d had low CRF.

Significance: Researchers say the findings show just how important fitness estimates are, even 10 to 20 years before a cancer diagnosis. The findings specifically point to the potential predictive value of cardiorespiratory fitness when it comes to cancer.