Doctor considers questions of anal sex, drool

Student Health Services

Can anal sex do you any harm? Can having sex "dog" style hurt your body?

With anal intercourse Ä (regardless of sexual orientation or gender) there are microscopic tears in the mucus membrane of the anus. This is due to the size of the anus, sphincter muscles which contract involuntarily and lack of lubrication. These microscopic tears in the tissue enhance or permit the spread of sexually transmitted diseases Ä especially viral particles directly into the bloodstream. "Receptive" anal intercourse without condoms is the highest risk behavior for HIV infection. Other STDs can also be acquired anally Ä herpes, gonorrhea and venereal warts. Internal venereal warts often require specialized surgery for treatment.

Having sex "doggy style" usually implies rear entry by a male partner into the vagina of a female partner. This position can result in deeper penetration, which may put pressure on the uterus or bladder. A good guideline is "if it hurts, don't do it." Obstetricians recommend pregnant women avoid this position if it is painful, but for the most part it is not harmful to either partner.

Why do I almost always drool when I nap in the afternoon, but never when I sleep at night?

This question has been pondered for ages and unfortunately there is still no great answer. Pooling information from providers at Student Health, we've come up with some theories. People all related similar personal experiences, but no one had read any specific medical literature explaining the phenomena.

Proposed theories include sleep position Ä crashing for an afternoon nap, face down, mouth open results in drool. Also the length of sleep in a nap is usually of shorter duration than at night. Perhaps we all drool at night but it has dried by morning.

People also report more bizarre dreams during naps. Dreams occur during REM (rapid eye movement) sleep, in which there is activation of the autonomic nervous system, which can result in excessive salivation. This also happens at night every 90 minutes or so, and waking later, we just may not be aware of it.

Read Next Article