Masturbation not only gives you pleasure but also improves your mood, sleep quality, and ability to handle stress, among other aspects of your health and wellbeing.
What is Masturbation?
It’s standard practice to masturbate, which is touching the genitalia or other delicate body parts for pleasure or sexual stimulation.
A safe and natural method to explore your body, experience pleasure, and let go of pent-up sexual tension is through masturbation. It affects people of various racial, gender, and cultural origins.
In fact, a study on the elderly revealed that between 27 and 40 percent of women and 41 to 65 percent of men acknowledged to masturbating in the month prior.
In actuality, masturbating has no negative physical repercussions, unlike popular belief.
Excessive or compulsive masturbating can occasionally be deemed hazardous or cause additional mental health issues.
Masturbation is generally a healthy, enjoyable, and natural behavior.
Learn more about side effects, myths, and other information about masturbating, as well as its possible health benefits, by continuing to read.
Benefits of Masturbation
One healthy sexual action is masturbating. Both your physical and emotional health may benefit from it.
Studies on sexual stimulation and interaction are available, but there are few on the advantages of masturbating.
Anecdotal evidence and research indicate that engaging in sexual stimulation, such as masturbating, may benefit you in the following ways:
alleviate tension that has built up; enhance sleep; raise mood; avoid worry and depression; relax; experience pleasure and satisfaction; ease cramps; ease sexual tension; promote self-esteem; and have better sex.
Masturbating women reported more orgasms, improved self-esteem, stronger sexual desire, and greater satisfaction with their marital and sex life, according to a 2015 study on married women.
In addition to avoiding pregnancy, couples can explore their differing preferences by mutually masturbating. When compared to coupled intercourse, self-pleasuring also reduces your risk of contracting STIs.
Masturbation and Prostate Cancer
Although doctors are unsure of the specific reason, some study indicates that regular ejaculation may reduce the risk of prostate cancer.
A 2016 cohort study involving 31,925 participants and an 18-year follow-up period discovered a correlation between a higher frequency of ejaculation and a decreased risk of prostate cancer. According to a 2016 review of the literature, 44% of the studies examined found a similar correlation between frequent ejaculation and a decreased risk of prostate cancer.
Further research is necessary because there is no proof that ejaculating on a regular basis prevents advanced prostate cancer.
Masturbation During Pregnancy
Pregnant women may experience increased sexual desire due to hormonal changes. During pregnancy, masturbating is a safe approach to relieve sexual tension.
Pleasure for oneself may also help reduce pregnancy-related symptoms like lower back discomfort. During and after an orgasm, you could have mild, erratic cramping, often known as Braxton-Hicks contractions.
They ought to disappear. Make quick contact with a doctor if the contractions continue and intensify in pain and frequency.
It is occasionally recommended that women with high-risk pregnancies refrain from sexual activity because having an orgasm may raise their chance of experiencing early labor. Research, however, is contradictory.
Side Effects of Masturbation
Masturbation doesn’t have hazardous side effects. However, some people may feel guilty about masturbating or have concerns with persistent masturbation.
Masturbation and Guilt
Some people’s cultural, spiritual, or religious views may induce them to feel guilty about masturbating.
Although masturbating is neither morally wrong or immoral, you could still hear messages that regard self-gratification as “dirty” or “shameful.”
If you feel bad about masturbating, you can talk to someone you can trust about the reasons behind your feelings of guilt and, if you’d like, how to get over them.
You might find it helpful to work with therapists who specialize in sexual health to get past any guilt or shame you may have about masturbating.
Addiction To Masturbation
Masturbating can lead to addiction in certain people, a condition known as “sex addiction.” But some people do not think of this phrase as a legitimate addiction, and it is not recognized in the “Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders” (DSM-5).
If masturbating leads to you doing any of the following, you might be masturbating for too long:
Neglect everyday tasks or responsibilities
Neglect your job or studies
Postpone your arrangements with family or friends.
Overlook significant social gatherings
If your masturbating interferes with your career or academics, damages your relationships, or affects other aspects of your life, it might be deemed excessive.
You might find that you don’t spend as much time as you used to with your loved ones or that you don’t attend to their needs, which could be detrimental to your friendships and romantic relationships.
Consider discussing techniques to reduce your masturbation with a counselor or doctor if you’re concerned that you may be doing it too often.
You should think about talk therapy if you want to stop masturbating. You might also attempt decreasing back by engaging in other activities in place of masturbating. Try them the next time you feel like masturbating:
Jogging
Keeping a journal
Catching up with pals
Taking a stroll
Myths About Masturbation
A number of widespread misconceptions regarding masturbation have not been disproven by empirical studies.
For instance, masturbating doesn’t result in:
Unable to conceive
Hydration deficit
Hormone abnormalities
Alterations in the penis’s dimensions or form
Reduced number of sperm
Loss of eyesight
Acne
Hirsute hands
Erectile dysfunction
Low desire
Masturbation may also be interpreted by some as a sign of sexual dissatisfaction in one partner or as having a detrimental effect on interpersonal relationships.
Even while overindulging in masturbation can have unfavorable consequences, many people discover that masturbating by themselves or with a partner can improve their sex life.
Additionally, since there is no risk of pregnancy or STIs, masturbation is regarded as one of the safest kinds of sexual activity and may even have various health advantages.
Does Masturbation Cause a Decrease in Sexual Sensitivity?
Enhanced stimulation, including masturbation, can help people with sexual dysfunction feel more attuned to their sexual needs and desires.
In fact, a 2018 review that was published in the journal Sexual and Relationship Therapy suggested that using a vibrator could help treat ejaculatory dysfunction, or erectile dysfunction, and anorgasmia, or the inability to achieve an orgasm. The review suggests that using a vibrator may also be linked to improvements in a person’s desire for and ability to have sex.
People with penises may find that masturbation affects their sensitivity during intercourse because of their method. Studies conducted in 2022 have demonstrated that excessive stimulation of the penis during masturbation can cause a loss in feeling.
Known as “death grip syndrome,” this condition might make it more challenging to experience an orgasm during a sexual encounter.
To regain sensitivity during sex, try altering your masturbation method if you have a tight grasp.
Conclusion
To sum up, masturbation is a normal and common part of human sexuality that has effects on the body and the mind. It can provide people the chance to explore their sexuality, decompress, and become more self-aware, all of which can improve their general wellbeing. To avoid potential undesirable outcomes like addiction or social stigma, it’s crucial to approach masturbation mindfully and moderately. In the end, adopting a healthy perspective on masturbation entails setting aside time for self-care, communicating honestly, and being aware of one’s own needs and boundaries. People can improve their general quality of life and develop a positive relationship with their own sexuality by accepting and appreciating the variety of viewpoints and experiences regarding masturbation.