You’d think that the majority of masturbation myths should be debunked by now. Well, it’s not the case — people still believe it can cause erection problems, weaken sexual desire of your partner, or lead to infections. If you aren’t sure about the effects that masturbation has on your health and sex life, let’s debunk the masturbation myths together.
Common myths about masturbation effect on health
Myths about masturbation come in different flavors. Usually, they talk about bad consequences or talk about “rules” of masturbation. Here are seven most popular misconceptions about the masturbation side effect that you most definitely heard about — and possibly, even trusted.
You shouldn’t masturbate more than __ times
There’s no lack of homegrown experts who have their masturbation methods and magical numbers Thee “professionals” proclaim that you should avoid masturbation for more than 5,10,15 minutes or that masturbating every day can be incredibly harmful to your health.
The reality isn’t all that simple. Every person has a different body, masturbation methods, and level of sexual drive. Some people can easily masturbate every day and feel no pain or don’t get injured.
The only thing to be aware of is the state of your skin. If you feel that your genitals feel raw or start hurting from active touches, it’s a red flag.
Masturbation leads to infertility
Mayo clinic proved that masturbation doesn’t decrease nor the quality nor the quantity of sperm or female egg cells. If you masturbated before having sex, it’s likely that your sperm count will be lower. It’s a temporary masturbation effect on the body, though — sperm takes from 12 to 24 hours to regenerate completely.
For women, masturbation will not impact the number of oocytes in any way because the female cycle is regulated differently.
Women don’t masturbate as much
This is a known myth about too much masturbation side effect — you might’ve heard about that on media. However, in reality, men are more vocal about their masturbation — due to cultural stereotypes, women don’t share their masturbation details.
Tenga survey shared an interesting fact — it turns out, 30% of women prefer masturbation to sex. I also think masturbation for women is necessary, even if you have a healthy sex life. It’s important to explore your body to find your G-spot, know what zones are the most erogenous zones, and guide your partner during sex.
Claims about the best ways to masturbate
If you see an expert who claims to have discovered the secret of good masturbation, it’s likely a fraud. The truth is, all rules of masturbation are purely practical — wash your hands, get some toys, watch porn, or listen to sexy music. Other than that, no one can tell you how to masturbate best. This is a subject where we all learn by doing.
The only exception is when you masturbate with a particular purpose. If you are looking for a G-spot, it makes sense to firstly read about the location of the spot, get an understanding of how it’s supposed to feel. Still, the actual skill only comes from practice.
Masturbation will turn you blind
This is the most out-blown masturbation myths, and still, it keeps popping up online. If you read or heard about that from some experts, don’t listen. This myth date older times when people believed that sex should be mean to procreation.
Our generation is far past that stage. Furthermore, there have been no clinical cases where blindness was linked to blindness. This claim is an unfounded myth.
Masturbation is the best solo
If you heard that masturbation is only good when you are on your own, and another person will distract you, don’t rush to dismiss group masturbation before you try it out. For many people, group masturbation works just as well — it’s just the different type of feeling.
Negative excessive masturbation effect on sex
A lot of risks that are associated with masturbation that you heard about are myths. That said, it doesn’t mean that masturbation is entirely harmless. Excessive masturbation, just like anything, can be dangerous.
The majority of studies on the harmful effects of masturbation are performed on men. However, women can take notes from male risks and avoid masturbating as well. Female masturbation side effects are usually closely related; they just apply to different organs.
Decreased sensitivity
If you grip your penis too tightly regularly, it will eventually lead to weakened sensation. It will be harder to stimulate your erogenous zones during actual sex. This bad effect of masturbation can be prevented, though — try using a vibrator before sex. This works for men and women alike.
Prostate cancer
The evidence as to whether masturbation causes prostate cancer is slightly inconclusive. However, the claim isn’t entirely unsupported: there was a study in 2003 that showed that men who ejaculate more than five times per week are more likely to get an aggressive form of prostate cancer. However, there isn’t a definite conclusion as to what number of times will lead to increased health risks, so take this with a grain of salt.
Also, there was a study in 2016 that examined data of 21 men and found that frequent ejaculation decreased the chances of prostate cancer. You can choose whom to trust, but I bet that the safety lies in the middle.
Social life issues
This depends entirely on you, but there’s a chance that frequent masturbation can disrupt, work, studies, social life, or relationships. Some psychologists indicate that such a side effect of masturbation in men can be a sign of escape from problematic relationships or sex life. If you want to masturbate often, it’s worth asking yourself if you are not slacking off on other areas of life.
If you indeed suspect that there must be a problem, you can see your therapist, or, even better, find a sex therapist who specializes in sexual issues. The professional can help you identify the appropriate masturbation schedule and get down to the root of the problem.
Benefits of male masturbation
Men get to hear a lot about risks associated with masturbation. However, in reality, masturbation also gives the male organism a powerful boost, both for sexual activities and in the general state. Here are the main benefits of male masturbation.
Better muscle tone
With age, pelvic muscles start weakening — this will happen even to men who are exercising and living a healthy life. However, masturbation is a way to prevent these muscles from waking too early.
The secret is simple: masturbation sends the blood flow to a penis, keeping it refreshed and nourished. The smooth muscle of the penis consumes a lot of oxygen, and when it’s not delivered regularly, you will have weaker erections over time. Frequent simulations allow preventing that.
Increased endurance
If you don’t last enough during sex, the reason could be the lack of practice. Getting a partner for casual hookup isn’t always possible, but your hand is always there. Plus, masturbation is a controlled practice environment — you can try out different techniques, explore various zones, and even time yourself. Doing that with a partner could be problematic.
The good news, you can increase your sex time and number in time already in the amount of practice by 2-4 times. Only a month of regular stimulation — and you will be another person in bed.
Help for the immune system
When you ejaculate, your body releases cortisol. Even though it’s mostly known as a stress hormone that doesn’t let your digestion and other processes work well, for your immune system, it’s a huge boost. Cortisol regulates immune activities and stretches the organism’s response to pathogens.
Better mood
Masturbation leads to the release of dopamine and oxytocin into your body. They make you feel more satisfied, energized, productive, and happier. However, you should keep in mind that these substances activate the reward circuits in your brain, and it’s easy to get addicted to these dopamine-releasing activities.
Deal with insomnia
You can masturbate to fall asleep faster. The reason is again in hormones — masturbation leads to the release of oxytocin, prolactin, serotonin, and they make you feel more relaxed. This feeling contributes to falling asleep much faster — on top of that, you’d also feel slightly tired after a good masturbation session.
Benefits of female masturbation
Men aren’t the only ones who can reap the benefits of masturbation. For women, this is just as beneficial — let’s take a look at the female masturbation effect on health.
Destress
This is the universal reason to masturbate. Many people notice that masturbation helps them take their mind off stressful events and overall, get a more positive outlook on the line.
This is, again, regulated by hormones. The release of dopamine and serotonin leads to the activation of the pleasure center n your brain, which is why you will quickly feel relieved during and after masturbation.
Unleash the pent-up muscle energy
During our daily lives, we are often unnecessary tense. It can lead to muscle strains, make us feel tired, and prevent us from falling asleep. A lot of the times, when we aren’t feeling well, it’s just muscle tension.
It’s not like masturbation is the universal cure for muscle pain. However, it’s worth trying if you are feeling tired regularly or there’s a discomfort in your body, but you can’t pinpoint what it is exactly. Chances are, it’s tension — and masturbation, with its relaxing properties, will help you release it.
Explore the best sexual techniques
When we have sex, we have to give up the initiative more often than not. As much as women can guide their partners to explore their most erogenous zones, they can’t always trust the partner to follow guidelines with the precision.
Masturbation is a great opportunity to take responsibility into your own hands and look for new pleasure centers and approaches to them. If you know your body well, communicating during sex and taking the initiative into your own hands will be much easier.
Also, some techniques require to do masturbation beforehand. For G-spot positions, you need to masturbate, because it’s the easiest way to find a G-spot. A partner can’t always accurately find the necessary angle or feel your anatomy as well as you can.
Increase a libido
Masturbation allows you to increase sexual drive because it changes the way you treat sex. Whether we like it to admit it or not, sex for women is often associated with things other than pleasure — tiresome preparation, pain, discomfort, insecurities. When you masturbate on your own, all these barriers are gone. You can finally feel how good sex feels, and you’ll want to replicate the same experience with your partner.
It’s hard to want sex if you never had a good experience. Masturbation lowers the bar — by yourself, getting nice sex is much easier. So, if you feel the decrease of sexual drive, bring masturbation into your schedule.
Work out pelvic muscles
Just like in men, women’s pelvic muscles also get weaker over time. For women, this is especially important because pelvic muscles support uterus and bladder. It will make your bladder control better and improve your female health.
Also, masturbation will make you a lot more resistant during sex. You will be able to try out intense positions without getting bruises and micro-injuries.
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FAQ
Are there any ill effects of too much masturbation?
Usually, the negative effects of masturbation are blown out of proportion. There are a lot of myths that you can’t masturbate a specific time per week or that a certain duration will harm your health. Some studies indicate that it can increase the risks of getting prostate cancer, but on the other hand, some studies indicate otherwise.
What is the main over masturbation side effect?
Too much masturbation may lead to the decrease of sensitivity in the penis or vagina, compromise work or studies, or relationships.
How harmful or unhealthy is masturbation?
Masturbation isn’t at all unhealthy. There may be many more benefits than risks. Masturbation helps your genitals to get active blood flow, keeps your muscles in tone, and improves your mood. It also can improve your sexual skills and endurance.
What are the side effects of excessive masturbation?
The most common side effect is the loss of sensitivity — this usually happens if men or women masturbate too much. Sometimes, guys also grip their penises too tight, which leads to microdamage. Overall, any excessive masturbation may lead to damage to your organs’ tissues, so avoid getting too “raw” anywhere.
What happens to a guy who masturbates daily?
Nothing, unless you are doing it for an extended period. Daily masturbation isn’t harmful by itself — just avoid getting too intense.
What are the benefits of masturbation?
There are multiple benefits: masturbation leads to the release of serotonin and dopamine that activates the pleasure centers in your brain, helps you to distress, keeps muscles in tone, allows dealing with insomnia, and increases endurance in bed.
Conclusions
Masturbation is a positive thing. Unless you are doing it too much or don’t follow basic hygiene rules, you won’t face frequent masturbation side effects. It works the other way around — you can become healthier, stronger, and increase your sexual stamina.