— why masturbating is good for you
Is masturbating good for you? A sex therapist explains 9 reasons to give yourself an orgasm in the name of self-care.
by Mia Sabat
Masturbation and self-exploration are natural components of human nature. Not only is masturbating pleasurable, but it helps us look after our minds and bodies while better understanding our sexuality. In addition to helping you get to know yourself better, it can also help improve your sexual relationships overall, by giving you the power to articulate exactly what you want when with a partner.
We spoke to sex therapist Mia Sabat at Emjoy, the sexual wellbeing audio app for women, about the health benefits of masturbation.
Is masturbation good for you?
Consider masturbation self-care – it’s a term that implies attending to your personal needs, and attending to your body without feeling guilt or remorse. Why shouldn’t masturbation fall into this self-care category? Masturbation is enjoyable, it enables people to take care of themselves in ways many other self-care rituals don’t, and it brings a wide range of positive side effects and health benefits that can improve people’s daily lives. Plus, it’s free! If you want to masturbate, and are curious to discover more about you and your sexuality, then masturbation can only be beneficial to your mind and body.
Am I masturbating too much?
Masturbating as often as we want is not a problem, unless it ends up being an obsession. If the need to masturbate is constant and we stop doing our usual daily activities to do it or if we can’t control it and end up practicing it in inappropriate places, then there is a problem.
Additionally, if we still do it, despite having irritated or broken skin in the genital region, we should consider seeking support.
Masturbating as often as we want is not a problem, unless it ends up being an obsession.
Many times an addiction can occur because, by masturbating, we release complex chemicals, the most important of which is dopamine. Dopamine is associated with a strong feeling of well-being and it is this feeling that often causes people to become addicted to masturbation. If you fear that you are in this situation, you should visit a sex therapist or your GP.
Health benefits of masturbation
Masturbation releases endorphins
Masturbation offers a wealth of both mental and physical health benefits. One of the best benefits of masturbation is that it comes with the release of endorphins, which are hormones that promote wellbeing and boost your mood.
Masturbation helps to relieve stress and reduce pain
Masturbation further helps your body to combat stress and even reduce, if not relieve, pain. With women, for example, the contractions and endorphins released during the climax can help reduce menstrual pain, with some studies even finding that orgasms effectively reduce migraines and headaches – talk about a natural pain reliever!
Masturbation boosts your immune system
In addition, more and more studies and research are concluding that masturbation and sexual stimulation benefit your overall health: alongside stress reduction, masturbating improves the immune system, helps to exercise the pelvic floor, and helps to improve sleep.
Masturbation helps us connect with ourselves
One of the most important, and often overlooked benefits of masturbation, is that self-pleasure allows us to connect with ourselves. Masturbation gives people the opportunity to understand their bodies, their reactions, and their sexuality, so they can try out new habits and ways to touch themselves when alone. This is crucial because when individuals get to know their bodies better, they are better able to communicate their needs and preferences, which allows them to engage in a more fulfilling sexual experience, both with their partners, and with themselves.
Masturbation gives you a greater understanding of your wants and needs
Masturbation helps us better understand our sexual wants and needs. The more we listen to our body, the more we will appreciate it, boosting our self-esteem and increasing our feelings of desire.
Masturbation increases libido
Both sex and arousal are born in the brain. The more we experience pleasure, the more we want, because we think more about it. When we haven’t had sex for a while, most of the time we don’t even think about it. One of the biggest queries and concerns is the loss of desire or not reaching orgasm: well, without any doubt, masturbation is one of the keys to changing this. But remember: the important thing is to connect with ourselves.
Masturbation can strengthen your anatomy
Masturbation and pleasure should be enjoyed. It should not be an obligation or feel stressful. In addition to the many mental health benefits, masturbation also helps to maintain the elasticity of the vulva and the vagina’s muscles and tissues.
Masturbation improves body confidence
Learning to appreciate and understand the beauty of our bodies is a very powerful thing. Realising that we can make ourselves feel good can help us accept, appreciate and love the amazing body that we have been given, consequently helping us to be kinder to ourselves.
Masturbation can boost our happiness and overall wellbeing
The more you enjoy masturbation, the more you want to do it. This happens because the brain’s reward centre is activated by pleasure and causes us to release hormones that make us feel happy, like serotonin or endorphins, for example. Many people mistakenly think that masturbation is a substitute for sex and it is not. Masturbation is a necessary and rewarding sexual practice, for those that choose to find happiness in that way.
Can masturbation cause a decrease in sexual sensitivity?
Definitely not. It is easy to understand if we take a parallel example: when we are in a jacuzzi, the jets of water put pressure on our skin. We may be numb for a little while after, but that does not make us lose sensitivity in that area forever. Exactly the same thing happens when you masturbate, either with your hands or using a toy.
What can occur is that we create an easy routine to climax and get used to it, as a habit, and then when we want to change the way we experience our pleasure, it can be difficult for our bodies and we get a bit nervous. But it is not because of the loss of sensitivity. The idea of losing sensitivity is a myth, and it is very important that this myth is dispelled.
Can masturbation help ease anxiety during lockdown?
The answer is very personal. Each of us manages our emotions very differently, and the same thing happens with our sexuality. During this period of lockdown, three scenarios are happening: people have completely lost interest in sex, people have an increased interest in sex, some have felt no difference. And I would add that this can fluctuate. We must understand that this situation is new, we don’t know how to behave and that there is not a personal care guide to what we are experiencing.
Three scenarios are happening: people have completely lost interest in sex, people have an increased interest in sex, some have felt no difference.
For this reason, although I do believe that this period of lockdown presents a great opportunity for use to be attentive to our bodies, we must also understand that there may be fluctuations and that not everyone is experiencing the same thing. If you feel like masturbating at the moment, now is as good a time as any. It can lower our anxiety levels, and allow us to sleep better, but only if our bodies and minds feel open to the experience. Never force it. If you are able to reach climax, though, an orgasm can help to dissipate emotional and physical tension, helping you to feel more at ease.
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