A recent survey found that 92% of men and 76% of women masturbate. This is a high number, even though 55% of Americans feel uncomfortable talking about masturbation.
Since most people do it already, you might be asking, is masturbation good for your health? This guide will go over some of the many health benefits you can get from masturbating. Keep reading to learn what they are.
It Lowers Your Chance of Developing Prostate Cancer
Studies have found a correlation between prostate health and ejaculation. The more times you ejaculate during the month, the lower your chance of developing prostate cancer.
Anything you can do to reduce your risk of developing cancer is beneficial to your health. While ejaculation can occur while having sex with a partner, you don’t need a partner to ejaculate more.
Masturbation is a great method for those who don’t have a partner or for those who are in the mood when their partner’s not around.
It’s Good For Your Heart
There are many health benefits of masturbation, but one of the best is how it protects heart health. Masturbation is similar to exercising because both speed up your heart rate.
Getting your heart pumping is a great way to reduce your chance of developing heart disease and type 2 diabetes. While masturbation shouldn’t replace your regular exercise routine, it is a healthy activity to add to your routine.
Masturbation Strengthens Pelvic Floor Muscles
Since masturbating often leads to orgasm, you’ll experience pelvic floor contractions when you masturbate. This is a great way to strengthen your pelvic floor muscles.
In the same way that lifting weights builds strength in your legs or arms, masturbation creates stronger pelvic floor muscles. The benefit of this is that you’ll feel stronger orgasms the more you masturbate. Stronger orgasms are great for you and can improve your sex life with a partner too.
Masturbation Can Make You Last Longer
It’s easy to finish quickly when you haven’t had sex with someone in a while. Masturbation can help improve how long you last in bed when you are with a partner.
Some practice and a few calculations can extend how long it takes you to finish. If it typically takes you two or three minutes to finish, try to extend that to four minutes the next time you masturbate.
Self-exploration helps you better understand your body to make your experience more pleasurable and help you last longer than before.
It Can Improve Sleep
Is masturbation good for you? There are many more benefits to masturbating, including better rest at night.
If you struggle to fall asleep at night and find yourself tossing and turning for hours, masturbating before bed can help you fall asleep easier. If your most intrusive thoughts come when it’s time to sleep, masturbating is a great way to get your mind off your worries and help you relax.
When your mind is relaxed, it becomes easier to fall asleep.
Reduces Stress Levels
While stress is something no one can avoid completely, too much stress can cause serious health issues. Chronic stress can lead to conditions like high blood pressure and depression.
You can manage your stress by finding activities that help you relax. Masturbation is one activity that promotes relaxation and reduces stress.
Oxytocin, the feel-good hormone that’s released after your orgasm, is known to reduce stress, lower blood pressure, and even reduce pain.
It Can Strengthen Your Immune System
Small doses of the hormone cortisol are released after ejaculation. Although cortisol is a stress hormone that increases blood pressure and heart rate, small amounts of it can help boost your immune system.
So masturbation is the perfect way for your body to produce enough cortisol to increase white blood cells and make your immune system stronger without any of the damaging effects of having too much cortisol in your system.
It Can Reduce Your Risk of a Cervical Infection
If you’re a person with a vagina, you’ll be happy to hear that masturbation can reduce your chances of developing cervical infections and UTIs. UTIs are common for female bodies, so it’s great to hear that a few extra orgasms achieved through masturbation can reduce your chances of infection.
This happens because masturbating allows your body to get rid of toxins and bacteria. For female bodies, the cervical fluids that flush out of the body during masturbation help remove the bacteria that cause infections. This is just one of the many positive effects of masturbation.
Masturbation Improves Mood
A better mood is a great way to improve happiness and mental health. Good mental health will also lead to better physical health.
One way to improve your mood when you’re feeling down is through masturbation. The release of oxytocin and dopamine in your brain activates the pleasure center in your brain. It makes you feel happier immediately after orgasm.
It’s a Form of Safe Sex
Another health benefit of masturbation is that it can help you enjoy sexual pleasure without the risk of pregnancy or contracting an STI. Solo sex can therefore help you feel less stress about the potential risks of sex with a partner.
Without the added pressure of satisfying a partner, you’ll feel comfortable exploring your sexual interests when you’re doing it on your own too.
It Can Improve Partnered Sex
Other masturbation side effects that many people might not know about include how it can actually make you feel more aroused. You might assume that more masturbation means a lower sex drive.
When you’re meeting your own sexual needs, you might think that you won’t feel aroused when your partner wants to have sex with you. This couldn’t be further from the truth, however.
Masturbating daily can increase your desire for your partner and improve sexual function, whether you’re a man or woman.
You’ll Live Longer
Regular masturbation sessions can also increase the length of your life. All of the health benefits described above are contributors to this one.
Lower stress levels, better heart health, improved sleep, and a stronger immune system that results from daily masturbation explain why masturbation can help you live longer.
Masturbation Improves Self Esteem
Did you know that masturbation can also make you a more confident person? When you explore your own body on your own terms, you become more confident about it.
The better you understand your body, the easier it becomes for you to accept it as it is. Learning about your sexual interests teaches you more about yourself and what you want.
The more you know yourself, the more you’ll learn to love yourself and your body. Masturbation is a great way to build your self-esteem and learn that you’re deserving of pleasurable things too.
Increases Fertility
Common myths about masturbation claim that it can lead to infertility. The truth is that masturbation is a healthy way to increase fertility in male bodies.
Millions of sperm are produced in your body each day whether you masturbate or have sex with a partner or both. Masturbation can increase fertility through ejaculation.
When you ejaculate after pleasuring yourself, your body is getting rid of sperm cells that are older and not as fertile. This creates space for the newer and more fertile sperm to come in when needed. This is great news if creating a family is an important part of your life plan.
Masturbation is a great way to increase fertility, improve sex with your partner, and reduce the discomfort of blue balls when they occur. Check out this article to learn more.
Masturbation Can Improve Skin Health
Masturbating is also great for your skin! The orgasm that occurs after you masturbate increases blood flow in your body and your skin.
Increased blood flow is one of the best ways to improve the appearance of your skin. More blood flow reduces inflammation while also reducing the appearance of blemishes and scars.
Is Masturbation Good For Your Health? The Benefits Explained
Is masturbation good for your health? The great thing is that it can bring you many health benefits you might not have known about before.
Making masturbation a common part of your routine can help you sleep better at night, reduce your risk of developing infections, and can improve your mood too.
Did you find this article informative? If you did, make sure to check out some of the other blogs on our site too. We write about a variety of topics, from health to relationships.
So if you want to learn more about masturbation or any other sexual health topics, you’ll find all the information you need on our site.
