Last Updated on September 10, 2024 by Joshua Isibor

WHAT IS MASTURBATION

Masturbation is the self-incitement of the private parts to accomplish sexual excitement and joy, usually to the point of climax (sexual peak). It is ordinarily done by contacting, massaging, touching, or kneading the penis or clitoris until an orgasm is achieved. A few ladies additionally use incitement of the vagina to stroke to stroke off or use” sex toys, for example, vibrator.

TABLE OF CONTENT

• Overview
• Hormones
• How it affects your;
• Mood
• Focus and concentration
• Stress and anxiety
• Sleep
• Self-esteem
• Sex life
• Mixed results
• Social or spiritual beliefs
• Underlying conditions
• Side effects
• Sexual sensitivity
• Benefits
• During pregnancy
• How to Stop Masturbating
• Addiction vs. compulsion
• Signs to watch for
• Causes
• Treatment options
• Complications

Takeaway

OVERVIEW

There’s a lot of conflicting information — including some myths and rumors — about whether masturbation is bad for you.

Know this: Whether you masturbate is up to you and only you.

If you do, rest assured that doing so won’t cause any physical harm. And if you don’t, there’s no harm, no foul, for you either.

HORMONES

Masturbation causes your body to release several hormones. These hormones include:

• Dopamine. This is one of the “happiness hormones” that is related to your brain’s reward system.
• Endorphins. The body’s natural pain reliever, endorphins also have de-stressing and mood-boosting effects.
• Oxytocin. This hormone is often called the love hormone and is associated with social bonding.
• Testosterone. This hormone is released during sex to improve stamina and arousal. It’s also released when you have sexual fantasies, according to a 2011 study trusted Source.
• Prolactin. A hormone that plays an important role in lactation, prolactin also influences your mood and immune system.

THIS AFFECTS YOUR;

 MOOD

Masturbating can cause you to release healthy amounts of the above hormones, which is why it can positively affect your mood and physical health.

Dopamine, endorphins, and oxytocin are all called “happiness hormones” associated with stress reduction, bonding, and relaxation.

SOMETIMES, MASTURBATING CAN HELP YOU FEEL A LITTLE BETTER WHEN YOUR MOOD IS LOW.

AS WELL AS YOUR FOCUS AND CONCENTRATION

You might have heard of “post-nut clarity” — a situation where your brain suddenly feels focused after you have an orgasm.

Indeed, many people find that masturbating helps them concentrate better. As such, they might masturbate before working, studying, or taking a test.

There’s no scientific explanation for this, as it hasn’t been studied specifically. However, this sense of clarity and focus might be a result of feeling relaxed and happy after an orgasm.

IT CAN HELP ALLEVIATE STRESS AND ANXIETY

While oxytocin is commonly known as the “love hormone” and associated with social bonding, it’s also associated with de-stressing and relaxation.

As one 2005 study points out, oxytocin plays an important role in regulating stress and reducing anxiety.

It does this by reducing blood pressure and lowering your cortisol levels. Cortisol is a hormone associated with stress.

So, if you’re hoping to relieve some tension after a tough day at work, masturbating might be a good relaxation technique!

IT CAN HELP YOU FALL ASLEEP

Anecdotally, many people use masturbation to fall asleep — and it’s no wonder.

Oxytocin and endorphins are associated with relaxation, so it makes sense that masturbation can help you sleep, especially if stress and anxiety are keeping you from getting some shut-eye.

IT MAY ALSO HAVE AN EFFECT ON YOUR SELF-ESTEEM

For some, masturbating can be a way of practicing self-love, getting to know your body, and spending quality time on your own.

Because you’re learning to enjoy your own body and figuring out what feels pleasurable for you, masturbation can boost your self-esteem.

ALL OF WHICH COULD IMPROVE YOUR SEX LIFE

Many sex therapists suggest masturbating regularly — whether you’re single or partnered.

In addition to the physical benefits derived from masturbation, a boost to self-esteem coupled with relaxation can be great for your sex life.

As for your libido, there’s some evidence that masturbating can help you maintain a healthy sex drive. For example, this 2009 study links frequent vibrator use to a high sex drive and positive sexual function, as well as general sexual wellness.

Masturbating can help you figure out what’s pleasurable and exciting for you, which can help you show your partner what you enjoy.

BUT THE EFFECTS AREN’T ALWAYS POSITIVE

While there are proven benefits, some people do have negative experiences with masturbation.

You might dislike the feeling, or it might be against your belief system, or you might simply be uninterested in it. That’s fine! Whether you choose to masturbate or not is up to you.

Some people experience negative feelings related to social or spiritual expectations

Masturbation is considered a sin in some religions. There are also many societal stigmas attached to masturbation: Some people believe women shouldn’t masturbate, or that masturbation is immoral.

That’s not to mention the anxiety-inducing myths around masturbation.

Many of us have heard the rumors that masturbation causes you to go blind, or that it can cause you to grow hair on your hands — both completely false claims that seem to circulate widely among preteens!

If you believe those things and go on to masturbate, you might experience feelings of guilt, anxiety, shame, or self-loathing afterward.

It’s okay to abstain from masturbation because of your personal beliefs, but if you want to work through feelings of guilt and masturbate without anxiety, talking to a therapist might help.

Certain underlying conditions may also play a role

Aside from societal and spiritual difficulties, underlying health conditions might make masturbation difficult.

For example, masturbation may be frustrating if you experience:

• erectile dysfunction
• low libido
• vaginal dryness
• dyspareunia, which involves pain during vagina penetration
• post-orgasmic illness syndromeTrusted Source, a little-known condition where individuals who have a penis can become ill after ejaculating

In addition to this, masturbating might be upsetting if you’ve experienced sexual trauma.

If you think you have an underlying condition that makes it difficult to masturbate and it’s bothering you, talk to a doctor you trust.

Likewise, if you’re struggling to masturbate due to emotional distress, you may find it helpful to talk to a therapist.

It ultimately depends on your individual needs and desires

Is masturbation bad for you? No, not inherently. Whether you masturbate and how you feel about it is individual.

Masturbate if you’d like to, but don’t feel pressured to masturbate if you don’t enjoy it — it’s really up to you!

Masturbation is a common activity. It’s a natural and safe way to explore your body, feel pleasure, and release built-up sexual tension. It occurs among people of all backgrounds, genders, and races

Despite the myths, there are actually no physically harmful side effects of masturbation.

However, excessive masturbation can harm your relationships and everyday life. Other than that, masturbation is a fun, normal, and healthy act.

SIDE-EFFECTS OF MASTURBATION

Let us look at some of the hidden truth behind masturbation which no one agrees to tell;

• GETTING ADDICTED: I mentioned earlier that too much of everything is bad for human health and this is one of the major reasons I said so. Masturbation gets so addictive which could be compared to those who happen to be drug addicts- no difference. No one tells you this because it is quite pleasurable satisfying yourself that you most likely even inculcate others to carry out this same action and on and on it goes.

• THE ENERGY DRAIN: If you happen to be a masturbator, you would agree with me on the fact that masturbation is one hell of an energy drainer which in the long run gets to lead to constant weakness and feebleness. Taking a walk becomes stressful, making dinner as well amongst other household activities you have the obligation to carry out. All becomes tiring and this is due to the action of pleasurable satisfaction through masturbation. To be honest, it is more of an energy consumer than having real sex as this works with unnatural illusions thereby overworking the mind to create these illusions and fantasies in creating a perfect picture for the action.

• DYSFUNCTION OF THE PRIVATE ORGAN (PENIS): This happens to be one of the major effects of masturbation no one ever speaks off. Like how would I tell you if I have an erectile dysfunction caused by masturbation when I know you would make a joke out of it? I would rather tag you along in the act of masturbation so you as well suffer from this effect. That is how it works hence no one says nothing. Over 80% of men who pay respect to constant masturbation are at great risk of suffering from dysfunction of their private organ (penis).
• LOGIC DAMAGE (NEUROLOGICAL EFFECTS): Men who get to masturbate a whole lot suffer from neurological concerns that get to affect their logic. This starts little at the early stage of masturbation but as the man gets older, it becomes a severe case.
• IMPULSIVE EJACULATION: This effect happens when due to masturbation; the penal nerve has been over-stimulated due to frequent pleasurable encounters with you. When eventually you get to have sexual intercourse with a real woman, due to the already sensitive and stimulated penal nerve, in no time you get an untimely ejaculation of sperm which in most cases get to lead to breakups in relationships amongst other problems that may come up on the long run. In a case where you happen not to last in bed, check and ask yourself if you are a frequent masturbator, if yes then you have your answers to why you are an untimely sperm processor. Forget drugs and herbal medicines, the best solution is to quit the act of masturbation.

• PROBLEM OF A SEX LIFE: This is in relation to the effect just above this one. Masturbation leads to a “kill vibe” when it comes to intercourse with the opposite sex (real human). A masturbator hardly gets turned on by girls and does not get to enjoy sex anymore as time goes on but rather prefers the pleasurable encounter with him all alone. Well, for most men on a statistical basis that carry out masturbation, it is due to the fact that they maybe cannot approach the opposite sex so give or take- whether a girl is there for them or not, it does not matter for as far as they can get pleasure without any second party.
• DROWSINESS IS YET ANOTHER EFFECT: Men who masturbate suffer from a lot of drowsiness and this is in context with my second point “The energy drain”. Masturbating leads to the release of a large quantity of dopamine to the human brain which is a major element in stimulating drowsiness in the individual.
• FORGETFULNESS, In the long run, you begin to notice you forget things easily just for no reason and not like you are old though. This is because of the steady release of a large amount of dopamine to the brain which clouds your thinking ability.
• AGEING IS HASTENED: On average, a case study has it those men who tend to pleasure themselves sexually by the means of masturbation six to seven times on a weekly get to have their aging hastened which is caused by the constant drop in the testosterone level in the male body.

Originally posted 2020-07-27 17:13:44.

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