Benefits of Masturbation
Cordelia Michaelson
Sassmaster whose life revolves around horses and crime shows.
Cordelia is here with some sex education about the benefits of masturbation!
Over the last month or so I’ve written about masturbation with a vagina (HERE) and masturbation with a penis. Aside from what it is and how to do it, there are some significant health benefits to orgasms from mastubation.
A couple of super important benefits of masturbation are:
1.) Stress relief and relaxation
It’s no secret that an orgasm can relief some built up tension and cause you to relax. An orgasm through masturbation will also achieve that. It can also help relieve built-up sexual tension.
2.) Mood boosters
Orgasms can put you in a better mood, this has a lot to do with the release of stress and the release of chemicals in your brain; Men release norepinephrine, serotonin, oxytocin, vasopressin, nitric oxide, as well as prolactin (a hormone), and females release oxytocin and DHEA. (Fun fact: There are studies that are starting to prove these chemicals could potentially protect against some cancers and heart disease.) – Endorphins are released during both a male or female orgasm and these are what causes a person to relax.
3.) Orgasms can help relieve period cramps.
If you’re too shy for period sex and need some relief from brutal cramps, masturbation could be the key to some of that relief.
4.) Masturbation is a great way to explore your body too.
If you haven’t had sex or you just want to know more about what you like and possibly dislike, you can achieve this through masturbation, before bringing it to your partner. That way you can have a better idea of whether or not you like certain things.
5.) Mutual masturbation can be great foreplay and a way to ‘warm’ each other up.
Also, if you’re not using birth control and using family planning to track your cycle and still want to orgasm but don’t want to risk potentially getting pregnant from intercourse and you won’t use condoms, you can masturbate!
6.) Masturbation is also a way to lower the risk of STIs
Which I know is pretty lame and it doesn’t always beat sex but if you’re single and don’t want to risk sleeping with a potentially risky partner, fix the issue yourself and masturbate.
Something that is key to remember though that orgasms from masturbation are slightly different from those we get from intercourse and while they do provide health benefits, they don’t provide the SAME health benefits. You should also be careful of masturbating too much – you could potentially cause skin irritation and be very mindful you’re using proper sex toys if you decide to use toys during mastubation. Seriously – things not meant for sex/masturbation can cause serious bodily harm, could potentially get stuck, could break, or even cause something like a penile fracture. So ya’ll, please be careful.
7.) Believe it or not, masturbation can help improve self-esteem and body image.
This is really, really important for people that have a hard time with those things. I can tell you on a personal level, it’s helped me A LOT after a bad break up.
Does masturbating become addicting? In my OPINION – no more than sex can be.
Can it ruin a relationship? Masturbation is such a normal part of like, granted, if it’s an issue you guys should be talking it out, but it really is a normal, healthy part of life.
For a blog about Masturbation in Relationships, click HERE.
