Benefits of Masturbation You Need To Know (2023 Updated)

Masturbation, also known as self-pleasuring, is a sexual act that entails touching or caressing certain body parts such as the vulva, penis, breasts, clitoris, etc., to derive sexual pleasure. Masturbation can happen with one person or between two people. When masturbation occurs between two people, it's referred to as mutual masturbation, and it involves consent. Masturbation is quite common, and it's mostly done by adolescents and adults of all ages and both genders.

Benefits of masturbation

Masturbation is regarded as a healthy way for people to know their bodies, find out what it responds to, and how they can climax. People have varying frequencies at which they masturbate. It can be once a day, twice a day, twice a week, etc. 

Masturbation comes with some perks, which include:

1. Reduces Your Risk of Prostate Cancer

Prostate cancer ranks second on the list of the most common cancers that affect men's health. Once you're a man aged at least 50, your risk of getting prostate cancer significantly increases. Medical research has discovered that frequent ejaculation reduces your risk of having prostate cancer. The research compared men who ejaculated an average of once a week to men who ejaculated up to 5 times weekly and discovered that the latter category is 31% less likely to have prostate cancer.

Since masturbation is one way to ejaculate, doing it frequently reduces the risk of middle-aged men getting prostate cancer. 

2. It Helps Men Have Stronger Erections

The penis is a muscle, and it's also controlled by a group of muscles (pelvic muscles). Frequent ejaculations have been discovered to strengthen your pelvic floor, which is partly made up of these pelvic muscles. According to sex therapists, ejaculation is like a workout for your pelvic floor. The stronger these pelvic muscles are, the stronger and more durable your erections will be. It's also important that you masturbate properly to ensure your penis stays in optimal condition.

It's not about how much you masturbate, but how well you masturbate. If you masturbate without using a good lubricant or masturbate with your hands dry and in a very quick motion, you may desensitize your penis. You must use a good lubricant, such as skin-friendly oils or lotions.

3. Helps Men Last Longer in Bed

It's been discovered that masturbating before having sex can help men last longer. This is because masturbation is a perfectly natural and healthy way of improving your sexual stamina, which will result in a better performance during sexual intercourse. In addition, there are specific behavioral techniques you can adopt while masturbating. Over time, you'll be more comfortable using them during sex.

4. Masturbation Improves Sleep Quality

Masturbating and achieving orgasm before you retire for the night can help you sleep easier and better. This is because masturbation calms the mind and relaxes the brain. Orgasm releases oxytocin which relieves stress by reducing cortisol levels in the body. Aside from helping you sleep, it will help you sleep deeper. Oxytocin isn't the only hormone released when you achieve orgasm. Serotonin and norepinephrine are released as well, and they are both relaxation hormones. This benefit applies to both genders.

5. Masturbation Helps You Have a Better Understanding of Your Body

Masturbation is one way to understand your body, know the areas that turn you on. It also helps you know how to touch your body. A lot of people are clueless about the kinds of touch their body responds better to and talk less about communicating that information to their partner. Knowing how to touch your body entails applying just the right pressure and intensity.

To properly masturbate, women shouldn't dive headlong into their vagina or clitoris; they should massage, squeeze, and stroke their vulva (the inner and outer part of their labia). They should also massage their pubic mounds using the right pressure, then brush and pinch the top of their clitoris.

For men, don't just focus on stroking or massaging the shaft of your penis. Massage, squeeze, tap, and apply pressure on your perineum, head, and balls to know where and what feels good. 

6. Masturbation Enhances Foreplay

Foreplay is much less exciting when you don't know your partner's pleasure spots. As we discussed earlier, masturbation helps you understand yourself better. When you know your body's pleasure zones, you can easily direct or guide your partner there during foreplay. 

7. Masturbation is Safe Sex

Masturbation can't get you pregnant or leave you vulnerable to sexually transmitted infections. It's one of the most appealing perks of masturbation. It gives you a way to pleasure yourself, achieve orgasm and stay safe from the risks associated with sexual intercourse. It's ideal in a scenario where there are no contraceptives to protect you and your partner from pregnancy or sexually transmitted infections. You and your partner can engage in mutual masturbation to derive sexual pleasure and stay safe at the same time. 

8. Improves the Look of Your Skin

Orgasm has certain benefits the skin enjoys. Just as frequent sex helps the skin glow, the same applies to masturbation. In addition, achieving orgasm has been associated with rising levels of estrogens in the body. The more estrogen is produced in your body, the healthier your hair and skin will look. Also, because orgasm reduces cortisol levels and alleviates stress, there will be less production of sweat and acne, which makes your skin more attractive and save you trips to your dermatologist. 

9. Masturbation is a Libido Booster

Contrary to some opinions, masturbation doesn't lower your sex drive; it enhances it. The more sex you have, the more you yearn for sex. The release of endorphins, dopamine, and oxytocin produces a kind of sensation that's unlike any other thing. Naturally, we'll want to have that experience over and over again. This benefit is more important to women who struggle with low libido. Masturbating can be recommended as part of the treatment measures for low libido and sexual dysfunction. 

10. Helps Females Cope with Menstrual Cramps

Menstruation involves shedding the endometrial lining. For the uterus to help in this process, it contracts, and these contractions result in cramps during menstruation. It can hurt a lot, but when you achieve orgasm from masturbation or another form of sex, the release of oxytocin, dopamine, and serotonin can mitigate the unpleasantness of menstrual cramps.

11. Reduces Sensitivity to Pain

Sexual stimulation and orgasm via masturbation or an alternate form of sex have been discovered to enhance one's tolerance for pain by as much as 40%. The release of neurotransmitters during orgasm may not do wonders, such as healing a torn muscle or an injury, but it will reduce your sensitivity to the pain you feel.

Final Thoughts

Many negative opinions and myths have been associated with masturbation, but masturbation is a perfectly natural and healthy way of sexually pleasuring oneself. Also, masturbation is quite more common than you think, and it cuts across both genders and ages. People masturbate for different reasons. For some, it helps them sleep. For others, it's for stress relief, and some want to have an orgasm.

Masturbation comes with many benefits, as long as it's done properly and in moderation. Unfortunately, many people are addicted to masturbation, and it interferes with their work and social life.