What Happens to Your Body During and After Masturbation?
Masturbation is a perfectly natural and normal part of life, yet there is still a lot of misinformation out there that could mislead people, from regular masturbation lowering your sperm count, to even getting hairy palms! Luckily, not only are these so-called ‘facts’ false but there are actual positive benefits for your body both during and after masturbation!
Let’s cover some of the amazing effects your body experiences, and why you should consider making masturbation a regular part of your self-care routine.
Contents
Effects During Masturbation
While many of the benefits come after masturbating, there are plenty of positive changes your body experiences during self-pleasure.
Sexual Arousal
Sexual arousal both before and after orgasm has some amazing effects on your body. From a flurry of positive neurochemicals which give everything from pleasure, pain relief, a sense of happiness and wellbeing, to that “post-nut clarity”. While not scientifically explainable due to a lack of specific research, the focus and concentration gained after orgasm is a shared experience for many.
Stimulating Your Brain
Scientists are slowly beginning to understand that the mental patterns of arousal and stimulation observable in the brain vary between partnered sex and solo masturbation. These changes center mainly around fantasy and the brain's capability for imagination. During solo masturbation, the brain's prefrontal cortex, an area of the brain associated with creative thinking, is more stimulated and active. When it comes to partnered sex, however, it seems certain parts aren’t so engaged, specifically the part that’s responsible for self-control. As such, solo masturbation requires you to be far more involved and imaginative!
Boosting Your Mood
The positive neurochemicals we briefly mentioned above; dopamine, endorphins, and oxytocin, all of which are “happiness hormones”, are released during and after masturbation. These hormones are associated with stress reduction, bonding, and relaxation. Oxytocin is better known as the “love hormone” and it can help de-stress you and reduce anxiety. If you need a quick mood boost, masturbating can help you feel better!
Strengthening Your Pelvic Floor
Did you know that masturbation can be a form of exercise? In fact, masturbation or sex can lead to stronger muscles, such as your pelvic floor muscles, which help give you more sexual control, leading to better enjoyment. This isn’t just limited to your pelvic floor. When you prepare to orgasm, other muscles such as in your legs and stomach contract as well. It might not be as effective as a standard gym workout, but it’s definitely more fun!
Effects After Masturbation
The above benefits after masturbation might be more on the temporary side, but there are plenty of others that you may notice if you routinely indulge in some self-pleasure.
Helps You Stay Harder and Last Longer
We just covered pelvic floor muscles above, but did you know that long-term masturbation can help you stay harder and last longer? Regular sex or masturbation works out your pelvic floor muscles which can help to prevent erectile dysfunction and incontinence. Combining this with self-training (such as using edging techniques) may help you to be harder and last longer. For the best results, masturbating three to five times a week should provide noticeable results, although be sure to adjust to a routine you feel comfortable with personally.
Lowers Prostate Cancer Risks and Improves Heart Health
In a 2004 study, it was discovered that men who ejaculated more than 21 times a month reduced their risk of prostate cancer by around 33% in comparison to those who only ejaculated four to seven times a month. In a follow-up study in 2016, researchers reviewed the same group of participants from 2004 and found that those who ejaculated around 8 to 12 times per month lowered their prostate cancer risk by 10%.
It’s not just your prostate health you can help though, as regular orgasms can help reduce your risk of cardiovascular disease. A report from the Massachusetts Aging Study discovered that men who only had sex once a month or less were 45% more likely to die of cardiovascular disease than men who had two or more orgasms a week. Worth considering masturbating a little more when it can help your overall health so significantly!
Boosts Your Immunity and Fertility
As we covered at the start of this article, many people still believe that masturbating can reduce your sperm count. The testes produce hundreds of millions of sperm daily, regardless of how much you masturbate. Self-pleasure may help increase male fertility by ejaculating older sperm cells, allowing newer ones to take their place. Ejaculation likewise increases levels of the hormone cortisol. Cortisol, while usually labelled a “stress hormone”, can help regulate and maintain your immune system in small doses. Plus, a small study in 2004 showed that men had increased their white blood cell count in as little as 45 minutes after masturbation.
May Increase Your Lifespan
Ok, so this one seems a little too good to be true, but bear with us! In a Welsh study of 1000 men conducted over 20 years, men who had two or more orgasms per week died at around half the rate of those who had fewer than that number of orgasms per month. Even if it isn’t guaranteed to lead to a longer life, it’s certainly worth giving it a shot!
Suggestions for Masturbation Toys
After reading everything above you're thinking of adding masturbation to your self-care routine or would like to increase your frequency of masturbating with new kinds of sensations and stimulations - we have some recommendations for you.
TENGA CUP Series: An affordable range of various styles, sizes and sensations, disposable to avoid cleaning and storage
TENGA EGG Series: One of our most affordable lineups with over 18 internal designs, disposable to avoid cleaning and storage
TENGA SPINNER Series: Lower priced, reusable, various levels of stimulation, easy to clean, dry and store with the included drying case.
If you'd like to learn about more recommended products, you can check out our blog for beginners or new stimulation seekers here!
Summary
Your body experiences some amazing beneficial changes both during and after masturbation, especially if self-pleasure is part of your regular self-care routine. While all of the above effects aren’t 100% guaranteed, the benefits you could experience spanning from better moods, immunity, fertility, as well to your general health, are worth considering. If you’re concerned about masturbating too much, you can always read our blog on this subject for more information. Alternatively, you can learn more about the masturbation norms in the US to see how your current routine compares.
Regardless, contrary to many of the negative myths surrounding masturbation, the truth is far more positive - masturbation is beneficial to your sexual health and beyond!
