Masturbation is an activity among men and women where they stimulate their genitals for sexual pleasure or arousal. It’s a method of exploring sexual desires and is considered a safe way to feel pleasure, develop sexual feelings, and explore your body. Also, it’s one crucial way of developing one’s sexual health.
When you masturbate, you won’t experience physical side effects. But, masturbating in excess or daily can affect you negatively and in the long run affect your personal life. From studies, it’s evident that masturbation is beneficial and it cannot lead to infection or diseases unless you are using toys, or objects that aren’t sanitized or with dirty hands.
But, this kind of ‘pleasure’ can be addictive as the person relies heavily on masturbation for their well-being. This can, in turn, affect your overall daily life.
Masturbation activity is a natural response that makes the body have the desire to feel pleasure. It's a safe way to get sexual pleasure and comes with health benefits. However, there are several masturbation side effects, especially when done in excess.
Here is what you need to know about Masturbation, its health benefits, and its side effects.
Side Effects of Masturbation On Health
Let’s understand that there are no serious physical masturbation side effects that are life threatening when done daily. You will not be infertile, grow hairy palms, or go blind. But, there are negative effects you may encounter if you’re addicted to masturbating. The bad effect of Masturbation are not fatal; sometimes, they may need caution. Some of this bad effect of Masturbation include;
1. It leads to Edema
Edema is a common daily masturbation side effects male and it mostly occurs when masturbating frequently within a short time, resulting in swelling of the penis. Though it is painless and non-threatening, and it will go away with time, it can cause discomfort. If you encounter such a condition, just know it’s not life-threatening.
2. Decreases sexual sensitivity
As one of the daily masturbation side effects male, you may start feeling a low sexual sensitivity. Masturbating in excess will lower sexual sensitivity. Sometimes, people hold their penis hard while masturbating, which may break the smaller arteries in there. This will lead to decreased sexual sensitivity over time. When you experience this, it is advisable to refrain from this activity for the arteries to heal. But it shouldn’t stress you, and only caution should be exercised.
In case of sensitivity in your penis or the color seems different, you need to stop masturbating and consult your doctor. Relying on the internet and self-diagnoses isn’t recommended as it may worsen the situation. Therefore, seek help from a specialist.
3. You may feel guilty
Another bad effect of Masturbation is guilt. You may feel a pang of guilt, and factors like religious sentiments or personal insecurities could cause it. In some religions, women are forbidden from masturbating, and it’s considered a sin. These factors will contribute to immense guilt after masturbating. Even though it’s fine not to take part in this activity because of beliefs, if you’ve indulged in it and are overwhelmed with guilt, ensure you seek help from a therapist.
4. Leads to addiction
Masturbation can be very addictive if done more frequently, though there isn’t a specific number to the number of times you should masturbate in a week. Masturbation addiction can make you stressed, have no social life, or even lack an active sexual life.
Unlike some other masturbation side effects, being addicted will affect your daily life. Though rare, there are some cases where a person masturbates to a point it starts getting in the way of their daily life. Symptoms of masturbation addiction entail missing work or social events, isolating yourself, issues in your interpersonal relationships, etc.
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Some Health Benefits of Masturbation
Masturbation has always been a taboo. However, it can still offer several health benefits. These benefits vary from men to women, but in general, it acts as a stress reliever and even assists in improving self-esteem. Physically, the activity increases the blood flow around the pelvic area, thus improving blood circulation and the release of endorphins. This will help people to understand their bodies.
Below are Some Health Benefits of Masturbation
- Leads to more orgasms: Women tend to reach climax quickly during Masturbation. The reason why women don’t orgasm more frequently while having sex is because they struggle to find their preferences. But, by masturbating, women become more in touch with their bodies, and this helps them to know what they really need and how they feel. Research shows that women who climax regularly during sex also masturbate.
- Less cramps: One health benefits of masturbation in women is that it can reduce menstrual cramps. When on your period, the uterus usually contracts to shed the lining, and this causes painful cramps. An orgasm can increase the blood flow to your genitals, and more endorphins will be released, thus helping in relieving cramping.
- Reduces prostate cancer: The most important health benefits of masturbation in men is that it can help reduce the risk of getting prostate cancer. Studies show that through ejaculation, the risk of cancer in men is significantly reduced, whether it is through wet dreams, partnered sex, or Masturbation. Here, you are flushing out of your system or removing potential toxins or bacteria that may cause cancer.
- Satisfies high sex drive: Men have high levels of testosterone that contribute to libido. They usually have a higher sex drive as compared to women. Therefore, Masturbation can be a good way to manage the increased sex urges in men.
- Increases the immunity: Masturbation can increase the immunity, thus leading to a healthier lifestyle. Different types of hormones, such as Cortisol, are released from the body during masturbation. The hormone is purported to be a stress hormone that induces high levels of stress in our bodies. However, as it’s secreted through masturbation, it helps in the regulation of the immune system, thus keeping you healthy.
Conclusion
Masturbation is considered a healthy part of life. However, it’s tricky to understand the normal times to masturbate since some men have a high sex drive as compared to others. Masturbation has both health benefits and side effects. Studies show that there are several health benefits of masturbation, but it can also lead to various side effects.
The bad effect of masturbation could range from addiction to guiltiness and reduction in sexual drive. Therefore, caution should be taken.
