Touching oneself for sexual pleasure or male masturbation is thought to be very common. Health experts believe that it is not just a healthy activity but also the safest way to achieve the benefits of sex, without the fear of getting pregnant (in women) or contracting an STI (sexually transmitted infection).
As a common sexual behavior in people, studies of older adolescents and adults report that masturbation is deemed to be universal in men, and is also common for some women. People just don’t talk about it as it is a taboo topic that induces some uncomfortable feelings (e.g. shame, guilt), but it is perfectly natural. It even ranges in frequency as some people masturbate daily, some occasionally, and others may never do it. With how different people are, masturbation is largely a personal choice. And those who do it have a variety of reasons for engaging in the activity or not.
People masturbate for various reasons ranging from achieving health benefits (both physically and mentally) from it, relieving tension, and releasing stress. There is no doubt that masturbation can make a person feel good about their body and more connected with it, which helps those who are in a partnership, to communicate their sexual desires and preferences more openly with their partner. For women, masturbation could also help ease the anguish and discomfort brought by period cramps.
For a number of reasons, masturbation can be very healthy and safe for most people. But on the other hand, can it potentially have some drawbacks, and can it negatively affect your health?
Does Male Masturbation Cause Erectile Dysfunction?
One of the main ideas that gets associated with male masturbation is that it can potentially cause erectile dysfunction. The quick answer to this is that this is not usually the case. In short, it’s a no. Men masturbating can be very common and this isn’t solely limited to those who are not in a partnership. Whether a person has a partner or not, masturbation is still fairly common. It does not necessarily reflect a lack of affection toward one’s partner, and the reasons for turning to masturbation can be widely different as well. Some do it for sexual pleasure, without being influenced by the presence of another individual. Others do it to release stress and feel good about their bodies, which enhance their sexual experience when shared with a partner. Others do it to induce relaxation and be able to sleep well through the night.
As much as there are different reasons for men masturbating, the frequency for a person doing it also varies greatly. To people who are used to masturbating, they can do it as often as daily and some even more than once a day. There is practically no normal way to go about masturbation and it’s hugely a personal choice that affects a person’s body in a multitude of ways.
Male masturbation may not cause erectile dysfunction directly, but the way that a person masturbates can potentially cause ED. According to some research, the link between male masturbation and erectile dysfunction ultimately makes sense when porn enters the picture. It isn’t uncommon for people to use masturbation and porn side by side. Sex and masturbation are partly mental activities which stimulate erotic feelings and these causes an effect in the brain chemistry leading to an excessive stimulation during masturbation.
What some men who masturbate to porn find is that the more they turn to porn and masturbation simultaneously, getting an erection and sustaining it long enough for sexual intercourse ultimately gets harder. As porn affects the wirings of our brain, people who use it to masturbate may eventually need a higher level of stimulation to be able to get an erection. Male masturbation per se does not cause erectile dysfunction, but masturbation coupled with porn may ultimately lead to that.
Health benefits of masturbation
We cannot expect everyone to masturbate, regardless if it’s good for your health or does come with many benefits. But for those who turn to masturbation, there are massive health benefits for masturbation such as:
It helps people explore and express their sexuality in safe ways. Masturbation can be the safest form of sex. And that is good news for people who don’t have partners. A man cannot contract any sexually transmitted infection from solely masturbating, whereas a woman can never get pregnant from it. As sexual beings, people tend to find ways to explore and express their sexuality, and this could be the safest way to do it without harming anyone else.
It is available to anyone. Masturbation is healthy and common. Regardless of gender, people can turn to masturbation to achieve nearly the same benefits of sex. It is believed that masturbating happens at any age, even with kids beginning to become aware of their sexual organs as early as their sexual development stage. Masturbation can also be for older adults, if their energy and stamina permits. There are no rules to masturbation in terms of age or gender, as long as it is possible for you.
It boosts a person’s mood. One of the greatest benefits of masturbation is how it promotes the release of feel-good neurotransmitters in the brain. Masturbation induces the release of endorphins, oxytocine, and dopamine, which all contribute greatly to enhancing a person’s well-being.
It alleviates stress. One of the key concepts behind masturbation is how it helps people relax and relieve their stress. Life can be filled with stress and masturbation can be one healthy outlet and activity for minimizing it. At the end of the day, some people just want to get a good sleep and feel relaxed, masturbation may help with this particular desire.
It enhances a person’s self-esteem and promotes a healthy body image. Masturbation helps a person to connect more deeply with their bodies. A poor body image can often be a product of ideas that a person has accumulated from external sources about their body. What other people or society says, thinks, or believes, is not always the truth about you. This deep connection to your body is fostered during an activity as intimate as masturbation. People not only get more familiar with their bodies and how it works through masturbation, but it helps them to connect with a partner deeply and more intimately when the situation calls for it. A healthy self-esteem and body image is essential to positive sexual experiences.
Conclusion
Masturbation understandably comes with a lot of myths and misconceptions. As common as it is, it can still be a widely taboo topic that people avoid talking about. But masturbation is common because it is human nature. On top of that, it comes with really positive health benefits that anyone can experience.
But just like anything good, it can turn bad when done in excess. Masturbation could easily be an addictive activity and this is what happens when coupled with porn, due to how it affects and rewires a person’s brain chemistry. When this happens, people who turn to masturbation and porn simultaneously could not be far out from ultimately experiencing erectile dysfunction. ED does not happen naturally when a person masturbates, but it can be a likely outcome if porn is thrown into the picture.
Sexual dysfunctions like erectile dysfunction and premature ejaculation can be fairly common in men. With men typically choosing to keep these issues to themselves however, Thrones Health has heeded the call to serve men with these problems.
Holistic health is important and we’ve made it our mission to help you treat common men’s health issues by first talking about it. If erectile dysfunction, premature ejaculation, hair loss, or any of these similar conditions bother you, reach out to us through our Care Team Chat. Email Careteam@throneshealth.com or contact us at +1 (844) 948-4758.
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