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Why You Should Masturbate

By: Emily Fata

Playtime

Lots of people masturbate! Even if they don't talk about it, it's surprisingly common for individuals of any gender or age to do it. Unfortunately, masturbating has had a particularly difficult reputation over the years with a particularly strong negative-stigma associated with either pornographic or sexual addictions. Of course, if used in an unbalanced way or out of harmony with your own body, it could interfere with a relationship and significantly put a damper on enjoying sex with a partner. However, it can be very beneficial to a person's health, mental well-being and relationships - if not done excessively. Here is a list of 5 benefits to masturbating:

Encourages Blood Flow and Increases Over-All Health

Masturbation helps to bring blood flow to the erectile tissue for both men (penis) and women (clitoris). Since the body works on a 'use it or lose it' system, getting regular and maximal blood flow helps keep these arteries and tissues healthy and functioning at peak performance. If an individual does not have a regular sex partner, masturbation can be the easiest way to maintain sexual function. The increased blood flow during arousal is especially important for people over 50 and can be one of the best ways for women to prevent the severity of vaginal symptoms after menopause.

Interestingly, female masturbation also seems to have the benefit of lowering the possibility of vaginal and urinary tract infections through clearing out accumulated bacteria in the vagina through a process called "tenting," a function during arousal where the uterus and cervix are drawn upwards, allowing room for the penis to enter. The obstetrician, Dr. Jacquelyn Paykel explains on her website that:

"The process of tenting stretches and pulls the mucous within the cervix, allowing for a rise in acidity in the cervical fluid. This increases 'friendly' bacteria and allows more fluid to move from the cervix into the vagina. When 'old' fluid moves from the tented cervix, it not only lubricates the vagina but also flushes out unfriendly organisms that can cause infections."

Reduces Stress, Decreases Menstrual Pain and Increases Your Pain Threshold

Since orgasming releases oxytocin (as well as other happy-endorphins in your brain), masturbation can help people feel calm and relaxed. Masturbation also helps to lower blood pressure and decrease overall stress and anxiety. This relaxation can even be used to help people struggling with sleep disorders to fall asleep.

It also turns out that masturbation specifically does something particularly interesting to your body - you're less likely to feel pain. This has been particularly noted in menstruating women. A now-famous study from Rutgers University found that women who were self-stimulating with a specially designed vaginal toy became much more capable of dealing with pain as well as detecting it. While they were masturbating, the average pain-tolerance increased by 74.6% and their ability to detect pain increased by 106.7%.

Strengthens the Pelvic Floor

The pelvic floor muscles are the layer of muscles that support the pelvic organs and span the bottom of the pelvis. The pelvic organs are the bladder and bowel in men and the: bladder, bowel, and uterus in women.

As you age, you naturally lose muscle tone - everywhere. Regular sex or masturbation works out your pelvic floor muscles, which prevents bladder weakness and aids in genitalia-function in women and prevents erectile dysfunction and incontinence in men.

Reduces the Risk of Contracting Prostate Cancer

A 2004 study found that men who ejaculated more than 21 times a month reduced their risk of prostate cancer by roughly 33%, compared to guys who only did it 4-7 times a month. In 2016, researchers followed up with the same group of guys and found that those who ejaculated 8-12 times a month, reduced their prostate cancer risk by 10%.

Helps Guys Last Longer During Sex

Sometimes guys don't last long in bed simply because they haven't had enough practice, either solo or with a partner. Regularly jerking off (3-5 times a week) may help extend your stamina. Masturbating an hour before a date will help give you more control. Train yourself by timing how long it takes you to orgasm if it takes 2 minutes for you to finish solo, then aim for three next time. With practice, it's been reported that most men can double the number of strokes and the time taken within one month.