How Much Masturbation Is Too Much?

23.11.2018

For many years, self-pleasure was considered not only sinful and shameful but also dangerous to health. This belief has bred a lot of myths, some of which continue to be popular in the 21st century. Ironically enough, many people practice solo sex but know little about it. Although no one believes anymore that masturbation may cause blindness and the growth of hair on one’s palms, there are still a lot of questions people ask themselves before, during, and after the act of self-pleasure. How much masturbation is too much? Is too much masturbation bad to you? Where is the line between a healthy and unhealthy self-stimulation? What age is it properly to start masturbating? Find out the answers and keep exploring your sexuality.

Why we masturbate

According to sexologists, 60% of women and 90% of men masturbate or have masturbated at least once in their life. Men are said to do it more often, yet this information is not one hundred percent precise, as women, due to their shyness, often don’t admit it, and men, due to their natural roughness, don’t deny it. If a person masturbates, it means they have a developed sexuality and sexual skills. Both men and women play with themselves to relieve sexual tension, yet there are some differences in the nature and purpose of male and female self-pleasure.

Male masturbation

It’s a myth that masturbation is a vestige of puberty. Teenage boys do it as they have no other way to release sexual energy. Later, they do it if they don’t have a regular partner, if they want to get rid of stress or just because there is nothing else to do. Even if a man has a sexual partner, he can masturbate too. Sexologists claim that men can do it whenever they want. Some guys want it once a month, some guys want it every day. Both cases are healthy and harmless. According to urologists, men subconsciously know that masturbation is good for them (it helps prevent prostatitis), so they resort to it more frequently than women. They also view it as a normal physiological process.

Female masturbation

For a woman, as well as for a man, masturbation is a way to explore her body and learn its reactions to different types of stimulation. It’s quite rational to strive to know one’s body better. Women resort to masturbation when they are all alone or use it as an additional tool to reach an orgasm in the middle of a sexual act with a partner. Some women play with themselves during menstruation to alleviate period cramps. It’s a proven scientific fact that during the contraction of vaginal walls and the release of oxytocin (which is the result of an orgasm), pain is blocked.

A lot of women practice solo sex during the menopause, which is extremely beneficial to their health. It helps them maintain strong libido and normalizes their hormones. Unlike men, women try to find certain aesthetics in the process of self-pleasure. They need to be in a special mood for it, create a certain atmosphere before they get down to the process. They tend to experiment, look for new ways of stimulation. Many of them visit sex shops to check new “toys”. No wonder, female masturbation is of great interest to directors of erotic films.

How much masturbation is too much?

Am I a liberated person or a pervert? This question often pops up in the heads of newbies or those who notice that they practice masturbation quite often. And what can too much masturbation do? Everything is very individual here. Each separate person has their own appetite for sex. There is a good adage by Paracelsus: It’s only the dose that makes the poison. In terms of masturbation, you can do it when you want it as long as it doesn’t acquire the form of compulsive or uncontrolled self-pleasure. There isn’t such a notion as excess masturbation, but there is a distinction between pathological and healthy masturbation. 

Let’s draw a parallel between solo sex and running. Before athletes run a marathon, they train, with or without someone. They observe their pulse, estimate the approximate time needed to finish, watch how their feel while running, and only after that they can participate in a marathon race. The same is about masturbation. Before a person enters a full-fledged sexual life, they prepare for it by exploring their body, erogenous zones, sensations, responses, so masturbation is like gym workout here. What’s tricky about solo sex is that it might become the only way of sexual satisfaction. You see, masturbating alone is easier than making love to a partner. Some people decide to choose the shortest and easiest path to achieve pleasure. As a result, they get a distorted idea of intimacy.

Uncontrolled masturbation may cause some behavioral deviations. To have a regular sexual partner and masturbate from time to time is totally normal. But when you prefer self-pleasure to intercourse with your partner, it is not healthy. It’s time to deal with this issue in order to restore harmony in your intimate life. Another unhealthy symptom is when a person doesn’t want to start a sexual relationship with anyone, because they know that no boyfriend or girlfriend will give to them such pleasure as they can give to themselves. With a free access to pornographic materials, people always have some exciting content at hand. And here is a problem. A person has certain favorite pictures or videos that help them orgasm. When it comes to sex with a partner, they may experience difficulty in transferring their sexual background to real life. They may look for a partner who would look like their favorite porn actor/actress, or they may seek the same perverted practices. In order to prevent such sad consequences, it’s recommended to stick to classics when choosing your sexual content.

It’s important to differentiate between self-pleasure that helps relieve sexual tension and the one that you resort to just to escape from problems. The second one often turns into obsession and has detrimental effects on your psyche. If you have problems with your boss, if nothing brings you joy in life except for those moments when you touch your body and get high, you must deal with it. Otherwise, it will soon grow into a pathological disorder.

What can too much masturbation do to your body?

It turns out that masturbation has a lot of positive effects on your body. But the condition is that it’s done properly. When men get carried away with the process of solo sex, they often use household items (a vacuum cleaner is a classic example) to facilitate stimulation and experience new sensations. Naturally, such experiences turn out to be traumatic. Doctors report cases when men put thin objects, such as wire or candles, into their urethra to mechanically stimulate the seminal hillock, and those objects were then removed during surgical procedures. Do you think those are the experiments of teenagers? Not at all. A great many those poor things are mature men in their 50s. This is not about too much masturbation but rather about ignorance and lack of common sense.

Women often use vibrators to please themselves. Sure, those devices can quickly make a woman reach an orgasm, but they have one significant downside. Penises don’t vibrate, so when it comes to a sexual act with a man, women may get frustrated they don’t get the same sensations as with a dildo. Also, using a vibrator for an hour or more, a woman may experience a temporary loss of sensitivity or numbness. Is too much masturbation bad? Sexologists emphasize that the main difference between healthy and pathological masturbation lies not in its frequency but in the type of pleasure a person gets. Normally, it’s all done to satisfy one’s physiological need, to quench sexual desire. If a person gets emotional or psychological satisfaction from solo sex, it’s a deviation.

Effects of too much masturbation

Of course, it would be a crime to refuse self-pleasure if you know that this will soothe you, lift your spirits, or help get aroused. However, you shouldn’t go to extremes. When masturbation turns into a bad habit rather than a pleasant hobby and negatively affects your intimate and social life, you’re dealing with the too much masturbation side effects. Emotional disconnection. Too much female masturbation, as well as male one, is usually a way to escape from reality for some people and give full rein to their fantasies. To arouse themselves, they picture different partners, circumstances, patterns. When it comes to sex with their real-life partner, their sensations might not live up to those they experience while having solo sex. This may result in emotional or physical frustration.

Self-injury. If a person loses self-control while masturbating and misses the point at which playing with oneself turns into hurting yourself, it’s time to hold your horses or consult a therapist about your too much masturbation effects. Impact on social life. Your intimate pastime should not have any impact on your job or social life. One of the side effects of too much masturbation is being late for work frequently due to your morning solo sex routine, or staying home to play with yourself instead of going out with your friends. Obsessive thoughts. A surefire sign that you’ve gone overboard with self-pleasure is when it’s always on your mind. You start your day with caressing yourself, you want to watch some erotic video at lunch, you rush home just to lie back and give yourself pleasure.

Does too much masturbation cause erectile dysfunction?

Among the questions about the effects of too much masturbation erectile dysfunction perhaps tops the list of concerns. So, does it really weaken your male power? The answer is NO. It’s one of the myths about masturbation. Erectile dysfunction can be caused by a number of factors, both physical and psychological, and excessive masturbation is not one of them. It has no direct impact. However, you should know that using one and same pattern to get sexually aroused – using one and same masturbation methods, touches – your body may start to respond only to them, thus leading to the difficulties with having an orgasm with your sexual partner who may not be aware of your secret “buttons”.

Now that you know the answer to such a delicate question as how much is too much masturbation, you can continue doing what 90% of people are doing with no worry. One thing to keep in mind is moderation. You should also remember that solo sex is okay, but it normally takes two to make love.