Masturbation is a wonderful thing. There’s no right or wrong way to masturbate- as long as you’re practicing safe sex with yourself. The act itself has a lot of noted health benefits when it comes to stress relief and the promotion of a healthier sex life. Masturbation “releases dopamine and oxytocin, chemicals that give us a natural high, help us sleep and can even act as a natural painkiller.” (her.ie) When it comes to the frequency of masturbation, though, the answer varies from individual to individual. There isn’t a masturbation formula that will figure out how often you should be masturbating! Instead, it depends on your own individual needs, desires, and sex drive. Sex therapist Tessa Bergin notes the following in an article for her:
“There’s no optimal number of times people need to masturbate, this will vary significantly from person to person...some might feel the desire to masturbate daily, others every now and then.” (her.ie)
For me, personally, my masturbation drive changes as my day to day life changes. Some weeks I masturbate daily. Other weeks, I’m so busy that I dont have the time to even think about the joys of self-pleasure. Shawna Scott of Sex Siopa added to the article for her by noting that it’s more important to have a positive mindset when it comes to masturbation rather than focusing on the amount of times you do or don’t partake in the act:
“There’s no right or wrong amount, so long as you have a healthy attitude towards it - you don’t feel shame about masturbating and it brings you joy” (her.ie)
For me, I try not to force anything upon my body, and I let my desires fluctuate and change naturally. Masturbation and self-love are all about listening to what your body needs and desires. In this sense, there is no set way to determine how much I should be masturbating in my day-to-day life, and I don’t need to feel stressed out about penciling in enough self-love time. It’s all about listening to your body! There is a natural question that comes with this sentiment though:
Is there a such thing as too much masturbating?
Typically, “masturbating daily or multiple times a day generally isn’t something to worry about, especially if you don’t feel like it’s something you need to do.” ( bloodandmilk.com) As long as masturbation isn’t interfering with the structure of your day to day life then there truly isn’t a such thing as too much of it. The act itself is healthy for the body and there’s no research stating that one can masturbate to the point of harm to the body. If you are worried about masturbating too much, blood and milk provides some useful questions that you can ask yourself:
Are you shirking daily responsibilities to masturbate?
Are you avoiding facing physical or mental health issues?
Does masturbating exacerbate physical or mental health issues?
Do you feel a compulsion to masturbate, like you can’t get through a day without it?
Does it feel like you need to masturbate in order to sleep, relax, etc?
Do you feel drained, ashamed, angry, scattered, or similar?
Answered yes to one or more? [We] recommend checking in with a sex therapist. (bloodandmilk.com)
Overall, “masturbation becomes a problem when it interferes with or hides something.” (bloodandmilk.com) As long as your masturbation routine is healthy, there is no such thing as too much masturbation! Remember to check in with yourself during your self-love sessions and connect to how the physical sensations make you feel.
By: Alyssa Morterud