A thought that occurs in almost every mind is “ can masturbation be cheating on your current relationship?”
Or if we take it a little further, you must have wondered at some point in time, that can masturbation has serious health impacts?
Well, masturbation is the most trending topic of discussion among friend groups. You must have also come across many memes and posts on social media highlighting it as a major hot topic.
But what attracts us towards this topic is the lack of knowledge about what masturbation actually is?
Thus, to help our readers extract some major facts about masturbation, here we are with a detailed blog ready to answer all your questions.
We will not only guide you through the different side effects of daily masturbation but will also highlight some major benefits of it.
Just read till the end and clear away all your myths about masturbation.
Masturbation – An Overview
It is one of the most dwelled upon topics of all time. Masturbation is a common activity in almost all age-groups.
However, some people look at it as a taboo and somewhat have some misconceptions brewing up in their minds.
For them, the following sections will be eye-opening.
Masturbation is a natural way of self-exploration. It is a process of giving sexual pleasure to yourself by releasing all that sexual tension building inside your body.
In fact, people from all backgrounds and genders have at some point in life indulged in masturbation.
It does not have any serious physical harms.
But, excessive masturbation can cause some problems in your relationship and daily life.
You must be wondering why?
Well, we will answer all your questions in our later sections. But first, we need to normalize your mind by highlighting the people who masturbate.
Read ahead and find out who masturbates and what can be its benefits or side effects
Who Masturbates?
Masturbation when defined, is in simple terms stimulating your genitals to experience sexual pleasure.
Many people especially the younger age groups have started feeling guilty about masturbating due to the numerous myths doing round the corner.
But masturbation is quite healthy and common in many people.
If you look at the following studies, you will be able to understand how common it is to masturbate.
A study conducted on the Aussie population showed that 72% of men and 42% of women in Australia have indulged in masturbation over the past year
And, guess what, this population includes people from different races and backgrounds.
We are seeing an impressive increase in masturbation among women too. Earlier, women had difficulties in masturbating because of shyness and the feeling of discomfort they had because of them being less confident about their sexuality.
But now, things have changed. Masturbation is not a big deal anymore.
However, masturbation does not put a compulsory tag on itself. You should not feel less cool or abnormal if you don’t have the urge to feel yourself.
It’s completely normal to not masturbate.
Thus, don’t confuse yourself with masturbation being a necessity. It’s all about your personal choices.
But the question revolving around some inquisitive minds still need to be answered. So let us take our blog further with a very important question.
Do most people masturbate?
Well, of course, they do. Let us look more closely into the answer to this question
Do Most People Masturbate?
As we already highlighted a study conducted in Australia, where such a the vast population was found to be masturbating
Our answer to this question will be “Yes! A lot of people masturbate”
Even your friends or colleagues fell less confident or shy to be open about it, it’s common for them to get under the bedsheet and please themselves
In fact, to be little honest, children who are below the puberty line can also discover the fact that touching their own genitals can be pleasing
If you wish to be great parents, we also have a parenting tip for you. If you ever find your kid touching himself the other way, make sure you talk him out about masturbating being normal.
Rather than scolding him, try explaining the health benefits of masturbation as well as the side effects.
On the off chance, if you don’t know what the health benefits or side effects could be, we will be dealing with it in other sections
But don’t miss the important part of your masturbation class to your kid.
“Ask them to do it privately!”
With that being said let’s move back to our important discussion, do most of the people masturbate?
Well, people masturbate for various reasons. Some of them feel relaxed after doing it, some wish to understand their body better, some wish to release the sexual tension building up in them and some just want to fill the void of their partner sitting away from them.
But, you cannot deny the fact that the root cause of it is because it feels great.
However, let’s bring your focus to a very common myth that says, people who are not into a romantic relationship indulge in masturbation and not the ones who have a sexual partner
Well, a study claims that both single and committed people masturbate to fill in their desires.
Now, the frequency of masturbation varies too. Some people can be found doing it often, some rare, and the rest of the population doesn’t do it at all.
People have different choices and they masturbate in different ways.
It’s totally a normal and personal decision.
With that being said, let’s get to the most important part of our blog – the side effects of masturbation
What Can Be the Side Effects Of Masturbation?
Masturbation does not have any physical harmful effects as such. But you might notice some of these signs:
#1. Guilt feeling
There are many reasons which can lead to a person indulging in masturbation. These reasons can be spiritual or religious.
However, you must not take masturbation in a wrong or immoral way. You might hear some people tag it as “dirty” or “shameful” but that’s just because of how they look at it and what knowledge they have about it.
But, if this feeling of guilt continues in your heart, speak out to someone whom you trust and confess about how you feel and how you can get over it
In fact, you can also consult a therapist as there are many sexual therapists available to guide you through your sexuality
#2. Addiction
You might find yourself addicted to masturbation if you see signs like:
- Skipping your daily activities for masturbating
- Missed school or work
- Cancel out plans with your favorite people for masturbating
- Miss out on important social gatherings
This can be a serious issue as addiction can lead to relationship problems. It can even hamper your daily work or school performance and decrease your productivity levels
Another important effect can be your spoilt relationship with your family and friends due to you being busy in masturbating and ignoring them
In case you feel you are getting addicted to masturbation you can consult a sex therapist and find out the solution to cut down your this habit
Talk therapy is one of the best ways to do so.
However, you can also try replacing masturbation with different activities like:
- Running
- Writing journals
- Spending time with your favorite people
- Walking around underneath trees
Next, we must deal with a very important question – can masturbation cause loss of sensitivity?
Let us find out…
Does Masturbation Cause Loss of Sensitivity?
In most of the cases, masturbation improves sensitivity and sexual desire. For women, who have cases of sexual dysfunction, masturbation can be the best way to treat yourself.
In fact, various studies conducted in 2009 claim that usage of vibrators among women and masturbation among men has led to a boost in their sexual desire, arousal, and all the sexual functions
Moreover, the studies also pointed towards the increase in lubrication among women and better erections in men.
But, masturbation can have a negative impact on sensitivity in men. This depends on the technique they use for masturbation.
Research shows that a tight grip on your penis during masturbation can lead to a decrease in your sensitivity
Thus, many sexual health experts suggest a change in masturbation the technique to restore your lost sensitivity during sex
With that being said, let us take our blog towards the benefits of masturbation.
What Are The Benefits of Masturbation?
Masturbation is considered to be a normal and healthy activity which has many physical and mental health benefits
Studies conducted on masturbation are quite less, but there have been many studies on sex and stimulation
#1: You’ll Feel More Empowered and Connected to Your Body
The majority of women should accept their sexuality and let the feeling of shame go.
One of the major benefits of doing masturbation is it’ll help you understand and appreciate your body to make it feels empowering.
Masturbation’s primary benefit is it’ll help connect your body in a highly pleasurable way.
Women should believe that their bodies are for the use of other people’s and for pleasure.
#2: You’ll Learn More about What You Like in the Bed
You need to explore yourself if you want to improve your sex life, both for you individually and for your sexual partner.
You’ll never come to know how you can get to orgasms until you explore your arousal. The only way you can do this is through masturbation.
If you explore yourself with different things, your muscle will be engaged and that will let you know what works for you. This will help you when you want to have sex with a new partner.
The foremost important thing you need to do before masturbating is making up your mind.
You need to read some erotic literature or watch a movie with great sex scenes. Once you feel aroused, you can explore yourself and start masturbating.
#3: Masturbation Reduces Stress
As we feel physically and emotionally stressed, going solo can be a great remedy. This can help to reduce your stress level.
Masturbation releases a lot of neurotransmitters which will keep your muscle on work and make you feel release physically.
Once your stress is released, you’ll feel pretty interesting to interact with people!
#4: Masturbation Can Relieve Pain
Nothing can be a better pain reducer than having SEX. During sex, the pituitary gland in the brain gets activated that releases endorphins, oxytocin, and vasopressin.
These hormones or neurotransmitters will help reduce pain.
You can relieve some tension if you masturbate when you’re dealing with painful cramps during your period.
You can masturbate in the shower or tub as running water over your genitals will get you extra pleasure.
#5: Masturbate Can Make You Sleep
Winding after a long tiring day can be a difficult task so doing masturbation can make you sleep easier and deeper.
The brain releases neurotransmitters (serotonin) once you get orgasm after masturbation.
And the release of serotonin and oxytocin can make the experience of masturbation pretty relaxing.
#6: Masturbation Improves Blood Flow
The lower the stress level, the better your cardiovascular health will be. As you get an orgasm, the blood flow to your genitals increases as it fills the area with a plentiful amount of blood.
Sex for women who experience menopausal symptoms will become painful because of vaginal dryness.
Women during menopausal symptoms can use a vibrator to masturbate. This will insanely increase the blood flow and blood supply to the genital region.
#7: Masturbation Gives A Boost to Sex Drive
There’s an old myth, you won’t be sexually aroused if you masturbate too often. However, the opposite is true as the more you exercise that muscle, the more you’re ready to go.
If you masturbate too often, your libido may increase. You’re going to train your body for a better sex drive when you engage in physical stimulation.
This way your body learns how to feel sexual pleasure and have an orgasm.
But, too much of anything isn’t good. If your masturbation is spiking your day-to-day activities or your relationship then it’s problematic.
Masturbating once a month, once a week, or even once in a day can get you quality sleep!
#8: Sex with Partner is Forever Pleasurable
No matter what but ultimately you’ll feel having sex with the partner is better than ever. As you now know what kind of touch can increase your pleasure, you can teach it to your partner.
In your sex life, you can incorporate masturbation with your partner and this will become a source of sexual excitement.
Women should learn the art to get an orgasm as they’re responsible for their orgasm. So, teaching your partner what can bring your orgasms can be better than putting the onus on your partner.
And you ain’t gonna have good sex and feel pleasure if you don’t know what feels good to you.
#9: Masturbation Can Make You Feel Happier
The orgasm can decrease your level of depression and anxiety.
If you have a decreased amount of neurotransmitter serotonin in your brain, you’re going to suffer from depressive symptoms and anxiety.
On the other hand, women are less likely to get these symptoms if they masturbate regularly.
If you’re older women, you’ll feel masturbation better for yourself.
Masturbation makes them feel sexy and reminds something that can make them feel erotic and feel good.
Conclusion
Masturbation has been a hot topic for ages. Earlier, it was considered to be a taboo and there were many fewer people masturbating.
But now, the numbers have increased. Self-pleasure has become a favorite stress-buster.
However, there are still many myths about masturbation that need to bust. Our above blog focuses on expanding the narrow minds of people who create such myths.
We also focus on delivering the right facts about masturbation to our readers and help them understand that understanding your sexuality is not wrong
With this, we come to an end of our blog hoping that the above information comes out to be useful to you.
Masturbation FAQs
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Do women masturbate?
Yes, people from all genders masturbate. In fact, a study conducted by Susan Quilliam states that out of every 5 women, 4 women indulge in daily masturbation
A study conducted in the US back in 2016, showed that 3 out of 4 women aging between 25 to 29, and 1 out of every 2 girls aging between 14 to 17, confessed that they masturbated
However, there are very limited researches done on transgender to put forward any claims about their masturbation ratio.
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Do all people masturbate the same way?
No, every person has his own choice and method of masturbation. And it’s completely ok to have your own private way of self-pleasure.
Usually, masturbation signifies, touching, rubbing, or pressing your sexually sensitive areas like your nipple, genital areas, or any such erotic area with anything.
It could be your fingers or a pillow.
Masturbation can also mean penetrating your vagina or anus with your fingers or toys like an electric vibrator
There are many different ways of masturbation that people follow. As long as what you do in your private space is not harmful to you or any other person, you can go ahead and chose your own style of masturbating.
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Does solo masturbation lead to diseases?
The answer is a clear cut no if you are not using unwashed or unsanitized hands.
Moreover, solo masturbation will not lead to any unwanted pregnancy or any sexually transmitted infection making it safer as compared to sex with a partner
In fact, solo masturbation is one of the best ways to understand what your body likes and what it doesn’t.
You can also try out a personal lubricant if you find any skin issues
However, your body might see some infections or skin irritation if you use any sort of sexually stimulating object which has germs on it
Thus make sure you use sanitized objects as infection from the anus and vagina could cause serious issues
If you are planning to penetrate your vagina with something which has already been up to your butt, prefer washing it and using a condom over it
What if you are masturbating with your partner – but not touching his genitals then there is no chance of any sexually transmitted infections.
However, make sure that the toys you use are well sanitized and covered with a condom before you pass it on to your partner, this will reduce the chances of Bacterial Vaginosis or any transmission of STIs
In case you are touching your partner’s genitals too, or maybe they are touching yours like fingering and handjobs then the risk of transmitting an STD goes high.
This infection chance goes higher if more fingers of hands are going inside your anus or vagina as this will result in tearing and STI can transmit more dangerously through blood and fluid
The chances of infection can go higher if oral sex is also involved along with masturbation.
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Will masturbation help you learn to orgasm?
The answer to this question is Yes!
Masturbation can be the best possible way to explore your desires and understand what your body loves
It will help you find out some new interest levels and sensations
According to the research done by Quilliam, 9 out of every 10 women orgasm when they indulge in masturbation
Many more studies claim that women undergo maximum orgasm while masturbating.
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Does losing virginity has anything to do with masturbating?
Virginity is basically a cultural idea that sets the bar for society. Different people have different opinions about virginity.
But, whatever these ideas are, masturbation cannot make you lose virginity
Virginity is mostly related to the fact that the thin sheet covering your vagina has to tear apart for you to lose virginity
This thin fold called hymen has layers of thin mucosa present one to two centimeters inside your vaginal opening
According to a famous booklet,
Now, inserting different things in your vagina can diminish this transparent fold of skin
In fact, all those bodies change that you undergo during puberty can also cause this hymen to change its shape and change the flexibility of your vagina
Your vaginal mucosa has to diminish or wear off at some stage of your life. Masturbation has nothing to do with it.
People do not understand the actual function and anatomy of this hymen making the virginity term goes more complex.
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Can you masturbate even after being in a relationship?
A very trending topic of discussion. Masturbation is ok even if you are in a relationship. Solo masturbation and sex with your partner can actually go hand in hand.
Moreover, masturbation can be the best way to explore your body which will pave way for better sexual moments
A study which was done in Canada bac in 2017 shows that women who masturbate regularly have a better understanding of their sexual needs.
The participants of this study, who even masturbated once a month had a better understanding of their sexual needs
You can also masturbate with your partner to understand each other’s sexual interests closely.
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Can masturbation show signs like infertility, hair growth on palms, acne or make you go blind?
Masturbation does not cause any such bad effects. It will not make you infertile, cause acne, or make hair grow on your palms
Many such myths go round the corner scaring people off from indulging in self-pleasure.
The hair on palms goes back to one’s genes. It can be due to hereditary signs.
While you must know that acne is because of the different hormonal changes going on in your body. In the case of blindness, masturbation has no role in your sight.
Masturbation does not cause any physical, emotional, or sexual problems. It can actually be healthy for you
Orgasm because of masturbation can help your body in circulation, nervous and muscular systems
It can also help you fight menstrual pain
Masturbation has an overall positive effect on your body.
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Why there are so many myths about masturbation?
The ignorance of one’s sexuality leads to myths about masturbation being unhealthy and dirty.
Many people masturbate and even the history claims it to be a common activity among people
It is not bad and is considered to be quite healthy as it helps you understand your body and sexual needs better
Masturbation is a personal choice and it is actually good to masturbate whenever you want to. It is also ok not to masturbate at all.
Masturbating depends on how it makes you feel.
Thus, rather than trusting the myths started by other people, follow what your body and heart say!
