Is it good to jerk off

Is Masturbation Healthy?

In This Section

Masturbation

Is Masturbation Healthy?

You may have heard some crazy things about masturbation being bad for you, like it makes you grow hair in weird places; it causes infertility; it shrinks your genitals; or once you start masturbating you’ll become addicted to it. None of that’s true. Masturbation isn’t unhealthy or bad for you at all. Masturbation can actually be good for your health, both mentally and physically. And it’s pretty much the safest sex out there — there’s no risk of getting pregnant or getting an STD.

When you have an orgasm, your body releases endorphins, which are hormones that block pain and make you feel good. The good feelings that come with an orgasm happen whether you’re masturbating or having sex.

Plenty of research has shown the health benefits of masturbation. Masturbation can:

release sexual tension
reduce stress
help you sleep better
improve your self-esteem and body image
help treat sexual problems
relieve menstrual cramps and muscle tension
strengthen muscle tone in your pelvic and anal areas

Masturbation also helps you figure out what you like sexually. Where do you want to be touched? How much pressure feels good? How fast or slow? Learning how to have orgasms on your own can make it easier to have one with a partner, because you can tell or show them what feels good. And when you’re comfortable with sex, your body, and talking to your partner, you’re more likely to feel comfortable protecting yourself against STDs and unintended pregnancy.

Some people masturbate often — every day, or even more than once a day. Some people masturbate closer to once a week, once every few weeks, or every now and then. Some people never masturbate, and that’s fine too. All of these are perfectly normal.

Masturbation only becomes “too much” if it gets in the way of your job, your responsibilities, or your social life. If that’s a problem for you, you may want to talk to a counselor or therapist.

Some people learn when they’re young that masturbating is wrong or bad, so they feel guilty about doing it. If you feel that way, try to remember that most people masturbate. It’s perfectly normal, and there’s nothing wrong with it. Talking to a counselor or therapist may help if you have trouble getting over guilty feelings.

Was this page helpful?

Help us improve. How could this information be more helpful? (optional)

How did this information help you? (optional)

Please answer below.

Are you human? (Sorry, we have to ask!)

Please don't check this box if you are a human.

You’re the best! Thanks for your feedback.

Thanks for your feedback.

We couldn't access your location, please search for a location.

Zip, City, or State

Please enter a valid 5-digit zip code or city or state.

Please fill out this field.

Service All Services Abortion Abortion Referrals Birth Control COVID-19 Vaccine HIV Services Men's Health Care Mental Health Morning-After Pill (Emergency Contraception) Pregnancy Testing & Services Primary Care STD Testing, Treatment & Vaccines Transgender Hormone Therapy Women's Health Care

Filter By All Telehealth In-person

Please enter your age and the first day of your last period for more accurate abortion options. Your information is private and anonymous.

AGE This field is required.

Or call 1-800-230-7526

10 Benefits of Masturbation - How Masturbating Boosts Your Health

There’s a good chance you became obsessed with masturbation after you discovered it in your teenage years. The moment after your first orgasm, it's basically all you want to do, ever. And who can blame us? The whole routine feels good, from the moment you touch your penis. And when you finally have that orgasm? Chef’s kiss.

In addition to feeling really freakin’ pleasurable, masturbation also has several health benefits, from lowering your risk for certain diseases to boosting your satisfaction during sex with a partner. (In other words, masturbation is great for your physical and emotional health.) That’s why masturbating, even when you’re having partner sex regularly, is still something you should do.

Gloria Brame, Ph.D., a clinical sexologist, believes masturbation should become a regular part of your personal care routine, kind of like brushing your teeth. “Masturbation is part of a healthy sex life,” Brame says. “It’s totally safe and harmless.”

Here are ten incredible health benefits to masturbation, and why you should take matters into your own hands right now. (I mean, provided you're not in public or at work or something.)

1) It can help lower your prostate cancer risk.

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

2) It makes you harder.

As you age, you naturally lose muscle tone—yup, even down there. Regular sex or masturbation works out your pelvic floor muscles to prevent erectile dysfunction and incontinence.

Masturbation "keeps the angle of your dangle perky,” said Brame. That's because the smooth muscle of your penis needs to be enriched with oxygen, which is delivered whenever there's a rush of blood to your member (i.e., when you get an erection). Aim for three to five times a week for rock-solid results.

3) It helps you last longer during sex.

Sometimes, guys don't last long in bed simply because they haven't had enough practice, either with a partner or solo. Regularly taking yourself to palm prom may help extend your sack sessions. “[Masturbating] an hour before a date will give you more control,” said Brame.

Train yourself by timing how long it takes you to orgasm, Ava Cadell, Ph.D., founder of the love coaching program Loveology University, told Men's Health. If it usually takes two minutes for you to finish solo, shoot for three next time, or count how many strokes you need to get to your happy place. “Most men can double the number of strokes and the time within one month,” Cadell said.

Practice makes perfect, right?

4) It boosts immunity.

Ejaculation increases levels of the hormone cortisol, according to Jennifer Landa, M.D., a specialist in hormone therapy. Cortisol, which usually gets a bad rap as a havoc-wrecking stress hormone, actually helps regulate and maintain your immune system in small doses.

“Masturbation can produce the right environment for a strengthened immune system,” she said.

Plus, a very small study from 2004 showed that guys had more white blood cells 45 minutes after they had a solo orgasm.

5) It boosts your mood.

Masturbating releases a slew of feel-good neurochemicals like dopamine and oxytocin that lift your spirits, boost your satisfaction, and activate the reward circuits in your brain.

“An orgasm is the biggest non-drug blast of dopamine available,” said Brame.

6) It can help you fall asleep.

There are many things you can do to improve the quality of your sleep, from losing weight to eating certain kinds of food (hello, turkey and cheddar cheese). Masturbation can also help: having an orgasm releases chemicals like prolactin, serotonin, and oxytocin into the brain, all of which have been linked to feelings of happiness and relaxation. So if you find that you're tossing and turning at night, paying a lil' visit to Pornhub might be worth a shot.

7) It can increase your lifespan.

Yup, really: according to a Welsh study of 1000 men over the course of 20 years, the men who had two or more orgasms per week died at half the rate of men who had less than that number of orgasm per month.

8) It can improve your skin.

Orgasm causes increased blood flow to the skin, which makes your blood vessels open up; for some people, this can result in slightly rosy cheeks, or what's better known as the post-sex glow. What's even better? The oxytocin that's released with orgasm can reduce inflammation, making zits and rashes less noticeable.

9) It helps you get to know your own body better.

Sure, you might think that you're pretty well-acquainted with your body, particularly if you started masturbating at a younger age. But it's always helpful to try new things and give yourself a refresher course in what your penis likes — and what it doesn't. (If you want tips, check out these male masturbation techniques.)

10) It improves heart health.

Contrary to popular belief that rigorous sex can up your risk of a heart attack or stroke, regular orgasms can actually help protect you against cardiovascular disease. A report from the Massachusetts Aging Study found that men who had sex once a month or less were 45% more likely to die of cardiovascular disease than men who had two or more orgasms per week. So if you cancel plans with friends to stay home and M-bate, just tell them it's for your own health. Hey, you won't be lying.

Melissa Matthews

Health Writer

Melissa Matthews is the Health Writer at Men's Health, covering the latest in food, nutrition, and health.

masturbate useful or harmful? - Psychology

Ask the experts

Is jerking off good or bad?

Bakhti September 28, 2016

Total answers: 11
Andrey Smirnov ★ Gesmer ™

Online September 28, 2016

Hello Bakhti!
There is no harm in masturbation unless it becomes addictive.
Age also matters.
Substitutive masturbation is often used when there are no opportunities for full sex. nine0019 Good luck to you!
LYDIA

September 28, 2016

Good morning. The answer to your question “is jerking off good or bad?”
Answer. Harmful, because the natural sexual reflex breaks down, which is then quite difficult to restore.
Wisdom to you.
P.S. Dear customer, our experts have spent their time and their professional knowledge to answer your question. Please show your good manners: choose the best answer and mark the answers of other experts.
nine0004 Kozlov Evgeny Andreevich
September 28, 2016

Hello Bakhti.
Generally speaking, there is no harm in masturbation itself, as long as it is infrequent and has not become a habit. For example, teenagers may masturbate due to lack of a partner. If you are out of adolescence, then everything depends on your sexual temperament and the presence / absence of a sexual partner. In the case of a high sexual temperament and the presence of a partner, it is better for you to talk to her, explaining that you need to have sex more often. If there is no partner, then infrequent masturbation (somewhere once a week) will help relieve sexual tension and prevent congestion in the prostate gland. nine0019 Good luck to you!
Stanislav

January 21, 2018

In adolescence, this is a typical way to satisfy sexual arousal. It is permissible for a man to masturbate, but only to the extent that a woman is inaccessible to him (remoteness from society). But if the removal of sexual arousal becomes a habit, this is already a question for a specialist. nine0003
Alexei Korolevskiy

October 18, 2018

Harmful not only for the body, but also for the soul.
nine0012
Tatiana

January 28, 2019

It is very harmful, especially when masturbating with regular frequency.

Pakina Natalya Anatolyevna

January 28, 2019

Definitely not harmful if there is no partner nearby. But better "live" relationships - sex with your girlfriend.

Valeria Zhuvlakova

April 6, 2019

If there is a need for discharge, it is natural

Ludmila Rabimova Alekseevna

April 27, 2019

It is harmful to milk the body if this happens very often, so you can fall into sexual dependence, it will be difficult to get out of it, because the body will get used to this method of self-satisfaction. nine0003

Danil Budyansky

May 5, 2019

I won't say for sure about the benefits, but what is not harmful is for sure.
nine0012
Yarigo Oleg Alexandrovich

June 29, 2019

harmful to furniture, clothing and carpet... these are losses, ugly stains remain
nine0012

Benefits and harms of masturbation - Afisha Daily

18+

Nika Golikova

February 14, 2019 17:54

"Afisha Daily" spoke with a doctor who is also a sexologist at the masturbation and mental health center clinic Amina Nazarbaliyeva about the myths that make us ashamed of it.

Masturbation is not so simple: today we do not have enough research to say anything with certainty. Everything is complicated by the fact that even with the complete anonymity of the surveys, people do not reveal themselves to the end and do not tell the whole truth. nine0003

First of all, it is connected with stigma. Almost all religions condemn masturbation. We remember very well the horror stories that the hair on your arms will grow, that you can go crazy, become a pervert, and so on. There is a lot of shame and guilt associated with masturbation, it is embarrassing to talk about it in our society - even in many advanced sex education programs, the topic of masturbation is not addressed. And among progressive parents who talk about sex with children, only one in twenty touches on this topic. nine0003

However, masturbation is very common. Almost all men masturbate: at least, studies have about 70%. And about half of the women, and maybe more.

Scientists have found a lot of good things in masturbation. That is, either it does not affect anything, or it has a positive effect.

8 reasons to masturbate

Of the obvious advantages: when masturbating, the risk of an unplanned pregnancy or genital infections tends to zero.

According to my personal observations, people who practice masturbation are much more satisfied with their sex life and their own body than others.

Women who masturbated in childhood or adolescence are more likely to have positive sexual experiences in adulthood. In addition, they have healthier ideas about themselves.

Masturbation debunks the myth that vaginal orgasms are "correct" and clitoral orgasms are not. The fact is that women prefer clitoral masturbation to vaginal masturbation, and many of them use vibrators. By the way, men also sometimes use selectors during masturbation. nine0003

According to some studies, men who masturbate are more likely to use condoms.

The lion's dose of techniques in sex therapy is in one way or another connected with masturbation - whether it is working with a couple or individually. Such techniques are used, for example, if we want to help a woman experience an orgasm for the first time in her life or return a lost one; for a man - to control the time of the onset of his ejaculation; couple - not to experience pain or discomfort during sex.

Masturbation is always part of the healing process. Except when a person's religion and beliefs forbid him to masturbate. nine0003

Sometimes masturbation is better than sex, especially if the sex is bad or violent. Masturbation is something understandable and predictable, you always know what you need. Many women reach orgasm only with clitoral stimulation and often the partner cannot do it better.

If a person has an attraction to an object that he cannot approach for various reasons, masturbation is an excellent way out.

If you don't feel like masturbating, it's okay

Some people are not interested. The absence of masturbation in a person's life can only become a problem if he himself suffers from this.

Learn more