The Kinky Sex
Masturabation is a common part of our modern sex lives, but many people often fear that they might be spending too much time masturbating. Indeed, masturbation sessions—especially for people who haven’t got a partner to help them achieve their needs—can quickly go on for quite some time; in these cases, it is important to consider if you are spending too much time masturbating, and whether you should try to cut back on your masturbation sessions a little bit.
Is Masturbation Bad for You?
There is a common misconception in our modern society that masturbation can be bad for you. This idea has come about quite strongly in recent times and leaves many people wondering if masturbation, as pleasurable as it might be, is a good thing to be doing or not.
Of course, it will often be the case that we would prefer to have a partner helping us out that having to satisfy our own needs with masturbation toys. However, not everyone can have a partner all at once, and so masturbation may sometimes be the only way of getting that pleasure and relief that you so desperately need—especially if you’d rather avoid having to go to someone that you don’t know for sexual relations (which, of course, can have a whole number of potential ramifications in and of itself anyway, and should always be avoided from a health and safety perspective anyway).
But is masturbation actually bad for you, or is it just a convenient way of releasing all of that pent up energy and frustration?
How Many People Masturbate?
The majority of people, at some point in their lives, will have tried out masturbation. Even though it is a highly taboo topic in our modern society, there is no getting away from the fact that pretty much every person that you meet in your life will have tried it—which is reassuring, to say the least!
Indeed, in the space of a month, as many as 70% of men will have had at least one masturabation session, a recent US study concluded. Of these men, a whopping 30% said that they masturbated on a weekly basis at least, if not every other day! An additional 15% even said that they typically masturbated about once a day, if not more! These figures clearly go to show just how common masturbation is in our society.
This figure falls slightly for women. Regardless of this fact, though, it is still interesting to note that somewhere around 40% of women (aged between 18 and 60 years of age) had masturbated in the past month.
In addition to this, the level of masturbation among young people is through the roof! As many as three quarters of all young males, aged between 14 and 17, have masturbated at least once in their lives; about 50% of females in the same age bracket made the same admission, as well.
But what about the consequences of masturbation? If such a large number of people in our society spend time masturbating, surely it can’t be that bad for our health?
Masturbation and Health: The Misconceptions
For whatever reason, people living in our modern society seem to have adopted the stance that masturbation is damaging and harmful for your health. However, the truth is actually quite the opposite; masturbation can offer a large number of physical and mental health benefits!
For one, it should come as no surprise that masturbation is a highly effective way of relieving stress in individuals who are feeling pent up and upset; it can temporarily help a person ignore their nagging worries, which will help to give them such much needed downtime. In addition, it is also a great way of strengthening the pelvic floor muscles and relieving an individual of any pent up sexual tension that they might have built up.
Indeed, the benefits of masturbation are numerous, and it is sometimes even said that there could be a link between masturbation and an improved conception of self esteem among young people! Additionally, masturbation gives people who are exploring their sexuality the chance to discover what they do and don’t like, without the risks associated with having a partner do so.
When Masturbation Becomes a Problem
Masturbation is a great tool for many people to use, however, it can also be potentially problematic as well. As with many other addictions, masturbation can also take on a prominent role in a person’s life—and this is when masturbation is no longer healthy, but is an obsession.
There is no specific number of sessions that a person can partake in before masturbation becomes a problem; this will largely be dependant on the individual person’s desires. However, if masturbation is being done every day without fail and is beginning to take over a person’s life, the time has probably come to consider whether doing so is a healthy stress reliever anymore, or if masturbation has developed into an inescapable addiction.
So, How Often Should You Masturbate?
As previously mentioned, there is no hard figure as to how often you should masturbate; so long as it isn’t interfering with your daily life, you are free to masturbate as much—or as little—as you want! However, when it is done too regularly to the point that it is a compulsion, it can become a real problem.
This is a theory that is backed up by researchers at New Health Advisor, who concluded the same fact in their National Survey of Sexual Health and Behavior. The most important this is, therefore, to be happy, healthy, and at peace with your sexuality and masturbation practices.
Because, after all, masturbation is little more than a tool for helping a person to find satisfaction and relief for their sexual tensions when they do not have a partner around to help them—or even as a means of spicing up relations with a partner! And who is more highly qualified than you (and your partner) to decide how often you should be masturbating?
