Masturbation, jerking off, self-love Is it harmful to you, or could it be of benefit.
I’m doctor Hart Pinto, let’s fact check common beliefs about masturbation.
Masturbation is often seen as taboo, but lots of people do it.
Surveys suggest around 90% of men and almost 80% of women masturbate. Almost
all of us perform self-love, so it’s nothing to be ashamed about. You may have heard lots
of negative stereotypes about masturbation, are they true? Or could masturbation be good for you?
BENEFITS OF MASTURBATION
Masturbation plays a positive role in sexual development. It helps you
become familiar with your own body and know what works for you. Additionally,
it can be a powerful means to release sexual tension, reduce stress, and help you sleep.
So why all these benefits. When you masturbate you stimulate your brain to release hormones.
Each of these hormones has its benefits:
Dopamine is a happy hormone and is linked to your brain’s reward system
Oxytocin sometimes known as the love hormone improves bonding and
relationships AND…
Endorphins are the body’s natural painkillers that can help with stress.
Masturbation is a safe sexual practice. Masturbating alone,
means you’re not going to be exposed to sexually transmitted infections,
or risk pregnancy. You can also take what you’ve learned about your body to help you develop strong
sexual connections with your partner, and you can tell them what you know and like.
HAIRY PALMS
One of the most quoted beliefs is that masturbation will make you get hairy palms
I’m sorry this just isn’t true, with the sheer number of people who masturbate
that would mean lots of hairy palmed people, and I am yet to meet a single one.
In fact, the specialised skin on the palms of your hands doesn’t contain any hair follicles,
so hair growth isn’t possible under normal circumstances.
Realistically there are 2 ways you could develop hairy palms:
If you have a significant injury to your hand and lose a lot of soft tissue. In these cases,
a reconstructive plastic surgeon may graft some skin from elsewhere on your body
to your palm. This new skin will contain the hair follicles needed to grow hairy palms.
The second way is if you suffer from an incredibly
rare condition called “Circumscribed Pilary Dysembryoplasia of the Palms”
where a malformation on the skin of your hands, means that hair follicles are present.
MASTURBATION MAKES YOU GO BLIND
Some people seem to believe that masturbating too often can negatively
affect your eyes. Fortunately, for the many who masturbate, it’s unlikely to be true.
There are some rare circumstances where very intense exercise
can cause damage to your eyes. In extreme circumstances, blood flow can increase to
the back of the eye causing the bursting of a blood vessel and vision loss. However,
the likelihood that you will manage to cause this through masturbation is very slim.
PEOPLE IN RELATIONSHIPS DON'T MASTURBATE
Some people worry that when their partners masturbate it is a sign
that there are problems with their relationship or that they are not
sexually satisfied. Some feel that this is a form of cheating. This isn’t the case,
it’s quite normal for people to masturbate whether they are single or in a relationship.
For some individuals, masturbation forms part of their sexual fantasies and this is all
good and healthy. If you are in a consensual relationship engaging in mutual masturbation
can help strengthen sexual relationships and can be pleasurable for both parties.
YOU CAN MASTURBATE TOO MUCH
Regular Masturbating is normal and can form an important part of your sexual health.
However, if your masturbation activities are starting to play an impact on your day-to-day
life, you may have a sexual addiction. This is known by healthcare professionals as compulsive
masturbation disorder or OCD masturbation. Individuals who suffer from this condition,
feel urges and actions that take up a lot of their time and may feel as if it’s beyond their control.
The condition can hurt relationships, work, and mental health. Additionally,
physical injuries, including skin abrasions and tears, may be caused by excessive masturbation.
REGULAR MASTURBATION LOWERS YOUR SPERM COUNT
Again, not true. Regular masturbation is not going to have a significant impact on your fertility.
A common belief is that for a man to maximise his sperm count he must abstain from ejaculation
for 2-3 days. Whilst there may be some truth to this, for men with healthy sperm counts,
research suggests, that even daily ejaculation will not reduce fertility.
MASTURBATION CAUSES PREMATURE EJACULATION
It is possible that your actions during masturbation can affect your performance in bed.
Young men who try to reach orgasm as quickly as possible to avoid getting caught,
by a family member or lover, can condition their bodies to do the same during intercourse.
Masturbation is your practice run, in other words,
the training ground for intercourse. So, don’t rush and take your time.
Despite claims that masturbation is unhealthy or harmful, the reality is that masturbation
overall is a positive thing. So, show yourself some self-love. See you next time