“Sir,
I masturbate once in three days. I don’t want to do it but have to. I
am now getting married and am scared I will not be able to satisfy my
wife. My friends say masturbation makes us weak and prevents good
erections. Please help”.“I am a 15 year old boy. Whenever my parents are not at home, I look at girls’ pics and masturbate. I have now started feeling very weak all the time, not able to do well in studies. I read somewhere that people have gone blind and some have even gone mad because of masturbating. Is it true?”
These are just two of the queries we got on our site on the taboo topic of masturbation. Most people aren’t even willing to admit that they masturbate though the fact is almost everyone does. And before you think that this topic is taboo only in countries like India, you should know that when the Surgeon General of the United States suggested that it should mentioned in the school curricula that masturbation was safe and healthy, she was forced to resign.
We figured it’s high time we’d mention some of the hidden benefits of masturbation that we bet you didn’t know :
1. Refreshes the semen
Various researches have suggested that ejaculation helps sperm count and motility. You’re replacing old sperm with fresh ones and this is good for fertility.
2. Reduces stress
Masturbation is nothing but simulated sex and is a great stress-buster. Masturbation releases hormones like dopamine and oxytocin, which helps us feel elated. There is no better way to let off some steam and it actually helps people sleep as well.
3. Prevents sexually transmitted diseases (STDs)
The one positive aspect where masturbation scores over sex is the fact that the chances of catching STDs is zero. It’s the safest sexual practice possible.
4. Reduces chances of prostate cancer
A 2003 Australian study observed that men who ejaculated more than five times a week were less likely to develop prostate cancer. Masturbating flushes your system and prevents cancerous cells from building up.
5. Ups your game
For long masturbating has been linked to people who don’t have or can’t get sex partners. This is a gross misconception. Turns out people who masturbate more are likelier to last longer in bed. Think of it as net practice, the more you practice the better you get. This doesn’t hold true only for men. Masturbating will allow women (who have a more erogenous zones) to discover their body properly, to find out what buttons to push and then tell her man how to please her. Masturbating regularly can also allow you conquer that embarrassing premature ejaculation and gain better control.
Read: Female masturbation – you don’t need man to please you
It is a healthy practice to masturbate whenever you feel the need to. Simply put, as long as it doesn’t affect the different facets of your life like work, relationships, etc. then you’re fine.