What Are The Pros And Cons Of Masturbating For men?
Masturbation is very common among men. Despite how some may feel, in moderation, it's not a bad practice at all. It is a way for a man to naturally and safely explore their own body.
It gives pleasure and effectively releases any built-up sexual tension. It doesn't only happen with a particular group of men. All types of men from all backgrounds, education levels, and races engage in masturbation. There are a lot of myths surrounding the whole concept.
However, despite all of those myths, masturbation doesn't have a lot of harmful side effects.
Nevertheless, masturbating excessively might harm your everyday life and your relationship with your partner. Apart from that, you can fully enjoy masturbation as a man. It's a fun and healthy activity. We'll have a look at some of the potential pros and cons of masturbation for men.
What is masturbation?
Self-pleasuring or masturbation as it's commonly called is the touching and rubbing of your penis, scrotum, or even anus in order for your body to experience sexual pleasure. Masturbation is a practice that has been around for a long time. It mostly starts during the teen years throughout adulthood.
It's a healthy way to explore what your body can do, how fast you achieve an orgasm, and what feels good to a man sexually by helping to release sexual tension. It's a very normal part of someone's sexual experience. Every person is different and the number of times each person masturbates is different.
Some can do it several times a day, a week, or even once a month. How much you tend to masturbate isn't really a problem unless masturbating is taking up time from other aspects of being able to live a healthy and balanced life.
Benefits of masturbation
Masturbation is a very healthy sexual activity. You might not have your partner close and you need safe sexual relief, or you just want to pleasure yourself because you're single.
It has a lot of benefits to men, both for their physical and mental health. There isn't a lot of research on all the benefits of masturbation.
However, there are studies that have been done on sex and stimulation. Anecdotal reports and research show that sexual stimulation from both masturbation and sexual intercourse, has the following benefits for men:
- You can fully explore your sexuality by yourself and it helps release sexual tension.
- You can explore new sensations and stimulation using men masturbators such as pocket pussies or boobs toys.
- Makes a man familiar with how they respond to sexual experiences. This helps with communicating what a man likes during sexual encounters with their partner.
- You aren't limited to how and when you want to masturbate. It doesn't matter whether you're single or in a relationship. Masturbation is great whether you're not having sex with your partner, you don't have a partner to have sex with, or you're just abstaining from having sex.
- It is beneficial for mental health because it reduces stress.
- It a great way to relax, since masturbation can release tension.
- Helps improve body image and self-esteem.
- You can sleep better.
- Masturbation promotes the release of opioid-like neurotransmitters that are called endorphins in the brain. They cause feelings of mental as well as physical well-being.
- Masturbation can make you lose a little weight because it is technically like any other type of exercise.
- According to some research, a man might reduce his risk of suffering from prostate cancer by masturbating regularly. However, there's still not enough proof to support this. Results from a study done in 2016 showed that the risk of prostate cancer was reduced by almost 20% for the men who ejaculated regularly, at least 21 times a month. Another study was done in 2003 also had the same results, that frequent masturbation reduces the risk of prostate cancer, but more research needs to be done in order to provide more proof.
Cons of masturbation
Masturbation does not have any serious harmful effects. However, there are some people who tend to experience guilt for masturbating. Others also have chronic masturbation problems. The following are some of the side effects of too much masturbation:
- If you squeeze your penis too hard or rub too vigorously during masturbation, it might prevent the flow of semen. That can lead to damaging the nerves and blood vessels in the penis.
- If you do it in a face-down position, you'll exert more pressure on the penis which can lead to it being injured.
- Excessive masturbation can lead to damage of the nerves that allow you to ejaculate. This might lead to ejaculation while you're asleep or premature ejaculation.
- As we mentioned earlier, some people might feel guilty for masturbating due to different reasons such as spiritual, cultural, and religious beliefs. Some of these beliefs portray masturbation as a bad thing, potentially leading to a lot of guilt.
- Some men tend to develop an addiction to masturbation. They do it more than they need to. You know you are addicted to masturbation if it's stopping you from: attending social events, completing your chores or other daily activities, attending work or school, and you don't show up when you have plans with your friends or family. Addiction to masturbation harms relationships and other parts of life, it leads to lower productivity in terms of work studies.
- Masturbation might harm a man's romantic relationship as well as friendships because they don't spend enough time with, or pay enough attention to, the needs of their friends and loved ones.
Takeaway
Masturbation is a very normal and healthy sexual experience. It's a great way to naturally improve your health and also practice self-care for your sexual needs. There are a lot of benefits for both the mind and body that are derived from masturbation.
However, there are also some harmful side effects that can arise due to frequent masturbation for a man.
Nevertheless, you should not ever feel guilty for masturbating. It shouldn't feel shameful when you practice self-pleasuring. If any negative feelings arise from you masturbating, try and speak to a therapist, so they can help you navigate through those emotions.
