Let’s pretend you don’t know what masturbation is:
Masturbation, pleasuring yourself, whatever you want to call it. This is when the individual stimulates their genitals for a desirable effect. It is extremely common between BOTH genders. For some reason, there is a taboo around talking about sex and particularly masturbation. It’s time to move away from this and realize there is nothing to be ashamed of and having a healthy sex life is exactly that; healthy. Masturbation can have many positive outcomes and have a direct effect on your health. This is due to many factors such as the release of hormones, confidence, self-knowledge, and many more.
Hormones & the brain:
Dopamine (considered a hormone and a neurotransmitter) plays an important role in executive functions, motor control, motivation, arousal and, reinforcement and reward in the brain. This is one of the hormones released during the process of masturbation.
Oestrogen and testosterone: the sex hormones. During arousal, the hypothalamus is activated which sends signals to our genitals to release these hormones. This, in turn, furthers arousal which typically ends in orgasm.
During arousal (both masturbation and sex), the hypothalamus and limbic systems are even more active. However, other areas, such as the prefrontal cortex, are not. It is for this reason that we are able to think about the feelings of arousal rather than stress as its almost as though the area in our brain responsible for thinking is deactivated.
Benefits:
We are all familiar with stress. The hormonal processes mentioned above are all reasons as to why our stress levels can be reduced. Masturbation can help relieve muscle tension, boost concentration and enhance sleep at night (due to effect on mood and energy levels). It can also reduce the risk of unwanted pregnancies and sexually transmitted diseases as ‘the urge’ is being taken care of in a controlled manner.
Men vs Women:
We are culturally pushed into thinking men are machines on the topic and women shy away from it. This is even transmitted into studies as some research shows that between the ages of 14-17, males are more likely to masturbate with a 74 inclusion % and women having a mere 48%. These statistics are not unfamiliar to us. Many, however, seem to find them inaccurate, and believe that females are just prone to lie about their masturbation habits. This is often the case (generalizing); that women are not confident talking about sex. Fun fact: Switzerland was found to have a high rate of 92%of Swiss men and 72% of Swiss women who “regularly” pleasure themselves” making them the highest in the EU.
How well do you know your anatomy?:
Time for the not-so-sexy part. Arousal begins with a simple thought. Physiologically, the swelling of the female vulva and clitoris and, in males, an erection. The female’s vagina secretes its own physiological lubrication and eventually, the genital muscles rhythmically contract. During an erection, the smooth muscle sheath surrounding the penis allows blood to enter around the surrounding blood vessels which causes a region nearby to fill and hence: erection. A lot of pressure builds up in the penis and its surrounding structures and thus, semen is ejaculated.
Its not all fun and games:
Unfortunately, there is such a thing as too much of a good thing. Due to its immediate stress relief, people may use masturbation as an escape mechanism and, it too can be addictive. It can be used to run away from emotions both personally and with a partner. This can lead to problems of intimacy and communication.
As health care professionals, you’d be surprised at the amount of sex or masturbation injuries you’d see walking through hospital doors. Being adventurous is great, but sometimes simple can save a lot of ‘injuries’.
Takeaway message:
If used correctly one can reap a bunch of benefits from masturbating. One should not feel ashamed for doing it as it is a way to get to know your body and yourself. The fear of being caught is even found to be exciting by some and used as a great form of arousal. Being in a relationship should not effect your decision to masturbate and it has been seen that couples who are very close do it together as a different form of intimacy. Masturbation won’t have negative side effects if done safely, correctly and non-excessively. If it interferes with your everyday life and your relationship with other people, then you should seek professional help.
