Benefits of masturbation
Masturbation
“Me myself and I, that’s all I got in the end, that’s what I found out. And it aint no need to cry, I took a vow that from now on I’m going to be my own best friend” Beyonce Knowles 2003.
History of Masturbation
Surprisingly masturbation hasn’t always been viewed as a taboo little secret. Solitary sex has been depicted in pre-historic cave painting and the ancient Greeks viewed it as entirely normal, a healthy substitute for other forms of sexual pleasure.
Depicted in Greek pottery and comedy with many references to it in literature, it was considered quite common place and therefore didn’t warrant too much attention, although it was regarded as the action of those lower down the social pecking order, the tossers!
Masturbation was considered so normal that The Greek philosopher Diogenes the Cynic regularly masturbated in public and defended his actions by saying “If only it were as easy to banish hunger by rubbing my belly”.Forward thinking (minus the non -consensual exhibitionism)
Health benefits of masturbation.
It’s always astounding to me that so many of my female clients don’t masturbate or that female self-pleasure is still viewed by many of the women I treat as taboo. Regular masturbation is actually associated with happier, healthier and more fertile humans. For women, masturbation can help prevent cervical infections and urinary tract infections through the process of "tenting," or the opening of the cervix that occurs as part of the arousal process. Tenting stretches the cervix, and thus the cervical mucous. This enables fluid circulation, allowing cervical fluids full of bacteria to be flushed out. Woohoo!
Visiting the safety deposit box is also wonderfully healthy for your brain too. Researcher’s examined images of the brain in FMRI scanners whilst women were having self-induced orgasms, they discovered that Brain activity gradually increased leading up to orgasm and then peaked at orgasm. The whole brain receives more oxygen whilst people are getting off, sufficient oxygen contributes to overall healthy brain functioning, so the more girl night in’s you have the smarter you are.
Self -administered orgasms also release a cascade of substances including dopamine which triggers the pleasure centre in the brain to reduce stress and boost motivation. Endorphins that can naturally reduce pain including menstrual cramps. Serotonin for calming and improved mood. Prolactin that helps with sleep and finally oxytocin for building attachment bonds. What are we all waiting for?
Masturbation is the safest form of sex, no one ever caught an STD from herself or got herself pregnant, mutual masturbation is still pretty safe as long you use condoms on any sex toys and clean them before swapping. And if you touch each other’s genitals, wash your hands before touching your own simple.
If you still need convincing...
If you’re still not convinced, masturbation is also a great anti-aging behaviour, it increases blood flow to the vagina, which may help counteract the menopausal symptom of vaginal atrophy, which essentially means your vagina might be much drier than usual, leading to discomfort (especially during penetrative sex and masturbation). Sexual activity including masturbation is associated with improved cognitive functioning as you age Some research shows that sexual activity, masturbation included, is linked with better cognition in aging adults. A 2017 study in The Journals of Gerontology studied 73 people between the ages of 50 and 83 who participated in a range of sexual activities (including masturbation) at varying frequencies. The study authors found that more frequent sexual activity was associated with higher scores on cognitive tests that evaluated thing like memory and verbal fluency. (Zoldan, 2018)
Masturbation is frequently included in psychosexual therapy programmes I use with clients as it can help women figure out what they like and don’t like sexually and improve orgasmic reliability and sexual confidence. If they then decide to have sex with someone, they are better equipped to communicate what works and doesn’t work. Bonus! Increased sexual confidence improves greater communication and has been linked to higher condom use frequency, because it is easier to talk about protecting yourself against STDs and pregnancy, too. It’s all win win.
Finally diddling with daisy makes it easier for women to experiment with having multiple orgasms, it’s much easier for people with vulvas to have multiple orgasms because there’s no need for a refractory period, which is the recovery time people with penises need before they can be stimulated again. The trick to having multiple orgasms is over coming sensitivity which is something that is much easier to self- administer than to rely on someone else to figure out.
What are you waiting for?