Although sometimes stigmatized, sexual self-pleasure, also referred to as masturbation, has many researched and documented health benefits for the body, mind, and spirit. The production of endorphins during arousal and the release of them contribute to improving one’s mood and self-esteem. During orgasm, both dopamine and oxytocin are released, producing feelings of happiness and satisfaction. Frequent orgasms often lead to a more consistently happy demeanor and an enhanced and more satisfying sex life. Being able to explore yourself in the safety of solitude contributes to the evolution of your sexual self, bringing about greater awareness of what satisfies you and greater confidence in expressing it to your partner. Like most other things, we must learn it, explore it, and practice it to truly know it.
Reducing anxiety, relieving stress, and increasing one’s ability to focus are also benefits of masturbating. The endorphins relax the body, giving us a feeling of pleasure and calmness and help control the body’s response to stress. Dopamine and oxytocin work against the production of cortisol, which is known as the stress hormone. It’s the same hormone that helps us hang on to extra body fat around our bellies and other inconvenient places. Keeping the cortisol in check while increasing happy and relaxing feelings is the magic equation that assists in improved focus. Often times, when we are feeling happy, we tend to project more positive outcomes, and, with the lessening of distractions from stress and anxiety, we find ourselves with more clarity of mind, which can be directly applied to our ability to focus. In addition, those with higher libidos will temporarily be freed from the distraction of sexual thoughts and/or desires because orgasm has been reached and the yearning for such pleasure has been satisfied for the time being.
Self-pleasure has also been known to improve both cardiovascular health and sleep cycles. The heart receives more engagement through increased heart rates during sexual activity and the endorphins and oxytocin relax the body, promoting more restful sleep and contributing to the relief of aches, pains, and menstrual cramps in those born with a uterus. Regular ejaculation can potentially lower the risk of prostate cancer for those with a prostate, by removing cancer-causing agents from accumulating in the gland itself. This is an important example of why keeping up with our bodily functions with the intention of achieving or maintaining health must include our sexual functioning as well.
Self-care refers to behaviors we adopt in pursuit of our own well-being…total well-being, which includes our sexual selves. With that in mind, I would make the argument that sexual self-pleasure should be a priority component of any well-rounded self-care strategy. If self-care is a contemplation of how best to take care of oneself then we must consider our whole selves and what it requires to take care of that self. Sometimes, the sexual piece of us is under acknowledged and under explored because of the societal stigma associated with sexual activity, particularly masturbation. The security of the safety of solitude and the privacy that comes with it opens opportunities to explore your sexual bandwidth, desires, and curiosities without fearing judgement. It’s typically judgement that creates hesitation and roadblocks, moving us further away from free exploration and satisfaction. Simply removing these concerns is yet another way to reduce anxiety and stress, allowing space for a happier mood to prevail…and we haven’t even gotten to the arousal yet.
As you’ve read, there are myriad benefits to sexual self-pleasure. Self-pleasure benefits and self-care objectives are one in the same, so not only would I suggest that self-pleasure should be considered self-care, but I would highly encourage space for it in EVERY self-care plan.
