Whether you’re masturbating daily, weekly, monthly or annually, it’s not unusual to wonder whether your self-pleasure habits fall within the range of what’s normal. While there’s no magic number for how often a man should masturbate, the health benefits linked to self-inflicted ejaculation are abundant. Yep, it’s true. When you masturbate you unleash a realm of physical and mental benefits. And, let’s be honest, it sure beats any other shower activity (looking’ at you, shampoo).
So, exactly how often should a man masturbate? What are the benefits of masturbation? And, is too much masturbation bad for sperm health? Let’s find out.
How often should men masturbate?
Every guy is different and jerking off to the point of ejaculation is perfectly healthy. Masturbation increases the levels of hormones, oxytocin and dopamine aka the body’s feel-good hormones. So, if a little self-exploration fills you with feelings of happiness, motivation, productivity, less stress and less depression, go all in. As long as your below-the-belt habits aren’t associated with chronic masturbation or porn addiction, you have full permission to ditch any magic number you’ve heard on the street and opt for an intuitive approach. That is, listen to your body and act accordingly. It’s called human instinct and it’s your best tool for gauging how often you need to sexually satisfy yourself.
Just be aware that if you reach the point where you’re masturbating one or more times daily, the refractory period may come into play. The refractory period refers to the time between orgasm and when you’re ready to be sexually aroused again, and normally sits between a few minutes to a few hours, lengthening in time as you age.
But you heard 21 was the magic number?
Following a study, researchers at Harvard Medical School suggested 21 or more ejaculations a month could lower a man’s risk of prostate cancer by 31% in comparison to men who ejaculated between 4 and 7 times a month. The results were inconclusive, but don’t let that stop you from digging deep into your jeans 21 times each month, if that’s what feels good for you.
What are the benefits of male masturbation?
No doubt you’re already aware of the mood-boosting, stress relieving perks of beating one’s own bat, but masturbation also helps to:
- Lower blood pressure
- Improve the quality of your sperm
- Achieve a more restful night\u2019s sleep
- Boost your immune system
- Reduce migraine symptoms
- Reduce your risk of heart disease
Will too much masturbation be bad for sperm health?
If there is one piece of info you take away from us today, it’s that there are no known negative side effects linked to masturbation. The male body produces sperm at a rate of 1,500 a second. This equates to 15,000 new sperm cells every ten seconds, and over one hundred million sperm cells every day. That’s approximately 525 billion sperm cells in an average lifetime. So, no, regular masturbation will not affect your sperm health.