How Masturbation Can Reduce Burnout

Sex plays a role in happiness

Scientists and anthropologists generally agree that sex tends to play a role in our overall happiness. Studies show that sexual satisfaction plays a role in happier marriages, and happier marriages play a role in greater sexual satisfaction. But what about when we’re solo? What about our sense of wellbeing when we’re on our own? If healthy intimacy with a partner is a marker of happiness, does being intimate while alone have the same long-term effects?

Many experts in the field of sex and human behaviour will tell you that any type of intimacy is good for the human brain, and it doesn’t have to be sexual. Just catching someone’s eye from across the room or holding hands can flood your body with happy hormones like dopamine and oxytocin. Intimacy can be a powerful tool when it comes to reducing stress.

“Self-care and stress management are not luxuries, and regularly releasing hormones like oxytocin is a great way to help manage a hectic schedule, as this bonding hormone buffers against stress hormones like cortisol that can make you tired, old, and overweight.” says sex and hormone expert Dr. Jolene Brighten

In fact, new research tells us that the majority of people choose to try and reduce stress by either taking a walk, having a nap, meditation, having sex or by masturbating. Self-touch presents so many health benefits including boosting your body’s feel-good hormones, regulating the nervous system and releasing tension for stress relief.

And masturbation doesn’t just help with soothing anxiety. Sexual thoughts and feelings, physical touch and orgasms have other superpowers too, providing mental clarity, better brain and body function and a better relationship with self-confidence, boundaries and partners. In short, the benefits of really are limitless. Here are some of the ways self-love can help you live a healthier and more balanced life…

Pleasure can reduce pain

When we experience sexual pleasure the pituitary gland is activated and endorphins like oxytocin and vasopressin spike. promote pain reduction, intimacy, and bonding. Oxytocin and dopamine not only create a good feeling, they can also reduce pain in the body. Researchers found that regular sex can help relieve headaches and period cramps.

Dopamine responds to rewards like food and orgasms encouraging the brain to seek out more and oxytocin is known as the ‘cuddle hormone’ encouraging bonding and connection. If you struggle with issues like chronic pain and sex or conditions like vaginismus these two chemicals, along with serotonin and vasopressin, released after sex, can both relax the body and ease pressure and pain.

Orgasms can lower anxiety

Vasopressin is the hormone responsible for the chilled, contended feeling we experience after sex or masturbation. It lowers cortisol levels and improves sleep quality, especially in people assigned male at birth. Orgasms also produce oxytocin and the more of this hormone you have in your body, the better, because it makes you feel calm and connected to yourself and others. A study on rats showed that a rat with high oxytocin levels remained calm when surrounding rats were anxious.

The logical part of your brain responsible for judgement and decision making – the lateral orbitofrontal cortex – basically shuts down during sex. This is why you might feel bolder and less inhibited during sex or masturbation. The deactivation of this part of the brain is also associated with decreases in fear and anxiety so naturally self-touch and sex can lessen the effects of anxiety and depression.

Orgasms can help you sleep better

An orgasm signals the parasympathetic nervous system to start down-regulating and the prefrontal cortex, which was previously activated leading up to orgasm, also becomes down-regulated. This causes a state of calm that’s topped off by oxytocin spiking and cortisol – the stress hormone – dipping. And remember vasopressin? That accompanies the release of melatonin which is also known as the sleep hormone.

Researchers found that 68% of men and 59% of women felt that they slept better after having sex with a partner. About 54% of the volunteers said they also slept better after having an orgasm from masturbation, regardless of gender.

So if you’re struggling with insomnia, burnout or experiencing perimenopause which can cause issues with sleep, you might want to consider practising self-love before bed. This is also why the majority of people enjoy watching erotic content or listening to audio porn before bed, rather than first thing in the morning for example.

Pleasure promotes body function

The benefits of an oxytocin spike are endless and you don’t need to experience an orgasm to feel the benefits. Self-touch can reduce inflammation in the body by keeping cortisol levels down – cortisol can increase oily skin production which can clog pores and cause inflammation and breakouts. Masturbation can also help to regulate and reset the nervous system, encouraging healthy cell turnover and better circulation, which keeps the body functioning healthily and distributes nutrients and hormones where your body needs them most.

Having an orgasm can also modulate your immune system by reducing stress and inflammation in the body. Studies have shown that having more orgasms more regularly can shift women’s immune system to be conception ready, a state that carries on throughout pregnancy. So you can essentially boost your immunity by practising self-love regularly.

Orgasms may help you live longer

And among these magical hormones, we also have dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) which is essentially an anti-ageing hormone helping to regulate muscle strength, bone density and body fat. It naturally begins to decline in your twenties, however, sexual excitement helps increase DHEA levels. So indulging in a daily or even a weekly self-love session could in fact, help you to live longer. In fact, one study among middle-aged men found a 50 percent lower mortality rate among those with high orgasmic frequency compared with the low-orgasm group. Does this mean it’s time for healthcare professionals to recommend sex toys? It certainly couldn’t hurt.

The physical and mental health benefits of masturbation both boost bodily health and leave space for you to experience calm and focus on what’s important to you. An overwhelmed mind can be one of the worst things for your general wellbeing and will manifest throughout your body and all areas of your life. So check in with yourself, make sure you’re staying aware of how your body feels, your anxiety levels and your relationship with yourself and maybe set aside twenty minutes a day for deep breathing and a self-love practice. You don’t have to have an orgasm, just a light touch can be enough to self-regulate and boost those feel-good hormones.