Masturbation Faux Pas

Masturbation is a normal part of life, and although a taboo topic in some cultures, is a healthy form of sex. Whether it be sexual intercourse, nocturnal emission, or masturbation, all are beneficial to health.  Masturbation can help lower your risk for a heart attack and help reduce stress levels. While many people have masturbated, or do regularly, most don’t discuss it openly. But exploring your own body is not only about self-pleasure, but about utilizing what you learn alone to help you have more fun with a partner.  

Some of the benefits of masturbation include better mood, pain relief, and increased sexual endurance.  Just as sex with a partner releases tons of feel good hormones, so does masturbation.  Not only does it help you to get in tune with your body, but also helps you reap some great mental and physical benefits.  These include feelings of joy, pleasure, stress relief, relaxation and mental clarity.  Similarly, because self-pleasure and climax can have all sorts of effects on the body it can be a potent pain reliever.  It has often been reported to relieve the pain of headaches and menstrual cramps, likely owing to this release of hormones as well as the boost in blood circulation. For men, masturbation can be beneficial in that the self-stimulation allows them to control their body and improve upon their sexual endurance. 

This being said, not all masturbation is done the “right” way and certain mistakes can make the act of self-love go terribly south.  In general it is best to keep it simple and remember to use lubrication in order to avoid excess friction and chaffing of the skin.  Here are some general tips for safe masturbation:

Don’t strangle the penis: Although penile rings constrict the flow out of the penis for increased pleasure, other tools may prove a bit too effective and dangerous.  Using things like bottle tops, strings or ropes to constrict the flow of blood to the penis can cause swelling in the shaft and get you stuck that way.  There also might be long term effects like sexual dysfunction, which follow.

Don’t squeeze too hard: Squeezing or pounding too hard during masturbation can result in pushing down on the shaft at the wrong angle and causing trauma to the penis.  This is what physicians would call a broken penis or penile fracture.  This can leading to swelling, bruising, leaking, and permanent loss of erectile function.