Is Masturbation Really a Bad Thing?

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Benefits of Masturbation
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September 31, 2008, Last Updated August 3, 2011
By Sarah Ott and Robert Redman





First, here are some facts. Over 95% of men and between 56 and 89%
of women masturbate at some point in our lives. Masturbation is often
our first introduction to sexual pleasure and self-soothing.

Here are some of the benefits of masturbation, as established by
research studies.

Masturbation Lowers the Risk of Prostate Cancer

1. Masturbation Protects against Prostate Cancer.

Men who masturbate more than 5 times a week in their 20's are 33%
less likely to develop the most aggressive form of prostate cancer later in
life. A 2003 study by Graham Giles at the Cancer Council of Victoria in
Melbourne Australia found that the ejaculate helps to "flush" or rid the
male body of carcinogens. Article Continues Below

2. Masturbation Tones The Penis.

Masturbation appears to tone the penis by exercising the pubococcygeal
(PC) muscle, commonly known as the "pelvic floor". The PC extends
from the mons pubis to the anus. You use your PC to hold your water,
preventing urination. Dr. Arnold Kegel a Californian obstetrician
developed the "Kegel exercises in 1946 to prevent incontinence. Since
then, Kegel exercises have been used to tighten the vagina after
childbirth and to heighten sexual pleasure in both men and women.

3. Masturbation Relieves Stress.

Masturbation releases serotonin, the "feel good" hormone which causes
us to relax and feel better.

4. Masturbation Induces Restful Sleep.

For many centuries, native cultures in Hawaii and elsewhere have used
masturbation to induce sleep. Many urbanites throughout history have
also discovered this natural sedative for inducing sound sleep.

Why do you want to go to sleep after ejaculating from sex or
masturbation? The answer lies in a powerful combination of chemical
compounds released when you ejaculate from orgasm. According to
New York University, when you ejaculate, your brain releases chemicals,
including norepinephrine, serotonin, oxytocin, vasopressin, nitric oxide
(NO), and the hormone prolactin. Prolactin is the hormone that makes
you feel sexual satisfaction and delays when you can have another
orgasm. Researchers believe that prolactin, and the chemicals oxytocin
and vasopressin cause you to feel sleepy after sex.

Because four times more prolactin is released after you have intercourse
than when you masturbate, you will in fact feel even sleepier after sex
with a partner than after you masturbate.

Because masturbation is a practice that occurs in all cultures and
throughout history, it can be thought of as one of the four keys to
physical and emotional health: sleep, diet, exercise and sex. Each of the
4 must be in balance for you to achieve physical and emotional health.
Too little or too much of any of the Big 4 sets up up for a health crisis.
Research has shown that too little sleep leads to weight gain, too little
good food and proper exercise leads to obesity which leads to heart
disease, diabetes and erectile dysunction, too little sexual release leads to
frustration and the build of seminal fluids which can raise the risk of
prostate cancer.

And therein lies the key. Balance. If masturbation becomes a means to
escape from the harder job of developing a whole relationship with
another human being, the imbalance leads to isolation, which is a pre-
condition to many forms of mental illness and distress.

So, enjoy, but keep your pursuit of The Solitary Pleasure in balance with
your pursuit of better quality relationships, better quality diet (including
foods which by the way improve erectile performance) and better
quality sleep.





Masturbation Facts



95-98% of men and 56-89% of women have masturbated at some
point in their lives, according to a 1993 study by researchers Janus
and Janus and a 2002 study by researchers Pinkerton, Bogart


Male college students reported masturbating an average of 4 times
per week, 12 times per month


Female college students reported masturbating a little more than 1
time per week, 4.7 times per month


African Americans report masturbating fewer than whites,
averaging 62% at some time in their lives, compared with 98% of
white males, in a 2002 study by researchersRobinson, Bockting, &
Harrell.


Of those who live with a sexual partner, 85% of men still
masturbate and 45% of women continue to masturbate, according
to a 1994 study by researchers

Laumann, Gagnon, Michael and Michaels.