Pleasuring yourself is common with over
50% of woman and 70% of men masturbating on
a monthly basis.
But what would you, just, completely stopped masturbating
forever?
after a week male testosterone levels go up by 40%
or at least that is what a 2003 study found
Which caught worldwide media attention
And in part lead to the no fap community
fapping being slang for masturbating
supporters of the no fap movement
also claim improved sexual performance and high sperm quality
along with feelings of improved motivation
self-esteem and happiness
but how valid are all these claims?
what most media did not mention is that
while the study did see increased testosterone
it went back down to normal levels
on day 8 with no explanation.
other abstinence studies have found no difference
at all in testosterone levels between those who masturbated and those who abstained
suggesting that other variables like
changing diet and exercise
which also impact testosterone
may more likely be the cause for any changes found
in people who stopped masturbating
in terms of sexual performance
abstinence from masturbation
does not seem to improve premature ejaculation either
after three weeks of no masturbation
a study found that participants
had roughly the same ejaculation time as those
that did not masturbate
and as for sperm quality
it turns out that those who ejaculated more frequently
had sperm that were stronger swimmers
which improves chances of fertilization
in fact this is one theory behind why not masturbating
for extended periods of time
may lead to more nocturnal admissions
or wet dreams
as a mechanism to cycle out old sperm
83% of men and 37% of women
have experienced a wet dream at least once
but the evidence for why is still in- conclusive
as there haven't been many studies given
the awkward nature of studing
people orgasm in their sleep
apart from this for men when sperm isn't ejaculated
it can be broken down and the nutrients are recycled
back inside the body
Now masturbation addiction is a real thing
and curbing the habit can potentially
impact your motivation, self-esteem and happiness
masturbation can increase dopamine and serotonin
neurotransmitter release which stimulates the reward
pathway in the brain
the only issue is that constant masturbation
leads to constant release of serotonin and dopamine
which leads to our brain becoming desensitized
to these specific neurotransmitters
our brain would then require a higher level of
dopamine and serotonin
to obtain normal levels of happiness and motivation
so if you stop masturbation you then
allow the brain to become sensitive to
dopamine and serotonin again
but the science behind masturbation
shows that it can improve sleep
reduce stress & pain and improve your immune system
along with sleuth of other health benefits
which we covered in another video on masturbation here
in men it can even reduce prostate cancer risk
of course these studies investigated primarily the
experiences of men and currently there is a lack of
evidence to suggest that polishing the pearl
is anything but beneficial to women
so if you wantto stop masturbating for personal reasons
Go for it
some say it helped their lives
but for most, in moderation
masturbation is a healthy activity with some genuine
scientific benefits
if you want know even more masturbation's healthy effects
we just uploaded the newest episode of our
podcast sidenote to youtube for the first time
where we have a scientific debate about masturbation
you can click here to list and subscribe to the new channel
we also tell very candid and personal stories about this
touchy subject and then debate both sides of the issue
including a discussion on porn addiction
things get pretty heated so be sure to check it out