We all know very well that masturbating provides physical pleasure, but it’s also a holistic practice that is majorly beneficial to our mental health and overall well-being.

Yes, we all masturbate. And so we should! It’s up there as one of the most healthy, natural and super safe ways to practice self care, and the benefits are plentiful. Not that we need an excuse or any reasons, but in case you were wondering, here are some damn good reasons to masturbate. 

1. Boost the Libido 

They say that neurons that fire together wire together - basically practice makes perfect. When we masturbate, we’re essentially strengthening pathways in our brains, making it easier to get those systems going. Humans are simple creatures, we love to feel good. So doing something that makes us feel all the feels will naturally lead to the beautiful cycle of the more you get, the more you want.

2. Stress Less

In a way, masturbating can be seen as a form of meditation. Taking the time, and putting in the effort to give your body the stress relieving chemicals we deserve. A study published in  Journal of Sexual Medicine describes a release of oxytocin (the love hormone) through orgasming, resulting in decreased levels of cortisol in the body. Cortisol being the stress hormone. So yes, masturbating totally equates to that evening run or glass of wine. Just another way to unwind really.

3. Mood elevator

There are a few more chemicals that play a major role in our mental health that coincide with masturbating, 2 of which are dopamine and serotonin, otherwise known as the pleasure and happy hormones. Dopamine sends ‘big reward’ signals to our brains, giving that hit of total satisfaction and victory while serotonin is that ‘everything is just right’ pure bliss feeling. So next time you feel like getting high, consider some self care down there.

4. Sleep like a baby

A bed-time masturbation sesh will not only help with falling asleep, but according to studies, it will actually lead to a deeper sleep. There are many reasons for this, but mainly because orgasming releases chemicals such as prolactin, serotonin, and oxytocin into the brain, all of which have been linked to feelings of happiness and relaxation. Orgasms also release estrogen which deepens restorative REM sleep for women. Basically having an orgasm gets you into the perfect state of mind for falling asleep, and sleeping hard.

5. Self Awareness

And finally my favourite reason. Masturbating will only help us understand and know ourselves better. Remember when we spoke about practice makes perfect. It’s time with ourselves, our bodies. A time to be gentle and open to learning what we prefer and what makes us get there. If we can’t pleasure ourselves, how in the hell are we gonna pleasure anybody else? Or how can anyone pleasure us for that matter. Can I get an amen?

There you have it, our top 5 reasons why masturbating is seriously good for our health, physical and mental.