Masturbating To Relieve Stress: Does It Actually Work?

Life is hectic. You’re juggling work, friends, personal health, partners, and more. Day in and day out, the stress mounts. Therapy is a good option, and meds can help, but what if jacking off could eliminate stress from your life?

That would change everything.

In this article, we’ll dive into the effect that masturbation has on stress levels, what stress really does to the body, and the actual potential benefits of regular self-pleasure.

The Effects of Stress on the Body

Stress is a mental and physical condition that can have some serious effects on your well-being. Now, a certain amount of stress can be a good thing and won’t result in unfortunate conditions. A smidge of stress before a presentation, while navigating traffic, or in a potentially dangerous situation can heighten your senses and help you perform optimally.

The issue is when this stress becomes too consistent or heightened, resulting in some alarming side effects. Here are some of the most common effects of excess stress on the human body:

• Weakened immune system: Chronic stress puts your body in a near-constant state of fight or flight. This has a detrimental effect on the auto-immune system since your body can’t fully prepare to ward off illness.
• Tension headaches: Stress often causes your muscles to tense and stay tense for long periods of time. This guardedness often triggers tension headaches that can result in blinding pain and last for hours.
• Fatigue: It’s hard for your body to remain in a constant state of stress. It saps energy and leads to early fatigue. This has a detrimental effect on every aspect of your functioning and daily life.
• Asthma attack: During moments of stress, the respiratory system goes into overdrive, preparing your body for threat. This spike in activity can trigger sudden asthma attacks, especially for those with preexisting conditions.
• Heart attack: That’s right. Persistent heightened stress takes such a toll on your heart that it can eventually lead to a heart attack, stroke, and even death.
• General pain: Stress is tough on your body. The increase in cortisol and other hormones can cause stomach pain, achiness, head pain, illness, and more. The longer this goes on, the tougher it is to manage with over-the-counter medication.
• Mental health decline: One of the most serious symptoms of stress is mental decline. Excessive stress causes moodiness, inability to focus, poor attitude, paranoia, and other serious mental health issues.

No one deserves to live with excessive stress. There are plenty of resources to deal with this condition, like visiting your doctor or meditating. There is also the possibility of treating stress with a little self-stimulation.

Does Masturbating Relieve Stress?

This is the big question, and the answer is absolutely yes! It has many positive effects on the brain and body that help to reduce stress, which we’ll cover in the next section.

A quick disclaimer: masturbation may not fully treat extreme instances of excessive stress. It’s always best to reach out to a health professional and a sex therapist for truly comprehensive assistance. Still, some regular self-love certainly never hurts.

How Regular Masturbation Relieves Stress

There are plenty of ways that self-pleasure can relieve stress. Masturbating does this in two ways. One, it treats the symptoms of stress, and two, it treats stress itself.

Here are some of the ways masturbation works its magic.

Improved Sleep Quality

Who doesn’t love a little shut-eye or a midday nap? Besides being incredibly enjoyable, quality sleep has powerful effects on the body.

When we sleep, our body recharges and resets, preparing us mentally and physically for the next day. Better sleep at night can help reduce the physical effects of stress on the body. Masturbating prompts the flooding of many hormones that make sleep easier and encourage deep sleep. Jacking off is even an important aspect of some insomnia treatment plans.

Post-nut clarity can be annoying, but post-nut sleep is paradise.

Feel-Good Hormone Release

Do you know the feeling of peace and happiness you get after working out or having a good conversation with a friend? Part of those joyful feelings come from the firing of neurotransmitters and the release of oxytocin, among other hormones.

Masturbation also releases feel-good hormones like serotonin and dopamine that help reduce stress. These peppy hormones work like actual drugs to ease tension, boost the mood, and bring about a feeling of peace. This makes masturbation excellent at combating the mental effects of stress.

Less Physical Pain

The muscle tension and guardedness that comes from stress are impossible to maintain during masturbation. Jacking off builds sexual and physical tension until the final orgasm releases everything. This release eases body tension and results in less physical pain.

The other aspect of masturbation’s pain-relieving power is the release of endorphins. These chemicals have loads of health benefits, from intense stress relief to lower cortisol levels to improved mental wellness. The buzz that endorphins create serves to lower pain levels.

Post-self-love session, you’ll slip into a boneless, relaxed state without the need for pain meds.

Risk-Free Pleasure

Unfortunately, partnered sex isn’t always simple or risk-free. Here are some of the complications that can come with a partnered sex life:

• Confusing emotions: Is your partner unfamiliar? Are there complex emotions or feelings of guilt in the way? Sex with odd emotions is the opposite of relaxing.
• STDs: This is the sad reality we live in. Sexually transmitted disease is a modern threat during any sexual encounter.
• Pregnancy: Birth control and prayer aren’t bulletproof, and sometimes accidents happen. Pregnancy is a great way to increase stress, not minimize it.
• Poor body image: Being observed by others can put body image and self-esteem issues at the forefront of your mind. This is not a stress-free experience.

Masturbation is a stress-free way to feel pleasure; instead of adding to your stress, you can feel confident that you’re being safe through self-pleasure. This isn’t to say that group sexual activity can’t have the same stress-relieving properties; it can just be more challenging to achieve true relaxation and improved sexual health.

Tension Relief

Tension isn’t just physical. The tension that comes from stress can also be a heavy mental toll. Have you been emotionally or mentally tense from work, school, or just life in general? Have you been experiencing sexual tension or frustration?

The right masturbation routine relieves all kinds of tension, making your mind into a blank, happy slate. The key is ensuring your self-stimulation practice allows for ultimate pleasure. Remember, your body and preferences change. That’s incredibly normal! Some of your sexual tension may be coming from a less-than-optimal masturbation style.

Don’t be afraid to experiment with new techniques and toys. You deserve to have the ultimate self-sexual experience and tension relief.

Lower Your Stress Levels With Fleshlight

The benefits of masturbation are truly endless, and it’s a premier form of self-care. At Fleshlight, we’re dedicated to creating innovative, body-safe sex toys that prompt the best sexual pleasure and lower stress hormones.

Discover the revolutionary power of our top toys, such as the best sex toy mounts, premier oral sex toys, realistic sex sleeves/sleeve warmers, and more. Bring your solo sex routine to the next level with Fleshlight.