The following is intended for readers 18+

While it’s likely that the concept of masturbation was a source of stress when you were younger (because when you’re 11 it’s easy to believe masturbation can, indeed make you go blind), solo sex is great for your health. In fact, the mental health benefits of masturbation are so bountiful that I’d go so far as to claim masturbation isself-care.

If you’re not already masturbating regularly, you might want to add it into your routine (Ugh! What a horrible chore!) Aside from making you feel great, masturbation is great tool for de-stressing. Not convinced yet? Here are some ways masturbation helps youcalm down.

Feel-good hormones are released

Masturbation causesdopamine, a chemical associated with pleasure, to be released into your body. Simply put, dopamine makes you feel good and puts you in a better mood. On top of that, the hormone oxytocin, which is released duringorgasm, lowers cortisol levels. Cortisol is a main stress hormone, and is usually present in high levels in stressed out people. Touching yourself and climaxing can boost these chemicals and, in result, help you feel more at peace.

You can learn to love yourself

Yourself-esteem and body image are linked to your overall well-beingincluding your stress levels. Having poor self-esteem may make it harder for you to deal with everyday stressors. Not to mention, being self-deprecating takes a lot of energy. Being kind to yourself can take some stress off your plate. One way to practice self love is, well, making love to yourself! Get to know your body and appreciate how it works. Regularmasturbation can help improve your body imageand self-esteem. Yep, that simple!

You’ll sleep better

I’ll never forget one of my previous roommates who said lovingly of her Hitachi magic wand, “That thing has put me to sleep many a night!” We all knowsleep deprivation is no good for stress, so before you turn to sleeping pills, why not turn to masturbation — with or without the help of a magic wand? An orgasm can act like a sedative to help you wind down after a long, stressful day and tire you out for bed, becauseclimaxing releases hormones like prolactin and oxytocin, which get you nice and sleepy. Bonus: getting a good night’s sleepboosts your libido. Win, win.

Relieve physical pain, reduce stress

No risks, no worries. Reap the benefits of sex without the risks.

Go on and flick your bean, spank your monkey, whatever you want to call it! I promise it won’t make you lose your vision (or experience any other bizarre side effect), and you might justfind yourself feeling a lot less stressed out. Masturbation may be just what the doctor ordered.

April is “Stress Awareness Month,” where health professionals and advocates team up to provide solutions for the modern stress epidemic. This piece is part ofour series on understanding and combating daily stressors.

Our goal at Talkspace is to provide the most up-to-date, valuable, and objective information on mental health-related topics in order to help readers make informed decisions.

Articles contain trusted third-party sources that are either directly linked to in the text or listed at the bottom to take readers directly to the source.

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