Almost everyone has done masturbation in some form or the other at some point in their life. It is not something that is rare. In my practice of over 13 years, I have not seen a single case of sexual dysfunction where there was no history of masturbation. I have seen hundreds of patients having sexual problems varying from ED to PE to low sex drive etc etc and one thing was common in all of them. They all had a guilt of having done too much masturbation in their early adolescent age and in some cases in childhood too. And all of them had the common consensus that the problems they are facing today in their sex life are a result of doing masturbation. We also noted that people buying penis enlargement medicines were mostly those who had a long history of doing masturbation.
So is there really a relation between doing masturbation and developing sexual problems? That’s what we are going to find out today in this article.
What is masturbation and why do people do it?
According to Wikipedia, masturbation is an act where a person starts stimulating his / her own genitals in order to achieve sexual pleasure to the point that it ends with an orgasm”.
People usually masturbate to fulfill their sexual requirements. If someone doesn’t have a sexual partner then masturbation gives him the satisfaction and fulfills his sexual hunger. Nut in some cases people do it out of fantasy imagining some heroin / model or beautiful lady they don’t have access to. There are various ways in which people masturbate and I have come to know some very interesting and innovative ideas which people invent to make it more fun. Usually people use their hands, fingers and sex toys but some of the patients have told me that they rub their penis over the mattress / sofa or the gap that lies between the two mattresses on a double bed. I have even learnt from a few that they used to use a Tyre tube, inflate it and then tie it in middle to shape it like a vagina. Thereafter they apply some lubricant and insert their penis there to feel as if they were doing actual intercourse.
To be honest masturbation is completely healthy and safe. Its a simple method to satisfy your sex needs. But the bad thing about it is that it has a greater tendency of addiction. If you do masturbate once or twice a week its fine, but practically it is very hard to limit your frequency of masturbation under check. I have seen people doing masturbation several time a day. And this is something that should be avoided.
Are there any side effects of doing masturbation?
Masturbation is a completely natural phenomenon and as such there are no any serious side effects of it. There are many popular notions about the side effects of masturbation. Some of the most bizarre claims are developing blindness and weakness of joints specially knees and legs are totally false and far from any scientific base. People also claim of having tremors in hands and sunken eyes but that’s also something which can not be claimed under any scientific base. However, this does not mean that there are no side effects of masturbation and there is no harm doing it for a long time (ref. medicalgeek). Frequent masturbation over a period of time stimulate acetylcholine/parasympathetic nervous functions. An excess of masturbation and sexual stimulation can lead to over production of sex hormones and neurotransmitters like acetylcholine, dopamine and serotonin. Excessive masturbation can therefore cause a huge change in the body chemistry. If you are addicted to masturbation, chances that you will have serious psycological and physiological imbalances.
Below we list out some of the most common side effects of masturbation:
- Excessive fatigue / tiredness all the time
- Lower back pain (sometimes in the lumber region)
- Thinning of hairs / hair fall
- Inadequate erection required for sexual activity
- Groin / testicular pain
- Weak memory
- Anxiety
- Penis shrinkage / Small penis size
This is to be noted that these side effects are not directly linked to the activity of masturbation. Rather they develop as a result of the internal imbalances, both psychological and physiological, inside the body. Most people feel tired all the time, being restless and fatigued while some complain of having lower back pain, thinning of hairs and difficulty attaining or maintaining an erection. Sometimes, people experience testicular pain or pain in the lower abdomen too. Anxiety is also the most prevalent symptom in people complaining of having developed signs of doing over masturbation.
While there is no study / data to suggest that theses symptoms appear due to masturbation, I personally believe that these symptoms are due to developing the guilt that surrounds in and around masturbation in a developing country like ours where sex education is still considered taboo.
Does Masturbation Causes Penile Shrinkage?
This is one of the most common complaints of people doing masturbation. They claim that either their penis size reduced due to masturbation or the size didn’t develop to its full potential. While theoretically there is no relation between doing masturbation and reduction in penis size but practically, in our day to day life, we see enormous complaints that suggest that penis size may decrease with over masturbation. This fact is supported by Ayurveda, an age old traditional system of medicine which finds its roots in India. According to ayurveda:
Having too much sex can have a depleting effect on your body. This is because sex causes vata dosha in our body. And vata dosha depletes the body of shukra dhatu, a rasayana which is produced after a month long process and maintains the life giving energy within us.
Since masturbation is also a sexual stimulation act equivalent to sexual intercourse, it is thus possible that an over dose of masturbation may have a depleting effect on our body, more so on the reproductive organs, specially the penis.
How Much Masturbation Can One Do? Is There An Upper Limit To It?
There is no strict rule as to how much of it is too much. But most experts admit that doing masturbation 2-3 times a week is absolutely normal. It is a normal healthy phenomenon but as with anything else, too much of it is not good. Masturbation has a lot of affinity towards addiction. The more you do it, the more you have the urge to do it. So it is always better to check how much you can do and then draw a line where you must stop.
The Final Words
Masturbation is neither good nor bad for you. It all depends on how you perceive this act of masturbation. Be aware that there are some psychological and physiological imbalances that may occur in your body over time but the side effects of masturbation are not consistent and vary greatly. Someone doing it 5 times a week may not have any problems while someone doing it occasionally may have to deal with side effects. So, in conclusion I would like to suggest you to steer away from this habit if you can, but if you can not (which is more likely), limit it to 2-3 times a week and not more. I can assure you will not find any side effects of masturbation if you follow my advice.