At university, all my friends tell me that we have a lot of work, that it is stressful and exhausting. I have to agree with them, however they get much more stressed than I do. So yesterday I was wondering why that is happening. And suddenly I crossed my mind that it's because I masturbate in order to handle stress (or isn't it?). I just did it today and after that I felt calmer. So now I am wondering if that is actually good for me? Could it turn into some sort of addiction? To give you an example, I masturbate daily, or once every two days. But during vacation, I may do it twice a day as well, to help pass the time when I have nothing else to do. It's not like I feel bad about that afterwards. However, I sometimes masturbate even though I have thought that I shouldn't because I have work to do or am sleepy. It is like masturbating is a part of my schedule. And I know that my friends don't masturbate because they are girls and consider it "inappropriate". Or could it be that they are more stressed because they are girls? (No offence to other girls here, I am just an ignorant guy).
As long as you aren't doing it so much that youre not getting anything else done or injurying yourself, you're fine. Masturbating to relieve stress is normal. There is no 'correct' number of times to do it, whether due to stress or just because it feels good. Most people masturbate all the time and your friends are probably lying. Todd
At the rates you've described, it sounds like you're masturbating at a healthy frequency, and it's probably one of the healthier ways to cope with stress. The one thing that trips my alarm bells is, "However, I sometimes masturbate even though I have thought that I shouldn't because I have work to do or am sleepy. It is like masturbating is a part of my schedule." Masturbation can become an unhealthy habit when it starts to take the place of things you have to do, like work or sleeping. That said, I know masturbating usually helps me fall asleep at night when I might otherwise spend 30 minutes to an hour lying awake with thoughts rushing through my head, and scheduling stress-relief activities into your daily life is generally a good thing. As long as you're not falling behind on your work and as long as you're not cutting into your sleeping time because of masturbation, it sounds like you're A-OK. Edit: Not necessarily. Women especially are brought up in a culture that has very negative things to say about their genitalia, and quite a few don't masturbate because they don't want to touch something they think so negatively of.
You're asking two different questions: Are you masturbating too much and is it unhealthy? Is masturbating as a stress relief unhealthy? Are you masturbating too much? Based upon other threads in this forum, the frequency that you describe isn't excessive. Nor is masturbating out of boredom unusual. As long as is it isn't interfering with relationships or priorities like school/work, it's probably fine. Is masturbating for stress relief unhealthy? Not necessarily, as long as this isn't your primary means to deal with stress. Given choices like drinking alcohol or masturbating, masturbating is probably more healthy. But there are healthier ways to deal with stress- like exercising, taking a time-out, etc that should be your primary means to deal with stress.
I've not seen numbers recently, but the last ones I did see had the female rate at quite a bit less than males (which was, as I recall, in the upper 90% range.) Of course, this assumes that the statistics are accurate, which can be a problem when getting data about something that embarrasses people. As the joke goes, 97% of men say the masturbate. 3% of men are liars. ---------- Post added 19th May 2013 at 10:22 AM ---------- Rice and Pepper, I don't think your rate is high. Many guys your age masturbate more than one a day. This is one of those things that varies guy to guy... In some ways, it can be a healthy habit. It's argued that it can keep your system working properly. If I recall right, there is some evidence that suggest regular ejaculations may help reduce the risk of cancer. And masturbation is a lot safer than hookups with people who've never met (who could potentially be knife wielding maniacs, or give you HIV.) ---------- Post added 19th May 2013 at 10:25 AM ---------- Incidentally, I'm not necessarily worried about masturbation being too much of a habit because there are times when there are better things to do. Frankly, any college student is going to have that problem from time to time. Even eating quickly may be a pain on really busy days. As long as your work overall isn't suffering, I wouldn't worry about an addiction. Disclaimer: I'm not an expert. Well, with addictions, and such issues. You could say I have a certain amount of hands on experience with masturbation itself...
I have Panic Disorder and other issues with anxiety. When I was going through a bad bunch of attacks last year, I went to the doctor. Everyone always asked "Do you drink or do drugs?" I thought "no way, I handle everything pretty well!" Then I realized, later, that I handle it probably because I do masturbate. I know this, because when I visit friends (and it's always fun and stress free) I almost never masturbate. I can go days without doing it. Then, when finals happened a few weeks ago...haha, let's just say it happened... quite a few times during my study sessions. People masturbate. If they say they don't, they are really going to be in trouble when their pants catch on fire. As long as you are being healthy about it, getting stuff done, and not going overboard...you're fine!
You sound normal & healthy to me, masturbation is good for you, I regularly have a Allied Irish & it not only relieves stress, but it's keeps your prostate healthy, stops you getting Blue Balls as well
It's funny how there are so many thread that are far more serious, but nonetheless this one gets 7 answers in less than half a day. It's like all the guys run to tell me "Noooo! Don't stop masturbating! It's the best thing ever!". And to be honest, I never expected to hear about the blue balls... XD
It's okay if you're not hurting yourself. I did that once, and I burned myself from so much friction. Too much of something is never good, I'll tell ya that!
Well in my opinion whatever you do to deal with your stress is fine. Some people do other things to deal with stress, and I think you should try some, just type in help with stress or something into Google and you should get lots of recommendations and techniques. I haven't heard about frequent masturbation posing as a risk for health.
Yes, there probably are more serious topics here... One reason I answered this one, rather than one of those more serious topics, is a sense of qualification. A lot of those problems are not ones I can effectively address. While I do have some knowledge of masturbation. Both intellectual. And quite a bit of hands on experience.:lol: But there is also a serious side to masturbation. Masturbation historically has been stigmatized. Something only "losers" do. Something that is bad for you. Despite the fact that there are few minuses to masturbation. Despite the fact that almost every guy who ever lived probably masturbated--and, at many points in history, masturbated in silent shame. I was one of the "silent shame" guys once. Hearing a chorus in time about how masturbation is normal was what healed me, I think. I post to threads like this to add to that chorus. Yes, things are better now--but there still are people with clear stigma/shame issues.
At least if you masturbate a lot, be sure to use lotion or lube.. otherwise you will get burnt around the rim.. and it hurts after a while. I used to do this a lot, and now I have stopped pretty much.. save for maybe a few days a week now. Masturbating isn't bad, it keeps your prostate healthy, and it makes you feel better. Just like anal masturbation makes the prostate get cleansed, which can prevent cancer.
From my experience, I would have to agree with the rest of these comments that you are not masturbating too much, and is no way unhealthy. And getting off has got to be one of the best ways to release stress - whether it is with alone or with a partner.
