Masturbation is a touchy subject — private, often solitary, and still very much taboo in many spheres. We're not here to condemn it, but if you're worried that your habits have taken over your life and may be causing you physical damage or serious mental health issues, we're here to help you recognize the signs of trouble.
What can happen if you masturbate too much, and what are some signs that you're overdoing it?
Public Service Announcement: Masturbation is normal, healthy, and (usually safe)
Masturbation — sexual self-stimulation — is a completely normal and healthy part of human sexuality. The National Survey of Sexual Health and Behavior (conducted by the Kinsey Institute of Indiana University) shows that adolescents and adults of all ages and genders do it.
Though still considered taboo in many spheres, masturbation has some obvious health benefits.
Not only do many people find that it's a stress reliever for them, compared to sex with someone else, masturbation is much safer. If you want to enjoy the pleasure of sex without the risk of unwanted pregnancy, sexually-transmitted diseases, or even awkward interpersonal issues, masturbation is the way to go.
Amid the global COVID-19 pandemic, some government sources have even taken to pointing out that "you are your safest sex partner". As long as you wash your hands properly before and after, as well as any sex toys you may employ, you're not at risk of catching COVID-19 from masturbation. The same can't be said for sex with a partner.
People masturbate in a variety of different ways. As long as you use safe masturbation techniques — ones that don't involve sharp, unsanitary, irritant, or otherwise unsafe tools — it is an extremely low-risk activity. It has the further benefit of teaching you what gives you pleasure and what does not, which can enhance your intimate life with a partner.
How much masturbation is over-masturbation?
Believe it or not, there is no scientific consensus on this subject. What is known, however, is that daily ejaculation in men does not have a negative impact on semen quality.
Some definite hints that you are engaging in excessive masturbation, however, would include:
- Your habits are have become compulsive. Signs of compulsive sexual behavior would include engaging in the behavior more often or for longer than you want to, continuing even though you don't want to, continuing even though it has negative functional, physical, or psychological consequences (like neglecting work to go masturbate instead), and constantly being preoccupied with the behavior. If you're just not able to stop even though you want to, that's a sign of an addiction to masturbation. That is not a clinical diagnosis, by the way, but this kind of compulsion could definitely meet the criteria for a behavioral addiction in general.
- You are hurting your body — your skin is red, swollen, raw, and painful.
- Your compulsive masturbation is part of a wider addiction to adult materials.
In addition, if masturbation makes you feel bad or guilty, that's a problem. You could reexamine your cultural and social beliefs about the practice, even with a therapist or religious leader where applicable, or you could quit masturbating. If masturbation is getting in the way of a healthy relationship with your partner, that also signifies a problem, even if you don't do it very often. (Whether the problem is with your partner or your habits would depend on the situation, yes?)
So, what about the effects of over-masturbation?
Physically, excessive masturbation may cause damage to your skin, through skin irritation, skin abrasions, or even superficial bruising, as well as sometimes urticaria.
In some — exceedingly rare — cases, this damage can even become life-threatening. There is a case in the medical literature where a previously healthy young man in his twenties developed Fournier's gangrene, a kind of necrotizing fasciitis (flesh-eating disease) of the genital region after excessive masturbation.
It turned out that this man had been using soap as a lubricant, which is definitely a bad idea, and his genital region — photographed for research — looked like a massacre. The moral of the story is to see a doctor if you have any physical complaints, and to take a break from sex of any kind if you notice any genital symptoms.
Mentally, once you enter compulsive territory and you lose control over your behavior, you are in trouble. As with any behavioral addiction, one in which you are addicted to masturbation could harm your mental health, your relationship with other people, your financial status, and totally take over your life. When it gets to this point, you need help.
In some cases, neurological conditions such as Parkinson's disease can also lead to compulsive sexual behavior that can include masturbation, and people with intellectual disabilities may display sexual behavior that is deeply uncomfortable to the people who surround them, too. This means the mental consequences may affect more than the person themselves; others could suffer, as well.