For far too long, there was an inescapable stigma surrounding masturbation. To a certain extent, it’s still there, but at least we’re making progress. Where we were once told that masturbating could make us go blind, cause hair to grow on our palms (?!), or be a sign of mental illness, thankfully, we’ve moved past that and are now focusing on the opposite: how masturbation can improve your health.
“We’re finally seeing masturbation for what it really is: a science-backed, shame-free way to support your physical and emotional wellbeing, especially for women navigating midlife, trauma recovery, or low desire,” Annette Benedetti, sex and intimacy coach and host of the Talk Sex With Annette podcast, tells SheKnows. “For decades, masturbation was seen as dirty, dangerous, or a sign that something was wrong with you. Now we have the research to prove the opposite. It’s linked to better immunity, improved sexual function, and even sexual health through menopause.”
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What was once seen as a secret shame is now one of the smartest things you can do for your sexual wellness. Connected to all kinds of benefits — from keeping your tissue healthy and your libido alive to supporting your immune system — masturbation might just be one of the healthiest things you can do for yourself (and it feels amazing, too). So what are the health benefits of masturbation? We called on the experts to find out.
1. Masturbation can help kickstart your sex drive
If your libido’s taken a nosedive, solo pleasure might be exactly what you need to spark it back to life.
“Masturbation stimulates the release of feel-good hormones like oxytocin and dopamine, which help increase desire, mood, and arousal,” Benedetti says. “It also promotes blood flow to the genitals, reviving sensation and desire. Sometimes the secret to wanting sex again is starting without anyone else in the room.”
2. It’s a stress-buster
If you’ve had a rough day and find that you’re a wound-up ball of stress, a little self-love may be just what you need, according to Dr. Prudence Hall, founder of The Hall Center in Santa Monica, California and author of Radiant Again & Forever. “Masturbation is a great stress-reliever,” agrees Domina Franco, a sex educator, coach, and writer.
3. Masturbation helps prevent vaginal atrophy through menopause
Masturbation isn’t just hot, it’s hormone-free maintenance for your sexual vitality, especially for women entering menopause.
“As estrogen declines during midlife, blood flow, elasticity, and natural lubrication in the vagina also decrease, leading to thinning tissue, dryness, pain, and tearing,” Benedetti explains. “Regular self-pleasure increases circulation to the vaginal area, which helps support arousal response, boosts natural lubrication, and maintains tissue hydration and elasticity.”
4. It can help with pain relief
We’re not saying that every time you feel a headache come on at work you should slip away for a few minutes to take care of it this way, but masturbation (in appropriate settings) can help you manage pain. It’s especially helpful when dealing with menstrual cramps and muscle tension, Franco and Dr. Hall add.
5. Masturbation can help rebuild sexual agency after trauma or toxic relationships
Self-pleasure can be a powerful way to reclaim your body after sexual trauma, shame-based messaging, or emotionally unsafe relationships. Done with intention, says Benedetti, masturbation helps rebuild self-trust, establish safe boundaries, and reconnect sensation with safety and choice.
“Practices like vaginal de-armoring which involves slow, intentional internal touch, can also release pelvic tension that contributes to pain during penetration,” she explains. “Masturbation can be a reclamation, a way to take your body and your pleasure back, one orgasm at a time.”
6. It works your pelvic floor
We all know about Kegels and how we’re supposed to work on our pelvic floor (especially after giving birth and as we age). Guess what? Masturbation can help with that too. That’s because it strengthens the muscles down there, so you’re less likely to lose urine when you cough or sneeze, Hall tells SheKnows.
“No matter your genitals, all folks can experience benefits of increased pelvic floor strength and prevention of incontinence through masturbation,” Franco adds.
7. Masturbation improves immune system function
Is masturbation the new multivitamin? Maybe. “Research has shown that orgasm, especially through masturbation, increases levels of immunoglobulin A (IgA), your immune system’s frontline defense against bacteria and viruses,” Benedetti says. “Endorphin release and lowered stress levels also play a role in boosting overall immunity.”
Turns out your supplement routine isn’t the only thing keeping you healthy – using your vibrator on the regular is doing its part too.
8. It can help prevent some infections
While we mostly hear about infections caused by sexual activity, we typically don’t hear the flipside: that masturbation can actually do the opposite.
“For people with vaginas, masturbation can help prevent cervical infections and urinary tract infections through the process of ‘tenting,’ which is the opening of the cervix that occurs as part of the arousal process,” explains Franco.
9. It can help with erectile dysfunction
Not only can masturbation help treat erectile dysfunction, Franco says, but it may help penetrative sex last longer. “Repeating the process of masturbating and stopping before ejaculation can also assist someone with a penis have increased longevity when in bed when with a partner,” she says.
10. Masturbation could improve your sleep
Both Franco and Dr. Hall mention sleep as a masturbatory bonus. “If you do experience orgasm while masturbating, a huge wave of endorphins surge through your system, and that has also been shown to help you have deeper, higher-quality sleep,” Franco explains.
11. It helps you know your own body
Who knows what you like? You do, of course — and masturbating only helps you get to know yourself even better. According to Franco, it “allows us to explore our own body on our own terms and on our own timeline. It gives folks the opportunity to explore and figure out what feels good for them in an intimate and nonthreatening way.”
12. It can make sex with a partner better, too
This completely makes sense when you think about it: Masturbation equals better partnered sex, because you know exactly how to guide your partner. “You’re sure to have better sex if you know what you like than if your own sexual pleasure is still a mystery to you,” Franco explains. “The more we are connected to our sexuality and know how to pleasure ourselves, the more likely we are to have pleasure when we engage in sexual activity with others.” And yes, people in long-term relationships can and should be masturbating — or even trying mutual masturbation from time to time.
Not only that, but Dr. Hall notes that masturbation can help keep a person’s sexuality alive and kicking when they’re not in a relationship, or are taking a break from partnered sex.
Before you go, read up on all the different orgasms you can experience:
