Masturbation is a normal go-to pleasurable activity, and while it is considered healthy activity, there are some negatives. There are several myths associated with masturbation too. Doctors recommend masturbation as a healthy activity, but dependency on masturbation could be a downfall with side effects that are far from pleasurable. In this article we discuss how to avoide the negative effects of masturbation like back pain and premature ejaculation.

Men tend to choose masturbation as an easy way to get that little pleasure dose, take a break or for something less trivial, such as, taking control of performance anxiety or even to save themselves from the trouble of an uncomfortable conversation about premature ejaculation (PE). Taking matters into your own hands - pun intended - is an encouraged activity but too much of it can throw hormones out of whack. So the question is what is too much masturbation?

What frequency of masturbation can be considered too high?

The answer depends on the person concerned. Masturbating more than four-five times a week is not necessarily a problem. But when the activity becomes compulsive; interferes with work, social life and relationships; or irritates the genitals, it becomes urgent to call a health professional or consult a sex therapist. When the urge to masturbate forces you to postpone or reschedule your normal activities, it has moved to the unhealthy zone.

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Also read: How to masturbate correctly?

When is masturbation considered problematic?

There is no cutoff frequency on which masturbation is problematic. Some people never masturbate and others do it very regularly. What matters is how the person experiences it, that the masturbation is experienced positively (doing yourself good) and does not become problematic for yourself.

Masturbation is not dangerous for your health! Masturbating too often, however, could cause irritation or discomfort. Then you need to take a break.

Also read: 10 foods that can help cure premature ejaculation

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Can masturbation lead to back ache?

One of the major side effects that plague men who masturbate is lower back pain. Although it is not confirmed that masturbation can cause lower back pain, the general opinion is that overindulgence in masturbation could cause lower back pain. Figuring out remedies and reasons behind why this might be the case, has moved on to friendly group chats to understand this anomaly.

There have been reports of pain in the pelvic area and lower back area or tailbone region after masturbating. This doesn’t deem a complete cause and effect relationship though - not everyone who masturbates or even masturbates too much suffers from back pain. But again, too much of anything can be bad, and for each person the limit is different - even for pleasurable activities. There is no substantiated evidence where back pain is a side effect of masturbation, but it can be a sign of over masturbation or sexual exhaustion.

Masturbating too many times reduces the production of neurochemicals such as oxytocin, testosterone, DHEA and DHT. The decrease in these releases a hormone called prostaglandin E2, an inflammatory hormone, that causes the lower back pain most men complain about. Fire is necessary but in the form of passion, not a discomforting inflammatory bodily response.

While masturbation does not cause back pain, the activity may be bringing out the back pain due to some other underlying health issues with the prostate that can cause back pain. Not to mention, back pain can be cause due to quite a few reasons like slipped discs or starined muscles or inflamation - so a diagnosis for back pain is a better move than blaming masturbation for it (assuming you don't get rough while masturbating).

Can masturbation cause premature ejaculation problems?

No, a "normal" practice of masturbation does not promote premature ejaculation. In fact, if done with some control it can even help to better control and master your arousal.

On the other hand, when masturbation becomes an addiction or compulsve, and especially when a man tends to masturbate for he only needs to get over with it and take care of the compulasion. He can tend to ejaculate rapidly, and it is done repeatedly, which will create an ejaculatory reflex, and may subsequently become the cause of premature ejaculation. It's like teaching your body to reach orgasm as quickly as possible, on even a hint of sexual excitement; by repeating this gesture, the body registers this reflex and quick ejaculation becomes a norm - leading to premature ejaculation.

Also read: Sex positions that help delay ejaculation

Masturbation and premature ejaculation: knowing yourself better and identifying how sexual arousal works

Identify sensitive areas of the penis

During an arousal phase or when a man masturbates, he can learn to recognise the sensitive areas of his penis. Knowing your penis well is an important step in better controlling your ejaculation.

In application, you can run your finger over all more or less sensitive areas of the penis - on the base, on the side and especially on the glans, on the crown of the glans, on the frenulum etc. The idea is to know each sensitive area of ​​the skin or the lining of the penis.

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Also read: Does masturbation cause erectile dysfunction?

Identify the point of "no return" and the "red zone"

This exercise is also practiced during masturbation. It is a question of identifying the moment when the excitement is so strong, that ejaculation will occur even if all stimulation is stopped.

The “red zone” moment is the moment just before this “no return” point, where the slightest increase in arousal will cause ejaculation. Masturbation allows you to identify these different moments and in the long term better control your arousal and the occurrence of orgasm.

Man can therefore exercise, by masturbating, by identifying these different degrees of excitement. When ejaculation is about to occur, you have to stop and let the excitement go down; you can repeat this exercise for 20min.

Learn to identify the different body mechanisms during masturbation

In addition to identifying these different degrees of arousal in connection with ejaculation, it is also necessary to understand the general mechanics of the body. Ejaculation being a reflex, it responds to physical factors: breathing, heart rate, contraction of the muscles of the perineum, etc. Masturbation allows you to understand these different parameters, by listening to your body and its excitement.

To better control the muscles of his perineum, there are different exercises called such as Kegel exercises, which can be combined with masturbation.

When can masturbation promote premature ejaculation?

In fact, the exact causes of premature ejaculation are not yet well understood.

However, the excessive practice of masturbation is part of one of the hypotheses among many others. In fact, you must above all teach your body not to cause orgasm to occur too quickly, at the risk of this reflex becoming almost systematic upon sexual stimulation.

To conclude:

With the various points that we mentioned above, a man has many cards in his hands to better control his arousal through masturbation. This can help tackle the problem of premature ejaculation. Also, masturbation is healthy and must be practiced in moderation. However, if you still experience PE or erection problems, seeking professional help is recommended.

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Medically reviewed by Rishabh Verma, RP

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