When it comes to intimacy health and well-being, we all want to know that we’re normal. Whether you pleasure yourself a few times a day, swear it off completely or find that you’re somewhere in between, it’s reassuring to know where you fall within the spectrum of other men.
What’s the healthiest number of times that a man should climax? It’s an important question beyond erotic enjoyment. While there isn’t a simple, clear-cut answer, research does suggest that climaxing can offer a variety of mental and physical health benefits, from better sleep to positive emotions.
Below, we’ve provided insight on the benefits of climaxing, how often you can safely make “solo time” part of your routine, and we’ve also busted a few myths.
TL;DR: How Often Should I Pleasure Myself?
How often you should climax for optimal intimacy health is a complicated subject, and for at least a few men out there, it’s also a problem they’ll be taking on solo, at least from time to time.
How often should you pleasure yourself? Here’s what to know:
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Like most subjects related to intimacy, there’s no one-size-fits-all answer on how many times a man should release sperm in a week, whether from intercourse or self-pleasure. Research suggests men do it between once a week (or even less often) to several times per day.
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In general, it’s alright to pleasure yourself as often as you feel is appropriate based on your preferences.
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The benefits are worth the time. Climaxing regularly is linked to improvements in sleep quality and mood. Research also suggests that there is a relationship between climax frequency and a reduced risk of prostate cancer in men.
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Contrary to popular belief, there doesn’t appear to be any link between self-pleasure or intercourse and reduced sperm count, low testosterone levels or other negative health effects.
How Often Do Men Pleasure Themselves?
It’s far from uncommon to wonder if you’re “normal” when it comes to climax frequency, whether from self-pleasure or intercourse.
As you might expect, frequency of climax in men is all over the map. It seems to depend on who you ask, who does the asking, where they are and when.
One study found that Americans in their 20s and 60s have intercourse 80 times per year and 20 times per year, respectively.
A 2007 survey from the dating website CupidBay found that English men go at it solo an average of eight times per week, and Scottish and Welsh men daily.
However, the survey consisted solely of CupidBay members, who may not be representative of men overall.
A 2018 global survey from adult toy company TENGA found 57 percent of men between the ages of 18 and 24 pleasure themselves weekly. This survey was large in scale, with a sample size of more than 13,000 men, and the responses were weighted to be globally representative.
While these surveys are certainly helpful for getting an idea of how often men pleasure themselves, they do have several weaknesses. First, both are surveys from businesses rather than academic institutions — in one case a dating website, and in the other, an adult toy brand. Relatively little information is provided about how the surveys were carried out and how participants were selected.
Second, the surveys were aimed at the public for marketing purposes and weren’t published in scientific journals. As such, they didn’t pass through the typical peer-review process that would occur prior to publication.
Still, the surveys provide useful information about climax frequency, suggesting that most guys pleasure themselves somewhere between once a week and several times daily.
How Many Times Can a Man Release Sperm in a Day?
Just like there’s no precise target that you should aim for when it comes to weekly self-pleasure or intercourse, there’s no specific amount of times that you can climax in a day.
Most of the time, you’ll be able to go at it solo or have intercourse again once you exit your refractory period — the period of time after you climax, in which you might find it difficult to get hard again.
During the refractory period, you might find that you can’t consistently get hard, or that it takes more effort than normal to climax.
Once you understand your refractory period and plan intercourse around it, you might be able to be intimate or go at it solo several times per day, all without having to worry about delayed climax, ED or other issues that can affect your bedroom time.
The Benefits of Climaxing
Frequent climaxing has been linked to numerous health benefits, from a reduced risk of certain types of cancer to better sleep, moods and general quality of life.
We’ve discussed these benefits below, as well as the latest research on the positive effects that self-pleasure, intercourse and climaxing can have on your well-being.
Reduced Prostate Cancer Risk
Perhaps the most exciting news about climaxing (aside from the obvious) is that it might help reduce your risk of one of the most common forms of cancer in men — prostate cancer.
In a longitudinal study of approximately 32,000 men published in the journal European Urology, researchers found that climax frequency may be inversely related to the risk of developing prostate cancer.
The study found that climaxing, whether from intercourse or self-pleasure, appears to have a beneficial role, particularly for low-risk diseases.
Researchers controlled for variables such as body mass index (BMI) and alcohol consumption, which can both affect prostate cancer risk, and still found a negative correlation between men’s climax frequency and prostate cancer rates.
The study relied on men to self-report their climax frequency, which opens the data up to a certain degree of error, but it remains a promising piece of research.
Better Sleep After Climax
Have you ever noticed that you sleep easier after intercourse or “solo time?” Climaxing has long been thought to promote relaxation and better sleep, and recent research suggests that it can offer real benefits for your sleep quality.
For example, one study published in the journal Frontiers in Public Health in 2019 found a link between climaxing and several aspects of sleep.
In the study, a total of 778 participants (442 women and 336 men) were surveyed online about their intimacy and sleep habits.
The researchers found that climaxing that occurred with a partner, whether from penetrative intercourse or other forms of stimulation, were associated with perceived favorable sleep outcomes.
They also found that self-pleasure was associated with a perception of better sleep quality and latency, meaning a shorter amount of time required to fall asleep.
However, it’s important to note that research on the relationship between intercourse and sleep is limited right now, making it best not to read too much into the study findings that are currently available.
Improved Mood and Quality of Life
It’s probably no surprise that climaxing is associated with an improved mood. Increased dopamine and oxytocin levels are part of the bedroom experience. Intercourse is also associated with higher-quality relationships.
In a 2017 study, researchers found that people who had intercourse frequently reported higher levels of bedroom satisfaction.
Another study, which was also published in the same journal, found a link between bedroom satisfaction and relationship satisfaction.
In other words, climaxing on a regular basis through partnered bedroom activity is also linked to more satisfying relationships — something that can have a seriously positive effect on your mood and quality of life.
How Often Does a Man Need to Climax?
There are so many ways to address this question, which we’ve seen Googled as “how many times a week should a man release sperm” and “is it bad to climax every day?”
Although climaxing offers several benefits, there’s no specific target that you should aim for when it comes to weekly intercourse or self-pleasure.
Some people like being intimate or going at it solo every day, sometimes several times. Others prefer to have intercourse or self-pleasure once every few days, or even once a week or less.
When it comes to intimacy, it’s always best to do what you enjoy. If you feel like releasing sperm on a daily basis, or even more than once a day, go ahead. If you don’t feel in the mood, take a break and either have intercourse or go at it solo when you’re feeling in the mood.
Are There Any Negative Effects of Excessive Sperm Release?
So, if climaxing often doesn’t affect your testosterone levels or cause other problems, are there any downsides to having intercourse or self-pleasuring frequently?
You may have heard that frequent climaxing is bad for you. But research largely suggests that this is not the case.
One small 2011 study evaluated the effects of daily climaxing on sperm health and found that while sperm volume unsurprisingly decreased with daily climaxing, things like motility percent, DNA integrity and other markers of sperm health were not affected.
This means that although you might have a reduced amount of semen with regular climaxing, your swimmers won’t be any less potent.
That said, excessive intercourse or self-pleasuring could cause issues if it causes you to develop a physical injury, or if it gets in the way of your everyday life.
Intercourse addiction, or compulsive intimate behavior, is a very real thing. If you just can’t stop thinking about intercourse, or if you find that overly frequent intercourse or self-pleasure prevents you from doing other things, it’s important to seek help.
It’s also important to seek help if you feel like you’re engaging in risky intimate behavior, such as having unprotected intercourse with multiple partners.
It’s also important to consider taking a break if frequent intercourse or self-pleasure is causing physical problems, such as bruising or friction burns. Take it easy for a few days and get back to it when you’re feeling better — your member will thank you.
Common Myths About Climaxing and Health
Just like with anything intercourse-related, there are lots of myths out there about intimacy, climaxing and your health. We’ve busted a few common climax-related myths below:
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Semen retention produces health benefits. There’s no known benefit to resisting the urge to climax on a long-term basis.
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Climaxing reduces your levels of testosterone. Although some research has found a small link between climaxing and fluctuations in free testosterone, there’s no clear evidence that climaxing reduces your testosterone production overall.
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Self-pleasuring causes ED. Self-pleasuring doesn’t cause ED. However, there is a link between porn and bedroom dysfunction.
How Often Should a Man Climax?
While climaxing is good in general, there isn’t a precise target that you should aim for when it comes to daily or weekly climaxing. Instead, it’s usually best to pleasure yourself or have intercourse when you feel like it based on your own intimate desire.
To sum things up:
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There is no official recommendation for how often a man should climax or pleasure himself.
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There are some potential health benefits to more frequent climaxing, like managing stress and improving sleep.
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Contrary to popular belief, climaxing often won’t damage your sperm cells or cause you to get ED. However, you may notice a temporary drop in your semen volume if you’re having intercourse or going at it solo a lot in a short period of time.
In short, when it comes to climaxing, you can’t really overdo it unless you develop an addiction. As such, the best approach is to enjoy your bedroom life and follow your desires, whether this involves pleasuring yourself, intercourse or a mix of both.
This article originally appeared on Hims.com and was syndicated by MediaFeed.org.
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