6 Health Benefits of Masturbation (If You Need an Excuse for a Little Self-Love)

After learning that self-pleasure can help you sleep better, we started to think: Are there any other health benefits of masturbation? As it turns out, there totally are. From strengthening your pelvic floor to helping you feel more empowered, here are six health benefits—both physical and mental—of masturbation. (Plus, three sex toys to help you reap said benefits.)

When we need to de-stress, we typically draw a bath or watch a favorite TV show with a glass of wine in hand. Next time we’ll consider a little solo time. Why? According to a study published in the Journal of Sexual Medicine found that orgasming—alone or with a partner—releases oxytocin and decreases levels of cortisol in the body. Oxytocin is a neurochemical sometimes referred to as the love hormone, while cortisol is the body’s main stress hormone. When oxytocin levels are up and cortisol levels are down, stress melts away.

Yep, according to experts and studies alike, self-pleasure can actually improve your quality of sleep. One 2019 study published in Frontiers in Public Health, looked at online survey responses from 778 people who were mostly in their 20s or 30s and heterosexual. Researchers found that 54 percent of the volunteers said they slept better after having an orgasm from masturbation. Another recent survey by the female-focused sex toy brand Femme Funn found that 95 percent of people polled said they experience a better quality night’s sleep after having an orgasm. (Note that there isn’t enough data to say whether an orgasm is necessary to reap the positive sleep benefits of masturbation.)

Self-pleasure can be empowering, folks. In fact, one 2013 survey published in the journal Psychology of Women Quarterly found that most of the almost 800 women polled reported that masturbating helped them feel sexually empowered, causing the lead researcher to note, “Results lend support to the feminist theory that when women are able to focus on their own sexual pleasure or learning, without the concerns of pregnancy or pleasing a partner, they may feel sexually empowered.”

Your pelvic floor is made up of the muscles that support the urinary and reproductive tracts and controls your bladder and bowels. In women, the pelvic floor keeps your bladder and uterus in place. Pregnancy—along with natural aging and certain surgeries—can cause pelvic floor dysfunction, which can lead to issues like frequent urination, constipation, painful sex and more. There are a number of ways to strengthen your pelvic floor, from doing Kegels to investing in a pelvic floor gym like this one. You could also, according to some experts, masturbate your way to a stronger pelvic floor. Jessa Zimmerman, a certified sex therapist, tells Insider, “The contractions that occur with orgasm strengthen your pelvic floor muscles, helping with urinary issues like incontinence and erectile function.”

This one is still a debated topic among experts, but some studies—like this one from researchers at Wilkes University in Pennsylvania—have shown that orgasming can strengthen your immune system by boosting your immunoglobulin levels (immunoglobulin is a fancy word for antibodies). While you shouldn’t throw out those Emergen-C packets just yet, this could be another positive side effect of self-pleasure.

Masturbating is a great way to figure out exactly what gets you going without the pressure of having another person present. When you’re alone, you probably feel more comfortable exploring things that you might not want to try for the first time with a partner. If you figure out that you do like what you try, you can carry that over to partnered sex, making for an all-around more pleasurable experience.