Almost 40 Percent Of Men Say They're Masturbating More Often In Lockdown

In slightly unsurprising news, 40 percent of men claim they have been masturbating more often since lockdown began.

A survey of 1,000 Brits conducted by sex toys brand TENGA found that 38 percent of men have been cranking it more often in quarantine, with 29 percent of woman w***ing more too.

PA

I mean, take away sports, pubs and restaurants for literally months and what do you expect? Indeed, masturbating is one of the only recreational activities that lends itself perfectly to staying at home - and two metres away from others.

Unsurprisingly, 55 percent of people said they were w***ing more regularly because they have more time on their hands, with 49 percent using self-pleasure as a form of stress relief.

Meanwhile, a quarter of people said they were doing more t***ing because they've been separated from their sexual partners. It wouldn't be surprising if this figure rose too, with the Government making it illegal from today (Monday) to have sex with someone from a different household.

That said, living with a sexual partner during lockdown by no means guarantees a booming bonk life. According to a poll of more than 10,000 people, despite the aforementioned increased time most of us have, 69 percent of couples are having less sex than usual (yes, 69 percent).

Many predicted there may be a Covid-19 baby boom, with sex becoming an increasingly popular hobby for bored couples. But when condom sales declined in March, the boss of Durex did not point the finger squarely at the lack of opportunities for singletons during lockdown - he said those who have even more opportunity than ever are having less sex too.

Speaking to the BBC, Laxman Narasimhan - boss of Reckitt Benckiser, which owns Durex - said: "What you see is this virus is having a toll on the number of intimate occasions in the UK.

"Intimate occasions are going down and that is a manifestation of anxiety."

LADbible subsequently held a poll on Twitter asking if couples were having less sex than usual, and a serendipitous 69 percent of the 11,438 respondents said 'yes'.

Clearly, we are not able to verify the living situation of those who voted, and if you are a couple 'staying alert' at separate homes, then lockdown measures will have made intimacy tricky - forbidden, in fact. What's more, there's bound to be couples in lockdown who have been spending more time together between the sheets.

But what about the couples cooped up together 24/7, with no commute/sports/pubs/restaurants to eat into their bonk windows - why would they be having less sex than before?

Well, TENGA sex expert and Sex Education script consultant, Alix Fox, reckons the Durex boss is right to think that anxiety is playing a part.

Speaking to LADbible, she said: "Whilst the potential for sex to offer a much-needed sense of escapism, entertainment, comfort and stress relief means that some people have become voracious lockdown lovemakers, many others have found that their sex drives have taken a nosedive during quarantine.

Pexels/Cottonbro

"One big reason is anxiety: worrying about the wellbeing of loved ones; job insecurity; financial instability; and huge uncertainty about the future can make your libido pack its bags and leave - even if you can't.

"Stress affects people on a chemical level as well as an emotional one; when we're fretful, we produce more of the hormone cortisol, which can cause our desire to do anything X-rated to go AWOL."

If you are suffering from a bit of a dry patch - and have a cohabitant you can legally have sex with - then you can read Alix's tips on how to spice up your love life in lockdown here.

Topics: lockdown, Interesting, Community

Jake Massey

Jake Massey is a journalist at LADbible. He graduated from Newcastle University, where he learnt a bit about media and a lot about living without heating. After spending a few years in Australia and New Zealand, Jake secured a role at an obscure radio station in Norwich, inadvertently becoming a real-life Alan Partridge in the process. From there, Jake became a reporter at the Eastern Daily Press. Jake enjoys playing football, listening to music and writing about himself in the third person.

@jakesmassey