Doctor gives surprising answer about how regularly people should masturbate

A doctor has provided her expert opinion on how regularly people should masturbate.

Even though this X-rated past time happens to be the most natural thing in the world for humankind, there still remains a sense of taboo around masturbation in some pockets of society.

In a video posted on her YouTube channel earlier this year, Dr. Jen Claude weighed in on the question of how much me-time is too much me-time, and her answer might surprise a few people.

How often should you masturbate?

"Well, I've got some perhaps good news for you," she began. "Before I give you the answer let me remind you that masturbation is perfectly fine, okay? Masturbation actually can be a very healthy part of overall life and fulfilment, so I don't want you to think that masturbation is not okay."

Dr. Claude went on to state that the 'truth of the matter is: masturbate as much as you want', because there's 'no hard and fast answer' - pun probably not intended.

Masturbating as much as you like is recommended by a professional (Getty Stock Images)

"There's not a top limit threshold. It's nothing like 'oh you can't masturbate more than this amount of times,' there's not a lower threshold, there's not a number of times in a day, a week, a month," she continued.

"Certain people masturbate multiple times a day, some people masturbate only certain times every few months depending on whatever. Some people masturbate when they're in a certain mood, some people masturbate at other times, it just depends."

She did warn that it's paramount not to let masturbation interfere with the rest of your life, though.

"The only caveat [is] you can masturbate as much as you want so long as it doesn't interfere with your daily life; it doesn't interfere with your mental wellbeing, it does not interfere with your relationships; interfere with your ability to go to your job or lead a happy, healthy, productive.

"In certain situations you can see how masturbation becomes compulsive, in which case we say that you need to be evaluated, you need to discuss this with a licensed professional, okay?"

There are plenty of benefits (Getty Stock)

Benefits of masturbation

Masturbating in the morning can be an energy boost, didn't you know?

Dr. Sham Singh of The Handy previously revealed: "There isn't a certain time of day that’s better than any other, so it’s better for people to find their 'ideal' time that suits them.”

But it turns out that there are benefits to masturbating at certain times in the day, depending on what you're looking to achieve.

“For example, some might find it easier to sleep after masturbation at night because of the hormones released, which can help bring on relaxation. Others might prefer to do it in the morning because they find it energising," he added.

As for how this act of self-care improves sleep and relieves stress, the doctor explained: When it comes to physical aspects, it can relieve muscle tension, help to improve the state of sleep, and even relieve premenstrual tension caused by menstruation.

“It may also be understood as a minor psychological and stress-relieving exercise. Exploring one's body and preferences can also enable better communication and satisfaction in sexual relationships,” he mentioned as a mental health bonus. "Looking into the science of it, masturbating can stimulate the release of endorphins and other happy neurotransmitters that may include dopamine and oxytocin, thus increasing mood and reducing anxiety.”

Masturbation also aids in the relief of menstrual pain for women.

"The contractions of the uterus as a result of an orgasm are then followed by relaxation, which can relieve cramping," Dr. Singh noted.

What happens when you stop masturbating?

According to an anonymous sex writer, there's so many ways that lack of masturbation can affect you and those around you.

Mood swings for one. "Masturbation withdrawal may sound far-fetched, but masturbation releases a delicious cocktail of feel-good chemicals and hormones and whatnots, so it seemed reasonable to me that my body was all like, 'Hey where'd that awesome stuff go?'" she wrote.

There's an extended period of untamed arousal too.

"The build-up to satisfaction went from minutes to days, sometimes a week," she revealed of her own experiences. "Orgasm became an event to be longed for and fantasised about instead of another item to check off my to-do list like dry-cleaning.

"Now when I found myself unexpectedly in the mood, my thoughts turned to 'Won't it be nice when my boyfriend gets home...' instead of 'Where the hell did I put that Hitachi Magic wand?'"

Pestering of your partner is certainly a side effect you want to avoid, as this'll really start to grate on them.

The writer said that she ended up 'getting a little desperate' after a while and joked that despite her other half being mostly happy to comply, he wasn't 'always in the mood to act as a member of my personal stud farm'.

She signed off with: "Dignity flies out the window when you're desperate to get down."