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Topics: Sex and Relationships, Health, Mental Health
Joe Harker
Topics: Sex and Relationships, Health, Mental Health
There's an answer for pretty much everything these days, including the optimal time to be enjoying a session of masturbation.
When it comes to finding one's pleasure, there's a lot of people concerned with how long they should be lasting and whether or not what they're doing is normal.
There's not really a guidebook for any of this but there are plenty of people who've worked out what time you ought to be aiming for and why you shouldn't take too long enjoying a spot of solo time.
Knowing how long to go for has become a growing concern given the rise in the trend of 'gooning', which sounds like it should refer to Arsenal supporters but is not quite that bad.
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Basically, 'gooning' is a marathon masturbation session where someone brings themselves close to the point of climax multiple times, what they in the biz call 'edging', to prolong the experience.
If you end up going on too long then you run the risk of your gonads becoming quite sore as the lengthy period of friction you've subjected them to takes its toll.
In the worst cases where you've really done a number on your delicate bits you could even run the risk of getting a skin infection, but the risk of doing this is relatively low and you'd have to put a lot of work in to reach this point.
On the other hand, Lloyds Pharmacy Online Doctor warns that masturbating for too long can have some other non-physical downsides as they found that men discussing these problems reported difficulties with concentration which resulted in poorer performances in school or work, as well as depression, anxiety and 'brain fog'.
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Others said it caused problems in their relationship and could also leave them unable to have sex with their partner.
Lloyds said that women's experiences with excessive masturbation were less well documented.
So how long should you be taking?
According to Jellytime a man lasts between 10 and 15 minutes in a typical masturbation session, while MindBodyGreen suggests that women should aim for between 15 and 20 minutes.
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These are really more guidelines than what you'd call actual rules, if you get there sooner then good for you and you can take as long as you like so long as you're aware that you're not dedicating all your time to it and it isn't bringing you down in mind or body.
A session only really goes on too long if you've started doing damage to yourself or dedicating so much time to masturbation is having a negative impact on your mood, focus and daily routine.
If it is giving you problems then you should think about talking to your doctor, I guarantee they've had to deal with all sorts of things over the years and you're just the latest in a long line of patients.