Knowing masturbation is a part of sexual health

What is Over Masturbation?

How much masturbation is too much masturbation?

The topic of over masturbation, what gets called chronic masturbation , can be a confusing one. While there is a lot of sex talk in our culture, masturbation is usually left out of the conversation. As a result we don’t learn very much about masturbation, and as teens and adults those of us who enjoy masturbating may wonder if we are over masturbating or how much masturbation is “normal” and healthy.
What is over masturbation?

First things first. The vast majority of masturbation is completely healthy and positive. There is no data for this, but anything aproximating "over masturbation" is very rare. There is no number or quantity of masturbation that is healthy or unhealthy. Masturbation isn’t like candy or eggs, there isn’t a "recommended daily allowance", it means different things to different people, and we all use masturbation differently, in positive and negative ways. So this question needs to be answered on an individual basis, keeping in mind that very few of us actually masturbate in ways that are harmful to ourselves. If I am over masturbating, will I have to stop masturbating altogether?

No credible health care professional who is working in your best interest would ever tell you to stop masturbating forever. A healthy sexual life includes masturbation across the lifespan, and stopping for a week or two doesn’t mean you have to stop forever. If you feel like your masturbation is a problem you may want to take a break from masturbating for a while and take some time to think about what is going on for you. But you should never feel like taking a break means dropping masturbation from your sexual repertoire. If someone tells you that masturbating is wrong or you need to stop it, they are probably doing so in their own interests, not yours. Feeling guilty about masturbation is not necessarily a sign of over masturbating.

Many of us are raised with negative messages about our bodies, sex, and specifically masturbation. We respond by feeling guilty when we masturbate. But masturbation is healthy and guilt is not a required part of it. As you go through the questions below it’s important to know that feeling guilty about masturbation doesn’t mean you’re doing it too much. Guilt is a normal response to being told bad things about masturbation. The solution in this case is not to stop masturbating (although you might chose to take a break while working things out), the solution is to deal with your feelings of guilt, to recognize them as unnecessary, and to work towards feeling good about your ability to give yourself pleasure and knowing that masturbation is a part of sexual health.