Is It Bad to Masturbate Every Day?

Strengthening relationships, improving mood, and better sleep. Orgasms offer a whole host of benefits. But is it possible to have too many? Or to be addicted to masturbation? For answers, we reached out to Holly Richmond, PhD, a sex therapist in Southern California.

First, Richmond told Health that there's no limit to the number of orgasms a woman can or should have daily. "It's categorically not possible to use up your orgasms," Richmond said. "Masturbation doesn't necessarily facilitate connection with other people and partners."

Addicted to Masturbation?

As for getting addicted to masturbation, Richmond explained that "addiction" isn't really the right word for it—a person can't become addicted to self-pleasuring the way she can get addicted to drugs or alcohol. It's more about masturbation becoming a compulsion, or something you do so often that it precludes you from connecting with others. If solo sex causes you to withdraw from relationships, miss work, or make another dent in your day-to-day life, then yes, you're probably doing it too much.

Besides the fact that your relationships can take a hit and your work performance may suffer, excessive masturbation could also leave you with physical pain, such as chafing. Also, using the same technique on yourself to reach orgasm over and over again can condition your body so it's difficult to climax with a partner—since they won't be able to replicate the exact touch and stroke you use on yourself.

So if your masturbation habit has caused any of the above side effects, Richmond suggested easing up on it—but don't stop the practice altogether. "For women, masturbation is essential to figure out what they like, what turns them on, what makes them reach orgasm," Richmond said. "There could be 500 reasons women masturbate and all of those reasons are valid—but not if you do it through compulsivity."