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Does Masturbation Decrease Stamina? What to Eat After Masturbation & Other FAQs

Rahul Gambhir -
Table of Contents +
Medically Reviewed by Dr. Sonia Chandnani, MD, DGO, FCPS (BOMBAY), DIP - ENDOSCOPY, Reviewed on 25th January 2021

Studies have found that there were either no detrimental or supportive effects of masturbation in moderate to maximum exercise performance.

If you have ventured into the great abyss we call the internet, you probably have done your research on a hard-pressed topic that most couldn't wait to ask: Does masturbation decrease stamina? Does masturbation make you weaker? Does masturbation affect stamina?

The popular belief around the internet is that masturbation and ejaculation will cause your testosterone levels (male sex hormone) to reduce, which means that your energy levels and strength will also go flaccid. How true is that?

Remember the famous movie Rocky, played by Sylvester Stallone. There's this one scene in which rocky is hitting in the bag, and his coach Mickey tells rocky to abstain from sex because, apparently, "Women Weaken Legs."

This notion of women weakens legs because testosterone is equated to manliness and aggression. The more testosterone is "banked," the more aggressive you're going to be. The more aggressive you are, the more edge you're going to have, whether it's for MMA, boxing, wrestling competition, or workout.

But the old concept of athletes abstaining from sex to raise muscle power is a complete myth dismissed years ago by the late Muhammad Ali. Ali said that he likes to have sex every night before a match, all the way to the bout, often more than once per day. This answer blows the bubble because Ali was quite a successful boxer too.

So really, does masturbation decrease stamina? Before that, let's learn about the biological process of masturbation.

What Happens to Your Body When you Masturbate?

To understand the question, "does masturbation decrease stamina?" - We must first understand that experiencing sexual stimulation and orgasm isn't just for couples. After all, it feels incredible. D dopamine release helps regulate the brain's reward and pleasure centers, but other endorphins are also released, which decreases the feelings of pain.

The very noticeable change seen after masturbation is a 20-minute increase in the prolactin hormone. This appears to serve the function of suppressing sexual impulses after an orgasm.

Masturbating from time to time can benefit your body by preventing you from having nightfall and nocturnal emissions. Thus, masturbation is a technique to control nightfall in men.

When prolactin rises, the hormone resulting in sexual arousal, dopamine, drops. Furthermore, the heart rate stays elevated for a few hours after masturbation and increases even higher if you work out after masturbation vs. when working out without masturbation. But what happens to the testosterone levels? Does masturbation decrease stamina in this regard?

What Effect does Masturbation have on Testosterone Levels?

Does the level of testosterone after masturbation go up or down?

  • Studies prove that short-term abstinence of 3 weeks from ejaculations slightly increases testosterone levels. On the 7th day of abstinence, a 145% spike of T levels is seen; however, long-term abstinence can reduce serum levels of testosterone.
  • Another study revealed that waiting three weeks without masturbating triggered a tiny uptick in testosterone level compared to not waiting at all. But not forever, after which sooner the levels drop lower than usual because the body needs fresh testosterone every time.

You could say that abstinence might boost testosterone. But even the difference does not justify yourself holding back from any sexual activity—the essential part of life.

The changes aren't nearly as much as other factors you should consider maintaining regular high T levels- like diet, sleep, stress, among others.

So your FAP seems rather pointless. I think this answers the question, 'does masturbation reduce stamina?' And these minor, short-term improvements are not nearly as critical as sustaining high levels of testosterone in the long run.

That being said; still, you should limit yourself. Ejaculating to the point of sexual exhaustion can make it harder for your body to perform, utilize testosterone for building muscle, and affect other parts of your life.

Do You Lose Energy After Ejaculating?

Does ejaculating make you lose energy? Does masturbation drain energy? Many men also inquire why ejaculating makes them feel sleepy. Enter, once again, the prolactin hormone that we all know is released at the time of ejaculation. However, research suggests a strong association between prolactin levels and sleep. That's what's making you drowsy after you masturbate and reach climax.

Which is Right: Masturbating Before Workout, Masturbation After Workout?

Does masturbation affect your workout? Does masturbation affect gym? What happens when you work out after masturbation? Or when you exercise after masturbation?

When the two hormones (prolactin and dopamine) come into play, they do when you masturbate. Your sexual appetite gets suppressed for a few hours, and your heart rate goes up. You get mentally drained and feel tired. You want a few hours of good sleep.

But you got to train too and don't want to miss the fun. When should you masturbate so your exercise performance won't get much affected?

Masturbating before a workout.

If you're the type who masturbates so frequently that you don't have the time or the energy for the gym or if you feel that after masturbation, you no longer feel mentally focused or motivated to go to the gym, then masturbation is affecting your energy levels.

In that case, temporary abstinence or at least moderation is something you need to do, especially before a workout. Remember to maintain a steady relationship with your gym and masturbation.

Studies have found that there were either no detrimental or supportive effects of masturbation in moderate to maximum exercise performance. Still, your heart rate is high at this time, and your brain isn't ready to take some of the most challenging exercises; instead, it only wants to take a nap.

Masturbation After Workout

If you're going to masturbate after a workout, you'll have the same results as above. But the positive news will be that you have already ended your rigorous training session and that your workout is not compromised in any significant way.

So, if you compare the two, masturbation after a workout – masturbating before a workout, post-exercise masturbation tends to be a better choice in any given situation. Again, it's your decision and your personal preference of what you want to do and what suits you best.

The bottom line to the question is there any validity to this: can regular sex or masturbation decrease stamina? Does masturbation reduce stamina? The simple answer to that question is NO.

Whatever impact masturbation or orgasm has on stamina, positive or negative, is only for the short term. In general, the body will always go back to normal, whether that's typically having low or high testosterone levels.

Several other factors can adversely affect your testosterone, and just thinking about masturbation as a sole reason for it is a lot worse for your health and testosterone levels. And even if we told you that it does make you weaker, would you listen and stop doing it?

Does Masturbation Cause Weakness?

NO, Masturbation does not cause weakness. However after masturbation or orgasm can make you feel tired and sleepy which may make you feel slightly weak (only temporarily). Prolactin hormone is released during masturbation and as per studies Prolactin can influence sleep, thus making you feel tired and drowsy. Fun fact, many people even masturbate to help them fall asleep and relieve stress.

Excessive Masturbation Can Cause Testicle Pain. Is it True?

No, it's not entirely true. However, sometimes frequent or excessive masturbation can cause testicle pain, temporarily. This is caused due to excessive discharge of sperm and prostatic fluid resulting from masturbation. However, this is a rare case scenario and occurs only sometimes.  Masturbation is a healthy sexual activity but too frequent masturbation may reduce your sexual sensitivity. Testicle pain can be caused due to Blue Balls also know as Epididymal Hypertension (EH), Epididymitis (inflammation of the testicles), Orchitis, among others. So, it's advisable to consult a doctor if you are having persistent testicle pain.

Side Tip: You can even get a free consult with one of our Doctors online hassle-free today!

What To Eat After Masturbation?

When you masturbate, you tend to lose small amount of proteins and minerals, so Before we list down what to eat after masturbation to regain your lost energy, do note that, any effect on physical strength or sleepiness is just temporary and will be go away in some time, so eating after masturbation is optional.

However, here is a list of what to eat after masturbation.

  • Eat zinc-rich foods- Foods such as watermelon seeds, wheat, dark chocolate, sesame seed, egg yolks
  • Eat copper-rich foods- Chia seeds, quinoa, almonds, raisins
  • Eat Vitamin C rich foods- Sunflower seeds, tahini, chicken breast
  • Drink lot of water

Or, you can just simply a shower and get a sleep after masturbation to rejuvenate your lost energy. After all it release prolactin hormone that influences sleep and ejaculation does help relieving stress.

Over Masturbation Side Effects on Eyes. Myth or Facts?

NO, over masturbation does NOT have any side effects on eyes. It's absolutely a myth- there's absolutely NO correlation between vision and masturbation. Masturbation can cause protein loss and over masturbation may cause general physical weakness but it does NOT have any side effects on eyes or vision. However, exposure to too much screen time- sitting before computer or video screens, poor illumination while masturbating might impact your vision which can lead to poor eye sight.

If you are facing any vision issues, it's advisable to consult a doctor, meanwhile also check upon your protein intake.

Can Masturbation Cause Infection?

No, Masturbation can NOT cause infection unless you are using unwashed hands or unsanitary objects during the practice. Also, if you are masturbating roughly without using lubricants can cause irritation due to friction, which may lead to cuts and infection. If you follow basic hygiene, then Masturbation does not cause any sort of infection.

Does Masturbation Cause AIDS?

NO, Masturbation can NOT cause AIDS or HIV. Masturbation or hand-jobs cannot give you HIV or AIDS. Sharing a sex toy or switching sex toys between partners might, so ensure to use a new condom when using sex toys with your partner. HIV or AIDs can only be passes from one person to another through bodily fluids such as blood, pre-cum and cum, vaginal fluid, breastmilk and anal mucous. Mutual or Self Masturbation does NOT Cause AIDS.

Summing Up...Does Masturbation Decrease Stamina?

The simple answer to that question is NO. Masturbation has little to no direct impact on your stamina. Whatever impact masturbation or orgasm has on stamina, positive or negative, is only for the short term. Testosterone tend to fluctuate after an orgasm, however,  the change is temporary and doesn't reduce your stamina. In general, the body will always go back to normal, whether that's typically having low or high testosterone levels. However, masturbation or hand-job may help stimulate release of endorphins along with other fell-good hormones

FAQs

What to do After Masturbation?

Men ask us curiously, 'what should we do after masturbation?' Anything. Drink a glass of milk, take a nap for an hour or so, play the guitar, read a book. The world is your oyster.

Can I Indulge in Masturbation after a Workout?

Studies have found that there were either no detrimental or supportive effects of masturbation in moderate to maximum exercise performance. So what about masturbation before workouts? It has pretty much the same effects.

Does Masturbation Cause Muscle Loss?

No, it does not. Does masturbation affect muscle building, then? Does masturbation affect muscle gains? Does masturbation affect muscle growth? The answer to all these questions is that masturbation has negligible or no effects on your muscle performance or workout regimen.

Do you Lose Energy After Ejaculating?

Many men also inquire why ejaculating makes them feel sleepy. Enter, once again, the prolactin hormone that we all know is released at the time of ejaculation. However, research suggests a strong association between prolactin levels and sleep. That's what's making you drowsy after you masturbate and reach climax.

Does Masturbation Reduce Weight?

Masturbation will not make you thinner or impact your body's shape or size in any way. We cannot make this clearer. The myths surrounding masturbation fuel tonnes of misinformed facts surrounding it. We urge you not to fall for that.

Does Masturbation Affect Bodybuilding?

Masturbation indeed causes an immediate fluctuation in your testosterone levels. This change is temporary and highly unlikely to affect men's bodybuilding capacities.

Does Masturbation Affect Sex?

Masturbation is a healthy activity and, in many cases, if performed correctly, may even prepare a man for sex with their partner. Masturbation does not cause a decrease in fertility levels or libido if performed in moderation. As long as you're not addicted to masturbation, you're good.

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