How often should you masturbate? What surveys and studies show

Short answer

How often should you masturbate? There is no medical "right number": no health organization sets a target frequency, and large US surveys show a very wide spread. In a 2021 nationally representative survey of US adults, 9.9% of men and 0.5% of women said they masturbated almost every day in the past year, while 24.2% of men and 43.5% of women had not masturbated at all (1). Both ends of that range, and everything between, describe ordinary adults.

What matters more than the count is how it sits in your life: soreness that doesn't settle, masturbation crowding out work, sleep or relationships, or a sense that you can't stop when you want to. The World Health Organization's diagnosis for that last pattern, compulsive sexual behaviour disorder, is defined by loss of control and marked distress or impairment over months, not by a number (2).

If you are worried you do it too much, or too little, you are not abnormal for asking, and the question is not a moral failing. Masturbation is common among adults of every gender and age group, and it carries no risk of pregnancy and very little risk of sexually transmitted infection (1, 3).

Note: this article explains what research says and is not medical advice. It is for adults and covers health questions only. Pain, bleeding or injury needs a clinician; an erection lasting four hours or more means the emergency room or 911; and if you are having thoughts of harming yourself, call or text 988.

How often should you masturbate?

As often as feels good to you and fits your life, provided it doesn't hurt and doesn't leave you distressed. No study has identified an ideal masturbation frequency for health, and no major medical body recommends one.

Research offers three separate things: what people actually do (surveys, below); what frequency is associated with in health studies (mainly ejaculation and prostate cancer, which cannot give you a target); and when frequency becomes a problem, which is judged by pain, lost time, distress or loss of control, not by count (2, 3).

A practical test: if nothing hurts for long, you are not missing commitments, and you don't feel driven to do it when you would rather not, your frequency is your frequency. Once a month and twice a day can both pass that test.

Not masturbating is normal too. In the 2021 survey, the most common reason for not masturbating in the past year was "I'm just not interested," chosen by 68.7% of women and 49.1% of men who hadn't (1). And frequency moves with age, health, relationships and stress, so what fits you at 25 may not fit at 55.

How often is it normal to masturbate? What US surveys show

Anywhere from never to most days. Men report masturbating more often than women on average, and the range within each group is wide. The most recent nationally representative US figures come from the 2021 National Survey of Sexual Wellbeing: 3,878 adults aged 18 and over, recruited through a probability-based panel, with results weighted to match the US population (1).

There is no single "average": answers spread across every category for both men and women. The gender gap is large: 35.9% of men and 8.8% of women reported masturbating at least weekly (1). The authors mention two proposed explanations, differences in sex drive and social scripts that stigmatize masturbation more for women, without settling between them.

What these numbers can and cannot tell you. They are self-reports, and people may under-report something stigmatized. The 2021 survey ran during the COVID-19 pandemic and was funded by a telehealth company that, according to the authors, commented on survey drafts but took no part in data collection or analysis (1). Older data point the same way: in a 1992 national survey of adults aged 18 to 60, 61% of men and 38% of women reported any masturbation in the previous year (4).

How often do men masturbate?

In 2021, about 60% of men had masturbated in the past month; 17.1% reported two to three times a week and 9.9% almost every day (1). Earlier national data show masturbation stays common across men's adult life, with or without a partner, and that fewer men in fair or poor health report it (5). In 2009, more than half of adult men under 60 had masturbated in the past month, against 43% at 60–69 and 28% at 70 and older (1).

How often do women masturbate?

In 2021, 36.5% of women had masturbated in the past month, 8.8% did so at least weekly, and about a quarter said they never had (1). National data from 2009 found solo masturbation most frequent among women aged 18 to 39 (6); past-month rates topped 40% only for women in their 20s and were about 12% over age 70 (1). A lower number is not a deficit. If low desire bothers you, see women's libido, stress, sleep and the cycle.

Is it normal to masturbate every day?

Yes, for some adults it is, and daily masturbation is not harmful in itself. In 2021, 9.9% of men and 0.5% of women said they masturbated almost every day (1). Less common than weekly or monthly is not the same as unhealthy. (See also: masturbation side effects and myths.)

Cleveland Clinic's overview says masturbation has no serious side effects. Masturbating roughly can cause chafing or tender skin, and many sessions close together can cause slight swelling; such minor effects should heal within a day or two (3).

Is it bad to masturbate every day?

Not by itself. The same source puts the problem elsewhere: "If you find yourself missing work, canceling plans or forgetting responsibilities, you may be spending too much time masturbating," and it notes effects on relationships (3). The useful question is whether daily masturbation is something you choose and enjoy, or something you feel pushed into when you would prefer not to. The first is a preference. The second is worth talking through with a licensed therapist.

Red flags that belong right here. Pain that doesn't settle within a couple of days, bleeding, a wound, or swelling that grows needs a clinician. An erection that lasts four hours or more is an emergency: go to the emergency room or call 911. The Urology Care Foundation advises emergency-room treatment, and seeing your doctor afterwards even if it goes away on its own (7).

Male masturbation: what research says about frequency and health

For men, the most studied questions are ejaculation and prostate cancer, and erections. On both, the evidence is less certain than headlines suggest.

How often should a man masturbate?

There is no recommended number for men either; men report every frequency from not at all (24.2%) to almost daily (9.9%) (1). The prostate studies below are sometimes quoted as a target ("21 times a month"), but researchers measured an association in a specific group of men. They did not test a prescription, and their results cannot be turned into one.

Does masturbation affect erections?

Cleveland Clinic lists erectile dysfunction among the things masturbation does not cause (3). The real question is usually about pornography, and that evidence is mixed. Four large online samples of men from Croatia, Norway and Portugal showed "little evidence" of an association between pornography use and erectile, orgasm or desire problems (8). A 2016 review with clinical reports made the opposite case, proposing that heavy online pornography use may condition arousal in ways that don't transfer to a partner, and called for research to test it (9). Neither design settles cause and effect. (See also: death grip syndrome and porn-induced ED.)

What is not uncertain: new erectile problems deserve a medical check. In a population-based study that followed men for a decade, erectile dysfunction in a younger man was associated with a marked increase in the risk of later heart events (10). Our article on your sex life as a vital sign for heart and hormones explains that link; male libido, erections and lifestyle covers everyday factors, and sexual performance anxiety, stress and arousal the anxiety side.

Masturbation and prostate cancer: what the studies show

Several studies link more frequent ejaculation with a somewhat lower risk of prostate cancer, but the evidence is observational, mostly about low-risk disease, and not specific to masturbation. It is reassurance, not a prevention strategy.

The largest study. The Health Professionals Follow-up Study asked 31,925 US men in 1992 how many times a month on average they ejaculated at ages 20–29, at 40–49 and in the past year, then followed them to 2010; 3,839 were diagnosed with prostate cancer (11). Compared with 4–7 ejaculations a month, 21 or more was associated with a hazard ratio of 0.81 (95% CI 0.72–0.92) for frequency at ages 20–29 and 0.78 (95% CI 0.69–0.89) at ages 40–49. The authors write that the associations were "driven by low-risk disease."

What it did not measure. The questionnaire did not ask whether ejaculations came from masturbation, sex or anything else (11). Participants were mostly white health professionals recalling frequency decades later, and the authors acknowledge that other lifestyle differences could explain part of the result.

The studies do not agree on one direction at every age, and none show that changing your frequency changes your risk, which is why we don't turn them into a number. If prostate cancer is on your mind because of family history, urinary symptoms or age, talk to a doctor about screening. Testosterone after 40: myths and facts covers the hormone questions that often come up alongside this one.

How often do women masturbate, and what changes it?

Less often than men on average, with a very wide range: in 2021, 36.5% of women had masturbated in the past month and 43.5% had not in the past year (1). Neither figure is a standard to meet.

What goes with frequency. Women who wanted partnered sex "much more often" than they were having it were 3.89 times more likely to report higher masturbation frequency than women content with their partnered-sex frequency (men: 4.40 times) (1). An older US analysis described two patterns in both genders: masturbation complementing an active, satisfying sex life, or compensating for less partnered sex than wanted (4). Both are normal. Desire also shifts with age, hormones, sleep and stress; see why desire changes with age and how cortisol can freeze libido in your 40s.

Reasons women give. Pleasure came first for women (63.6%) and men (65.6%). Women were more likely than men to say they masturbated "to help me fall asleep" (25.7% vs 21.4%) and "to explore my own sexuality" (12.5% vs 7.4%) (1).

Safety, hygiene and comfort

Safety is the only "what to use" advice we give. In a 2009 nationally representative study of women aged 18 to 60, 52.5% had used a vibrator, and use was "rarely associated with side effects" (14). If you use devices or lubricant, clinical sources point to a few principles:

• Lubricant compatibility. A 2025 clinical review for family physicians notes that oil-based lubricants can damage latex items such as condoms and silicone-based lubricants can degrade silicone devices; water-based lubricants were compatible with every material it reviewed (15).

• Material. Many items designed for genital use are unregulated, and their material composition may be unavailable (15), so a clearly labeled material is the safer choice.

• Cleaning. Clean anything you use after use (3).

• Irritation. The same review notes that oil-based products may irritate the vulva and vagina, and that clinical studies have linked petroleum jelly to a higher risk of bacterial vaginosis (15).

Stop if it hurts. Pain, bleeding, an injury, new pain during any sexual activity, or irritation that doesn't clear in a few days means seeing a gynecologist or primary care clinician rather than troubleshooting at home.

Can masturbation help you sleep or relax?

Many adults say so, and the evidence is mostly what people report about themselves. In 2021, about 36% of women and men said they masturbated "to relieve stress," about a quarter "if I want to relax," and 25.7% of women and 21.4% of men "to help me fall asleep" (1).

The closest thing to a sleep study is an anonymous online survey of 778 adults. Of those who answered about orgasm through masturbation before sleep, 54.1% said sleep quality improved and 47.4% that they fell asleep faster; about 2% said sleep quality got worse (16). These are perceptions from volunteers, with nothing measured in a sleep lab.

So many people find an orgasm relaxing and say it eases sleep, and it tends to feel better without pressure or fear of being interrupted; lack of privacy was one reason some people gave for not masturbating (1). For others it makes no difference. It is not a treatment for insomnia, anxiety or stress, and nobody "should" use it that way.

Can you masturbate too much?

Yes, but "too much" is about consequences, not a number. Physically, it means soreness, chafing or swelling that you keep irritating (3). Psychologically, it means a pattern you can't control that is hurting your life.

What the diagnosis says. "Porn addiction" and "sex addiction" are not diagnoses in the DSM-5, the US psychiatric manual; the American Psychiatric Association considered criteria for "hypersexual disorder" and left them out (20). The WHO's ICD-11 includes compulsive sexual behaviour disorder (6C72): "a persistent pattern of failure to control intense, repetitive sexual impulses or urges" over an extended period (for example, six months or more), causing marked distress or impairment (2). It shows up as one or more of:

• sex becoming a central focus to the point of neglecting health, self-care or responsibilities;

• many unsuccessful attempts to cut down;

• carrying on despite adverse consequences;

• carrying on even when it brings little or no satisfaction.

What it does not include. A high sex drive without impaired control and significant distress or impairment does not qualify, and neither does distress that comes only from moral judgments or disapproval of behavior that would not otherwise be a problem. ICD-11 places it among impulse control disorders, not in the grouping for addictive behaviours, because whether it is a behavioural addiction is still under active scientific discussion (2). Frequency alone does not make a disorder, and neither does guilt alone.

How common the distress is. In a 2016 US sample of 2,325 adults aged 18 to 50, 10.3% of men and 7.0% of women scored above a screening cut-off for clinically relevant distress or impairment linked to difficulty controlling sexual urges and behavior (17). That is a screen, not a diagnosis. In the 2021 survey, 7.0% of men and 1.7% of women who masturbated chose "even though I try, I just can't stop myself" as a reason (1).

Signs it may be worth talking to someone

• You keep trying to cut down and can't.

• It regularly costs you sleep, makes you late or replaces plans you wanted to keep.

• It has become the way you get through every hard feeling, and brings little pleasure.

• It causes ongoing conflict in a relationship, or shame that won't lift.

If these fit, a licensed therapist, ideally one trained in sexual health, is the right next step; you don't need a label first. If distress turns into thoughts of harming yourself, call or text 988 to reach the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, any time (18).

Masturbation frequency: the questions people ask next

Is it normal to masturbate when you're in a relationship?

Yes. National data show masturbation is common among men both with and without a partner (5), and an analysis of US adults found that for some people masturbation complements a satisfying partnered sex life while for others it makes up for less sex than they want (4). Neither means something is wrong with the relationship. Partners don't have to want sex at the same rate, and desire in a long relationship can work differently than at the start; see responsive desire in a long relationship. If it has become a source of conflict, a couples or sex therapist can help.

Why do I masturbate more when I'm stressed or can't sleep?

Because many people use it to unwind: in a 2021 national survey, about 36% of adults who masturbated named stress relief as a reason and over a fifth named falling asleep (1). That is a common and reasonable use. It is worth a second look only if masturbation becomes the only way you cope with stress, or keeps you up later instead of helping you sleep. Stress can also change desire itself; how cortisol can freeze libido in your 40s covers that side.

Does how often you masturbate change with age?

For most people, yes. US data from 2009 found solo and partnered sexual activity less common and less frequent in older age groups, with women's solo masturbation most frequent at ages 18 to 39 (6) and men's past-month rates falling from more than half among adult men under 60 to 28% at 70 and over (1). Health matters too: fewer men in fair or poor health reported recent masturbation (5). A gradual change is expected. A sudden drop in desire, or new erection or arousal problems, is worth raising with a doctor; see why desire changes with age.

Is it unhealthy not to masturbate at all?

No. Not masturbating is common, and apart from the prostate associations above, which concern ejaculation from any source, we found no research linking it to harm. In 2021, 43.5% of women and 24.2% of men had not masturbated in the past year, most often simply from lack of interest (1). The exception is when it bothers you: low desire that distresses you or appeared suddenly is worth raising with a doctor, since sleep, stress, medications and hormones can all play a part. For men, male libido, erections and lifestyle is a starting point.

What if masturbation conflicts with my religion or values?

That is a legitimate position, and this article does not argue with it; it covers health questions only. In the 2021 survey, 11.3% of women and 13.8% of men who hadn't masturbated in the past year said it was against their morals or values, and 8.0% and 9.4% said it was against their religion (1). Research on pornography use calls a mismatch between behavior and beliefs moral incongruence, and suggests feelings of being "addicted" often reflect that mismatch (19). A therapist who respects your values can help you sort out what is going on.

Can masturbating often affect sex with a partner?

Usually not in a harmful way; the research mostly shows the two coexist. In 2021 data, wanting more partnered sex than you are having went with more frequent masturbation, for women and men alike (1). Where problems do appear, they tend to involve pressure, anxiety or arousal patterns rather than the count, and the evidence on pornography and erections remains mixed (8, 9). New erectile problems are a reason to see a doctor (10); anxiety is something a sex therapist works with, and sexual performance anxiety, stress and arousal explains how it works.

When to see a doctor or a therapist

See a clinician soon for physical signs: pain that doesn't settle in a couple of days, bleeding, a wound, swelling that worsens, or new pain during any sexual activity. A gynecologist, urologist or primary care clinician can examine you, and you only need to share as much detail as the problem requires.

Go to the emergency room or call 911 for an erection lasting four hours or more (7).

Book a doctor's visit for new erectile problems, especially if you are younger, because erectile dysfunction in a younger man is associated with a marked increase in later heart events (10).

See a licensed therapist for distress or compulsive patterns, such as repeated failed attempts to cut down, lost time or shame that won't lift (2). Call or text 988 if you have thoughts of harming yourself (18).

What to say. One sentence is enough: "I'm worried about how often I masturbate and want to know if it's a problem," or "I've had soreness that isn't healing." Plain terms (most days, a few times a week) are enough; you don't owe more detail than you are comfortable with.

What to bring. A short note: how long this has been going on, what changed and when (a new medication, a breakup, poor sleep), and any physical symptoms with dates.

What to ask.

• "Is anything I've described a medical concern?"

• "Could a medication, my sleep or stress be affecting my desire or erections?"

• "Would a sex therapist or urologist help, and can you refer me?"

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How Welltory helps — and what it cannot do

The limits first. Welltory is a general wellness product, not a medical device. It does not diagnose, detect, predict, monitor, prevent, treat or mitigate any condition, including erectile dysfunction, compulsive sexual behaviour, insomnia or anxiety. It knows nothing about your sex life, it is not a tool for counting masturbation, and nothing in it tells you how often is right. What it can do is help you see how your own evenings, stress and sleep fit together.

You note the evening; the app records the rest. When Welltory flags a stress stretch or a rest stretch on the Today screen, it asks "What happened?" or "What helped you rest?" You can tap a suggested tag, type a few words, or just talk, in whatever words you're comfortable keeping on your phone: "wind-down", "late scrolling", "argument", "couldn't switch off", "early night". Welltory picks the tags out of your answer, and you can correct them before saving. Nothing here asks you to record anything you would rather keep off a device.

Then look at the nights after. Sleep analysis, stress minutes, Battery, resting heart rate and HRV are recorded the same way every day (stress minutes, sleep analysis and Battery need a supported wearable). Set your tagged evenings beside the sleep that followed and, over a few weeks, you see your own pattern: your numbers next to your own history, not a population range and not a line marked normal.

After two to three weeks of tagging, My Patterns has something to work with. My Patterns collects tags from stress and rest stretches, so it needs iOS with an Apple Watch or Oura; patterns start to appear at around seven tagged events in the current month, with some history from the month before. It shows which tagged situations tend to come with stressful stretches, which rare tags hit your body hard, trends by day of week, heart-rate data, and every time a tag occurred.

A record you made, for an appointment if you want one. The Journal (Premium) keeps your measurements, tags and notes, and from the Welltory web app you can export a CSV (Dashboard → choose a chart → Export). If you see a doctor or therapist about sleep, stress or desire, dated notes are easier to describe than memory. Any pattern is an association to discuss with them, not a cause and not a verdict.

The same red flags apply here, in the same type size: pain, bleeding or injury means a clinician; an erection lasting four hours or more means the emergency room or 911; new erectile problems mean a doctor's visit; distress or compulsive patterns mean a licensed therapist; thoughts of self-harm mean calling or texting 988 (7, 10, 18).

Where to find other people in the same situation. If you are also living with an energy-limiting condition, Welltory runs a paid, moderated community called Energy Lab for women aged 18 to 65 living with ME/CFS, long COVID, fibromyalgia, POTS, MCAS and similar. It runs alongside the app: you keep collecting your own data, and the Lab is where people learn to read it together, with a medical board answering the science. It is education and peer support, not medical care, it does not replace your clinician, and there is a 14-day money-back guarantee on a first purchase.

How we made it

Made with AI tools, then edited and fact-checked by the Welltory team. See our Editorial & AI policy.

Data analysis by Jane Smorodnikova, co-founder of Welltory and the person who built the methodology behind how we read physiological data.

Written by Tatsiana Yashyna.

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