Schlickin’ the Books
I got my period while studying for midterms and the cramps with all the stress was just too much. I read that orgasms can help with cramps so out of desperation I went to the library bathroom and gave it a go. It was the weirdest thing I’d ever done, but it felt great and I started doing it every time I study. I feel weird but I know that masturbation is okay, so I don’t know why. Is there a point where it can be bad?
—Jerkin’ While Workin’
Endorphins are a powerful thing, and I’m guessing all those intense emotions led to one hell of an orgasm. There’s really nothing wrong with using masturbation for cramp or stress relief—it’s all-natural, free and it works!
Orgasms are a pretty common recommendation for cramp relief and it doesn’t hurt that women tend to be especially horny close to their periods. Your orgasms might even be more intense around that time, so I say take complete advantage of it if it makes you feel better.
As for stress, there are many people who use masturbation for stress relief because of the deep relaxation that sets in, post-orgasm. Health-wise, there’s nothing wrong with frequent masturbation and—as far as habits go—there are worse ones to have, so I wouldn’t worry too much.
At the same time, it’s always good to maintain some level of control when it comes to any habit so that it doesn’t become extreme. If you’re doing this every time you study, there’s a risk of becoming dependent on those orgasms.
What happens if one day your stress is escalating and you can’t get away to the privacy of a bathroom stall to rub one out?
You may also want to think about the effect it could have on your relationship with masturbation. You might start to masturbate more and more just to get to the orgasm for its stress or pain relieving properties rather than for the build-up and orgasm itself.
When was the last time you masturbated just because it felt good? Or because you were thinking about something that really turned you on?
If your orgasms are just a means to an end, you could miss out on a pretty great part of masturbation—self-exploration. If that’s something that concerns you, my advice is to mix it up a bit and don’t only masturbate when stressed on a study break.
Keep masturbating, just do it for a variety of reasons!
You could also start to masturbate preemptively during stressful times without waiting for desperation to kick in. Maybe set aside a time to do it when midterms or finals are coming up and instead of making it just about the orgasm, think of it more as “me time.”
You could set a daily time that works for you to give yourself a really good orgasm involving fantasy or porn, instead of a half-assed quickie in the bathroom. Just the act of setting aside time and taking yourself elsewhere mentally can really help.
You’ll also be more in control of your habit because it’ll become a thing you do for yourself rather than something you need when you just can’t take it anymore. That’s just one suggestion, and you may have better ideas that work for you.
Masturbation is awesome, but could start to suck if you only associate it with stress and studying. People masturbate for tons of different, personal reasons and there isn’t really a bad one. Maybe stress is just one of your reasons. Either way, stress itself is way more harmful than masturbation, so knock yourself out!
Submit questions anonymously at sex-pancakes.tumblr.com and check out “Sex & Pancakes” on Facebook. Need some extra help? Contact Concordia Counselling & Development at 514-848-2424 ext. 3545 for SGW and ext. 3555 for Loyola. Got a quick health question? Call info-santé at 8-1-1 from any Montreal number.
