Will your sex toy cure a common cold? Nope. Can it heal a broken bone? Not at all. But using your favorite toy to have a satisfying orgasm may make you forget you’re sick or in pain for a few moments. You may relieve a headache, put yourself in a better mood, or alleviate anxiety. All with the help of a sex toy.
Your sexual health isn’t completely separate from your physical or mental health. It’s all tied together. If your doctor is open-minded enough, they might even recommend that you play with your favorite sex toy for medicinal purposes. So the short answer is that, in some ways, yes, a sex toy can be good for your health. Here’s how.
Mood Enhancement
Better, more satisfying sex is good for your mood and emotional well-being. That might be solo sex or sex with a partner, with or without an orgasm. Sex toys like vibrators, dildos, and kinky gear can make sex feel better for both of you and make you want to have more of it. When you do, you’re often in a better mood and more positive about your life. As long as you enjoy your sex toy and what you’re doing (alone or with a partner), get naked and watch how your mood improves.
Fewer Headaches and Stress
A good orgasm or two can often reduce anxiety, get rid of a headache, and lower your stress. If a sex toy can make it faster and easier to get off, that means you feel better faster. Instead of popping ibuprofen or drinking another beer or glass of wine at the end of the day, get yourself off with a sex toy instead. Make it your nightly ritual, a weekend thing, or something you do in the shower to feel better. Orgasms, masturbation, and a sex toy won’t make your crappy job better or fix any mental illness, but they might offer temporary relief for minor headaches and stress.
Healthier Vaginas
A healthy vagina is a vagina that can have whatever kind of sex you enjoy most. Sex toys, especially vibrators, help keep your body in top form. With regular use of your favorite vibrator or dildo, you can increase the flexibility of your vaginal tissue, increase natural lubrication, and improve the sexual sensations you feel. This is great for people going through menopause, people who’ve recently given birth, or anyone who may be going through a “dry spell” in both literal and figurative terms.
Improve or Prevent Erectile Dysfunction
If you’ve got a penis, a sex toy can help your sexual health, too. Just like those with vaginas, it’s a use it or lose it kind of situation. The more you stimulate your body, the better it tends to function. Using penis rings and other masturbation toys promotes blood flow to your penis. A sex toy can also stimulate your nerves which potentially reduces your current or future need for enhancement drugs like Viagra. Of course, if you have an underlying medical problem causing your erectile dysfunction (ED), a sex toy can’t cure it, but they may help. Also, always talk to your doctor about your ED as they can check for underlying conditions or other health issues.
Increase Blood Flow to the Genitals
As people age, blood circulation decreases to their genitals. For women and anyone with a vulva, this can make it difficult to become aroused. You may also feel less stimulation from a hand or other body part. The right sex toy can provide the sensations you’re missing. This helps your body become aroused and sends blood flowing back to your vulva.
If you’re a long-time user of vibrators, a favorite may no longer provide enough stimulation to get you off. Make sure your vibe is charged up or has fresh batteries first. If that doesn’t fix the problem, it may be time to look for a new sex toy or something with more settings to choose from.
Ease Vulvodynia and Vaginismus
All the work in the world to keep a vagina healthy can’t prevent all medical problems, including painful penetrative sex. Both vulvodynia and vaginismus are very real conditions that impact people’s sexual and reproductive health. Vulvodynia is characterized by chronic vaginal pain, while vaginismus is the involuntary contraction/tension of the vaginal muscles. Both can be helped by the pleasurable stimulation of a vibrator. Your vibrator is also a healthy reminder for people that sex (by any definition) can and should feel good.
Easier Orgasms
For many people, the mind is willing but the body won’t cooperate when it comes to getting off and having the orgasms you want most. A sex toy can help by providing additional stimulation that your hand or partner can’t produce. Certain toys, like prostate massagers and rabbit vibrators can reach spots you might not be able to reach with your hand. This offers a new level of stimulation that might be exactly what you need for better and easier orgasms. While getting off doesn’t have to be the goal of all sexual encounters, not climaxing can be a source of stress which a sex toy helps alleviate.
Stay Sexually Active
Not all sex requires a partner. Maybe you’re single and definitely not ready to mingle. That doesn’t mean you have to give up on orgasms or sexual pleasure. If you want to hang up your sex toy for a while and take a break from sex, go for it. But if you’re craving arousal, pleasure, and an orgasm or two, the right toy makes that easier to have.
Why does this matter for your sexual health? Because sex and your body’s response to it and the sensations you enjoy can be harder to experience the longer you go without it. Go too long without paying any attention to your sexual needs, and you may find it difficult to get back to it when you’re ready to get down with a partner. A sex toy helps you stay active so you can continue to experience sexual pleasure alone or with someone else.
Safer Sex
Sex with yourself is the safest kind you can have. That you can have any kind of solo sex you want with a sex toy makes it even more fun. Indulge in a fantasy and make your dildo a mysterious lover. Have the best oral sex experience of your life with a toy instead of a partner. You can share your sex toys with partners but you may need to take extra precautions like sterilizing your toys between use or using a condom over them. When you play alone, though, you don’t have to worry about sexually transmitted infections and diseases or pregnancy.
Conclusion
So are sex toys good for your health? We think so. Not only do they help improve your sexual health, the pleasure and orgasms you get can also make you feel physically and mentally better. Sexual pleasure offers plenty of benefits, and the right sex toy helps you achieve that pleasure. You can get off with your hand, but a toy makes it easier and better.
Have you experienced any of these health benefits using a sex toy? Did your favorite toy help you in other ways? Share with us in the comments below!
