The Health Benefits of Sex Toys: Beyond Pleasure

It may not seem obvious on the surface, but sex toys and stress reduction go hand in hand, and there are actually quite a lot of sexual wellness benefits of sexual satisfaction! Your physical and mental health will both thank you for adding adult toys to your bedroom routine, and so will your relationships, with partners and with yourself!

What are the health benefits of using sex toys?

Physical health benefits of sex toys

• Increased enjoyment and sexual satisfaction — sex is about more than the end result, it’s also about the journey! Using adult toys can offer new sensations that the human body can’t achieve on its own, like vibration, rotation, warming, air pressure waves, and even electro-stimulation to tantalise you in thrilling new ways that feel like nothing else…
• Aiding sexual function — sexual dysfunction can affect your sexual satisfaction, as well as a partner’s, and takes many forms such as premature ejaculation (PE) and erectile dysfunction (ED). These are common conditions, so it makes sense that there are plenty of male sex toys out there that are designed to help! Things like penis pumps and cock rings can help the user get hard and stay hard so they (and their partners) can enjoy and improve their sex lives together. There are even specially textured masturbators like the Fleshlight® Stamina Training Unit™ that are designed for you to train and edge yourself with to increase your stamina so you last longer in bed!
• Strengthening your pelvic floor — your pelvic floor muscles support your bladder, bowel, and uterus (in people with vulvas), and a strong pelvic floor can help prevent urinary incontinence, intensify orgasm strength, and help new mothers recover from childbirth. There are specific sex toys recommended for pelvic floor strengthening, such as kegel exercisers like vibrating eggs and weights. For men and people with penises, doing kegels can even help treat ED and PE!

Mental health benefits of sex toys

• Enhancing self-awareness and self-love — when you know more about what makes you feel good, you gain a feeling of empowerment and grow your appreciation of how incredible your body can make you feel! Masturbation also teaches you how to love yourself, boosting self-esteem and body confidence so you can feel good outside of the bedroom too.
• Stress relief — when you orgasm, your body releases a mood-elevating chemical called dopamine to make you feel good, plus oxytocin, which lowers cortisol (A.K.A the ‘stress hormone’) for effective stress reduction and satisfaction!
• Orgasms make you sleep better — ever noticed how easy it is to drift off after a wicked orgasm? That’s because climaxing releases a cocktail of ultra-relaxing, feel-good hormones, including our friends dopamine and oxytocin. Your brain’s levels of these chemicals increase during sexual arousal, which can have a calming effect on the mind and body to induce restful sleep.

Can sex toys actually improve my relationship?

It’s not uncommon to initially be worried that your partner using sex toys means you’re not an adequate lover, or that the toys will come to replace you, but fear not! Exploring new ways of being together, including using sex toys, can actually help maintain desire and passion (A.K.A. ‘the spark’) and result in improving both intimacy and relationship satisfaction in the long run. After all, it shows that you’re open, honest communicators who listen to each other and do your best to meet each other’s needs and desires. This strengthens overall communication, trust, and comfort with each other while also helping you broaden your horizons together.

Best of all, the increased oxytocin in your body post-orgasm has another wonderful purpose: it builds an intimate connection between partners and promotes feelings of trust and bonding to enhance your relationship — this chemical ain’t called ‘the love hormone’ for nothing!