Masturbation triggers a surge of dopamine and oxytocin . This improves our mood. Oxytocin, in fact, lowers cortisol, a stress hormone generally present during times of anxiety, fear, panic, or distress.
This, in turn, can help boost our immune system because cortisol actually helps support your immune system if released in small doses, thus protecting us against certain diseases or infections ( has anyone thought about the coronavirus? ).
Masturbation and white blood cells
According to a study conducted by the Department of Medical Psychology at the Essen University Clinic (in Germany), masturbation increased the white blood cell count and strengthened the immune system .
During this experiment, each participant’s white blood cell count was analyzed through measurements taken 5 minutes before and 45 minutes after reaching a self-induced orgasm.
The results confirmed that sexual arousal and orgasm increased the number of white blood cells, particularly the natural killer cells that help fight infection .
The immune system is organized through a balanced network of cells and organs that work together to defend against infection and disease by stopping threats such as bacteria and viruses from entering your system.
While there are many things we must do to keep our immune systems working at optimal levels, masturbation (or other means of reaching orgasm) has been shown to have positive effects .
For their part, bad habits (like a messy sleep schedule) can do just the opposite. So given the pleasure it brings, sex seems like a better option.