{"id":29315,"date":"2020-03-23T11:40:31","date_gmt":"2020-03-23T10:40:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.lelo.com\/blog\/?p=29315"},"modified":"2026-02-18T06:10:28","modified_gmt":"2026-02-18T05:10:28","slug":"does-masturbation-improve-immunity","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lelo.com\/blog\/does-masturbation-improve-immunity\/","title":{"rendered":"Does Masturbation ACTUALLY Improve Immunity?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.lelo.com\/blog\/author\/lauriemintz\/\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"doctor-banner alignnone wp-image-47728 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.lelo.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/laurie-mintz-doctor-review-banner-white.jpg\" alt=\"lelo laurie mintz doctor review\" width=\"270\" height=\"90\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For the past month, and for what is sure to be a few more, the world has been occupied with COVID-19 (coronavirus). From stocking absurd amounts of toilet paper to thinking up the best 20 second songs to wash your hands to, it has been an interesting mix of panic and amusement as we come to grips with the pandemic. As many start to work from home, you may be wondering if there is any truth to the claim that masturbation will boost your immunity. Never fear, our team has decided to investigate!<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Does Masturbation Improve Immunity?<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The answer is\u2026 it\u2019s complicated. Immune systems are complicated, that is. There was a <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pubmed\/15316239\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">2004 study<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> of 11 men that found that \u201csexual arousal and orgasm increased the absolute number of leukocytes, in particular natural killer cells.\u201d It did not affect T Cell or B cell count.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">So what does that mean exactly? The difference between the two groups is that they are your innate (non-learning) and adaptive immune responses, respectively. They\u2019re both important for fighting off diseases! However, this study has a few obstacles in its way before officially declaring that masturbation is an immunity booster. First of all, there were not even a dozen participants\u2014that\u2019s a <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">tiny<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> sample size of all cis men. As well, we don\u2019t know how long this \u2018boost\u2019 lasted (or even if it necessarily helps against COVID-19).\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Again, immunity is complicated. The best medical advice for making sure your immunity is in tip top shape are the no-fun basics like getting sufficient sleep, eating a balanced diet, and exercising regularly.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">So is Masturbating Useless for Immunity?<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Not necessarily! To say the current global situation has been stressful for many people would be a huge understatement. Stress produces cortisol, which in short spurts can help limit inflammation, but over a long period of time can negatively impact your body\u2019s immune response. With a lot of uncertainty about how long social distancing measures will be part of our lives (not to mention concern for family members, or our financial situations during this crisis) it\u2019s possible that we\u2019ll all be stressed out for a while.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Masturbation is an easy way to de-stress yourself (and a great way to pass the time if you\u2019re stuck in the house; it\u2019s <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.lelo.com\/blog\/can-addicted-vibrator\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">a total myth that you\u2019ll get addicted<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">). So, while masturbation might not be the miracle you were hoping for in terms of your immune system, it certainly can\u2019t hurt your immune system and it\u2019s bound to help with your stress level!<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Looking to stock up on some essentials? Look no further than our pleasure guides!<\/span><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.lelo.com\/blog\/sona-cruise-control-actually-work\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">SONA The Sonic Sex Toy for Women<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.lelo.com\/blog\/playing-to-your-strengths-introduction-to-sex-toys-designed-for-men\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Sex Toys Designed for Men<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.lelo.com\/blog\/ways-men-and-women-can-use-a-vibrator-during-foreplay\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Many Fantastic Ways Men and Women Can Use a Vibrator During Foreplay<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>For the past month, and for what is sure to be a few more, the world has been occupied with COVID-19 (coronavirus). From stocking absurd amounts of toilet paper to thinking up the best 20 second songs to wash your hands to, it has been an interesting mix of panic and amusement as we come to grips with the pandemic. As many start to work from home, you may be wondering if there is any truth to the claim that [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":92,"featured_media":29316,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[17,914],"tags":[920,909],"coauthors":[949,943],"class_list":["post-29315","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sexual-health","category-masturbation","tag-staysafe","tag-fact-checked-by-doctor"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v24.8.1 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Does Masturbation ACTUALLY Improve Immunity?<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.lelo.com\/blog\/does-masturbation-improve-immunity\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Does Masturbation ACTUALLY Improve Immunity?\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"For the past month, and for what is sure to be a few more, the world has been occupied with COVID-19 (coronavirus). 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