Aa
masturbation and increase in anxiety/stress/panic
I have been a HEAVY masturbator since i was 13. In my early to late teen years I was masturbating up to 30 times a day, YES 30! no lie. when i reached my 20s it went down to about 10 times a day. I am now 27 and about 4 months ago I had a terrible panic attack and have been having anxiety and high levels of stress on a daily basis since then. The symptoms have stopped me from maturbating so much, but I still do it maybe 2 times a day. I found something interesting though. 2 days ago I masturbated like 8 times in the span of 3-4 hours. Since then I have has ELEVATED anxiety/panic and stress symptoms.
I have a feeling that the chronic masturbation has caused an imbalance of some kind of chemical or hormone in my brain. I have had a simple testosterone level check and they found my T to be in normal range but DHEA to be very high.
Is the masturbation causing me the anxiety/panic episodes? if so, why and what can i do (other than quitting sex/masturbation) to stop it?
I have a feeling that the chronic masturbation has caused an imbalance of some kind of chemical or hormone in my brain. I have had a simple testosterone level check and they found my T to be in normal range but DHEA to be very high.
Is the masturbation causing me the anxiety/panic episodes? if so, why and what can i do (other than quitting sex/masturbation) to stop it?
help for mommy, on your profile it said your a male but in your post you said you have a ob? I hope it's a typo on your profile!?
I have the same problem. I told my OB about the frequent masterbation and feeling frustrated. She said it was more likely anxiety/stress related. She put me on effexor and the next day my urges almost completely stopped. After being on effexor for years the urges only come back when go off the meds. I will never stop the meds.
I always thought that sex/masturbation released endorphines which is a natural stimulant that makes a person/body feel good! Idk I think it's deeper than too much masturbation that is causing the anxiety! I would def get a medical opinion ! Good luck!
AP
Ps for me sex is one of the few things in life I'm actually anxiety free!
AP
Ps for me sex is one of the few things in life I'm actually anxiety free!
Yo.
I have read most of this discussion, and many contributors are very close to solving your problem, but none of them have quite got it. I have the answer, I am sure of it.
I have many of your symptoms. I have bad panic attacks, bad head rushes whenever I get up from low blood pressure, bad OCD, occasional anxiety depression and I even had a seizure when I was 17. I am now 20. One of my parents is a neurologist with similar symptoms (although mine are, in many areas, worse) and has worked out what is going on.
The answer is to do with dopamine (and serotonin etc) and adrenaline (inc.noradrenaline). Essentially, these chemicals are put out by your body. What people often neglect to realise is that they are a limited supply. You and I are bad at conserving our supplies, which flare up unlike other peoples.
The reason you masturbate/ drink alcohol/ smoke weed/ smoke cigs/ maybe even exercise more than other people is because these things temporarily give you a high by making your brain release adrenaline and other endorphins. they make you feel better temporarily, but a while later you will have a come down, and have used up more of your brain's supply of adrenaline and other chemicals. This is what ***** you up, give you OCD symptoms, facial tics, panic attacks (I am treating us as equivalent), even blood pressure changes. Some of these things can therefore SEEM good, but they can do you harm.
The trick is balance, which is SO SO hard to learn.
You need to make sure that you eat well and regularly. Protein is important for synthesising these chemicals in particular (I take l-tyrosine supplements occasionally, btu they make me quite aggro sometimes). I get VERY ******* HUNGRY very suddenly when i get hungry, and it's because my chemicals are less regulated. On an empty stomahc your adrenaline levels spike. I go nuts.
You need to sleep well and regularly. This is important for two reasons. 1st, replenishing energy levels, inc. supplies of chemicals. 2, controlling your circadian rhythms. These need to be encouragedf to be as regular as clockwork. When you wake up, adrenaline, serotonin etc rise and melatonin gets suppressed. when you sleep, vice versa. Ensure this happens properly, if it doesnt, and you dont wake up properly, it can f up your day. I recommend regular bedtimes, sleep until you naturally wake up (no alarm) and a daylight lamp in the morning. Feel more awake and happy when youre in a sunny place? Look up sunlight affective disorder. It is connected and you probably have it. Dont have bright lights/ computer screens late at night. Unlike me now haha.
do not over do it. too much exercsie/ mental activity= too much chemcial output and will be followed by a drop. you need to take care of yourself MUCH MROE THAN NORMAL PEOPLE. I need 10 hours sleep a night. It is hard to know when you have overdone it. Often I want to go out at night ESPECIALLY when my levels are low to get that temporary boost that makes me feel good. I have to stop myself, go to bed, and feel better the next day. It is hard.
On the flipside exercise in moderation can get your circadian rhythms flowing properly. Just not too much. I said it was a balance.
by far the most useful supplements i have taken are GABA and St Johns wort. The first has already been suggested by the wacko christian waso on this thread. It reduces my anxiety; it is what the brain uses to make a chemcial that mops up stress. St Johns wort is a really natural antidepressant. i take two tablets SJW and one GABA before bed every night.
Thank you for drawing my attention to masturbation as a user-upper of adrenaline, I had thought about it before but will now put it into practice and not do it when im tired. take note.
that advice could change your life, it has taken me years to learn. One aspect of it is called dopamine supersensitivity, but doctors dont know much about this in its complexity. it is related on the one hand to mood disorders, on the other to chronic fatigue, in terms of the neurological features. GOOD LUCK.
Oh, and stop smoking weed and cigarettes (ive kicked both), cut down on your masturbation, and do things that are productive and make you feel good. This condition also means that you are literally 'superseisitive' to many inputs, and can make you more interesting and attentive to the world. Forget about benzos and most other medication and whenever you feel yourself panicking just try and relax, and think of nice things as hard as that sounds.
I have read most of this discussion, and many contributors are very close to solving your problem, but none of them have quite got it. I have the answer, I am sure of it.
I have many of your symptoms. I have bad panic attacks, bad head rushes whenever I get up from low blood pressure, bad OCD, occasional anxiety depression and I even had a seizure when I was 17. I am now 20. One of my parents is a neurologist with similar symptoms (although mine are, in many areas, worse) and has worked out what is going on.
The answer is to do with dopamine (and serotonin etc) and adrenaline (inc.noradrenaline). Essentially, these chemicals are put out by your body. What people often neglect to realise is that they are a limited supply. You and I are bad at conserving our supplies, which flare up unlike other peoples.
The reason you masturbate/ drink alcohol/ smoke weed/ smoke cigs/ maybe even exercise more than other people is because these things temporarily give you a high by making your brain release adrenaline and other endorphins. they make you feel better temporarily, but a while later you will have a come down, and have used up more of your brain's supply of adrenaline and other chemicals. This is what ***** you up, give you OCD symptoms, facial tics, panic attacks (I am treating us as equivalent), even blood pressure changes. Some of these things can therefore SEEM good, but they can do you harm.
The trick is balance, which is SO SO hard to learn.
You need to make sure that you eat well and regularly. Protein is important for synthesising these chemicals in particular (I take l-tyrosine supplements occasionally, btu they make me quite aggro sometimes). I get VERY ******* HUNGRY very suddenly when i get hungry, and it's because my chemicals are less regulated. On an empty stomahc your adrenaline levels spike. I go nuts.
You need to sleep well and regularly. This is important for two reasons. 1st, replenishing energy levels, inc. supplies of chemicals. 2, controlling your circadian rhythms. These need to be encouragedf to be as regular as clockwork. When you wake up, adrenaline, serotonin etc rise and melatonin gets suppressed. when you sleep, vice versa. Ensure this happens properly, if it doesnt, and you dont wake up properly, it can f up your day. I recommend regular bedtimes, sleep until you naturally wake up (no alarm) and a daylight lamp in the morning. Feel more awake and happy when youre in a sunny place? Look up sunlight affective disorder. It is connected and you probably have it. Dont have bright lights/ computer screens late at night. Unlike me now haha.
do not over do it. too much exercsie/ mental activity= too much chemcial output and will be followed by a drop. you need to take care of yourself MUCH MROE THAN NORMAL PEOPLE. I need 10 hours sleep a night. It is hard to know when you have overdone it. Often I want to go out at night ESPECIALLY when my levels are low to get that temporary boost that makes me feel good. I have to stop myself, go to bed, and feel better the next day. It is hard.
On the flipside exercise in moderation can get your circadian rhythms flowing properly. Just not too much. I said it was a balance.
by far the most useful supplements i have taken are GABA and St Johns wort. The first has already been suggested by the wacko christian waso on this thread. It reduces my anxiety; it is what the brain uses to make a chemcial that mops up stress. St Johns wort is a really natural antidepressant. i take two tablets SJW and one GABA before bed every night.
Thank you for drawing my attention to masturbation as a user-upper of adrenaline, I had thought about it before but will now put it into practice and not do it when im tired. take note.
that advice could change your life, it has taken me years to learn. One aspect of it is called dopamine supersensitivity, but doctors dont know much about this in its complexity. it is related on the one hand to mood disorders, on the other to chronic fatigue, in terms of the neurological features. GOOD LUCK.
Oh, and stop smoking weed and cigarettes (ive kicked both), cut down on your masturbation, and do things that are productive and make you feel good. This condition also means that you are literally 'superseisitive' to many inputs, and can make you more interesting and attentive to the world. Forget about benzos and most other medication and whenever you feel yourself panicking just try and relax, and think of nice things as hard as that sounds.
The fact that you jack off 30 times a day tells me you have something a little more related to OCD. And benzos are not bad so do not give them a bad rap. They work the best for short term anxiety relief but a good SSRI(Zoloft, Lexapro) would be better for long term rgiments to balance out the seratonin levels.The only time benzos are bad is when they are abused. I currently take appx 1 mg of xanax daily along with my 100 mgs of zoloft and they work wonderfully in concert with each other.
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