The Masturbation-Sleep Link: Is It Real?

It’s May, and once again, that means it’s Masturbation Month! In previous blogs, we discussed how Masturbation Month came into existence, tracing back to the important work of Dr. Joycelyn Elders, who lost her job for saying that masturbation was a natural part of being human and trying to open up more conversations around it.

Each time Masturbation Month rolls around, we take a moment to highlight some of the positive effects that self-pleasure can have on our health and relationships, such as helping us better understand our bodies and relieving stress. In this post, we’re going to explore how masturbation can help us to get better sleep.

Masturbation or Orgasm?

Several studies have shown that masturbation is liked to falling asleep faster and getting better quality sleep. However, you might be curious whether masturbation itself is the key to better sleep, or if improved sleep is simply the result of orgasm itself. In other words, is there a unique impact of masturbation on sleep, or does any sexual activity that results in orgasm have the same effect?

What the science shows is that both masturbation and partnered sex can improve aspects of sleep, such as sleep latency and quality; however, these benefits do depend, to some extent, on whether or not orgasm occurred [1]. Specifically, when people masturbate or have sex but do not experience orgasm, the effects on sleep are less consistent.

Some of this research also finds that men are more likely than women to experience improved sleep following sex, but this appears to be a function of the orgasm gap: given that men orgasm more consistently than women during partnered sex, they’re more likely to experience a beneficial impact on sleep afterwards.

Measuring Sleep Quality

A recent study published in the journal Sleep Health examined the impact of different sexual behaviors (i.e., masturbation, partnered sex, and no sexual activity) on several aspects of sleep quality [2]. The researchers followed 14 couples over 11 nights using a portable polysomnography system and daily surveys. This allowed them to collect objective sleep data, such as sleep onset latency (how long it takes to fall asleep), sleep duration, and time spent in different sleep stages. Notably, this was the first study to objectively measure sleep quality in the context of sexuality using at-home methods, as opposed to studying sleep in a lab setting, an artificial setting that can potentially alter both sexual and sleep behaviors.

How Does Orgasm Impact Sleep Quality?

The authors of this study found that couples tended to go to sleep slightly later on nights when they engaged in sexual activity — whether that activity included masturbation or partnered sex — which could be viewed as a potential downside for overall sleep timing [2]. However, they observed several benefits: participants who had sex or masturbated woke up less during the night, showed higher sleep efficiency, and reported feeling more ready and motivated upon waking. In contrast, those who did not engage in sexual activity took longer to fall asleep.

Stronger orgasms were also linked to better perceived sleep quality, as well as increased feelings of readiness and motivation the following day. In other words, better orgasms may result in better sleep!

Taken together, the evidence suggests that engaging in sexual activity (whether by yourself or with a partner) may very well help you to get a better night of sleep, but whether you experience improved sleep depends on whether or not you reach orgasm.

References:

1. Pallesen, S., Waage, S., Thun, E., Andreassen, C. S., & Bjorvatn, B. (2020). A national survey on how sexual activity is perceived to be associated with sleep. Sleep and Biological Rhythms, 18(1), 65–72. https://doi.org/10.1007/s41105-019-00246-9
2. Lastella, M., Miller, D. J., Montero, A., Sprajcer, M., Ferguson, S. A., Browne, M., & Vincent, G. E. (2025). Sleep on it: A pilot study exploring the impact of sexual activity on sleep outcomes in cohabiting couples. Sleep Health, 11(2), 198–205. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sleh.2024.11.004

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