Why Masturbation Helps Us Sleep—and Other Sleep Tips – Cora

We can train our mind to associate sleep with orgasms.

Our brains are mighty powerful things: controlling our bodies, guiding our emotions and helping us rock it at the office and navigate heated dinner conversations. They can also be trained to overcome obstacles, traumas, or anxieties, especially when working with a professional. What’s even more fascinating is how they help us to tie certain smells, sights, and textures with memories from our past. That’s why the scent of corn dogs may take you right back to preschool, or a certain brand of sunscreen always reminds you of your family vacations. Sex therapist Shawntres A. Parks says the same can be true about orgasms. 

As she puts it, recent research has shown the perception alone that sex or masturbation will improve your sleep plays a part in it. In other words: if we believe that having an orgasm will put us in the fast track to dreamland, then we likely will fall asleep faster post-coital (or post-vibrator sesh). “What this could look like is a modified sleep hygiene routine where one consistently masturbates or engages in partnered sex regularly just before sleeping to create a behavioral link that can help to prompt the onset of sleep and to improve the quality of the sleep,” she explains.