Does Masturbating Burn Calories? Let’s Break It Down

If you’re thinking of skipping your HIIT class to stay home and masturbate, you may want to reconsider. Though masturbation does burn calories, the energy you exert during a self-love session is relatively low compared to that of other physical activities (including partnered sex).

But the lower calorie burn doesn’t mean you should abandon the solo sexual activity if you’re enjoying yourself; masturbation has plenty of other health benefits, after all. However, if you’re engaging in self-pleasure specifically to go down a few pant sizes, know there are more efficient ways of reaching your goals.

Keep reading to find out how many calories you’ll typically burn during a masturbation session, how that exertion level compares to other forms of exercise, and other impressive health benefits of masturbation that make going for it worth your time regardless.

Yes, masturbating burns calories, but probably not an equivalent amount to what you’d accomplish in a standard gym session.

Sexual activity elevates your heart rate and blood pressure to a similar level that you’d experience while performing a mild or moderate physical activity for a short duration (similar to walking up a couple of flights of stairs). However, the number of calories you’ll burn while masturbating depends on how active you are during the session.

Masturbating vigorously, getting up and trying different positions, and even experimenting with different sex toys may prolong the experience and help you work up a greater sweat. But, if you’re staying put while masturbating and not moving much during your self-love session, you probably won’t burn as many calories as you would if you were having sex with someone else. 

During sex, you have more opportunities for physical movement, whether by changing positions, holding up your own or a partner’s body weight, or thrusting forcefully. A 2012 case report out of Brazil measured a 36-year-old man’s heart rate as he performed various physical activities, including masturbation, partnered sex, running, and playing soccer. His heart rate peaked at 116 beats per minute (bpm) during masturbation, 142 during sexual activity, 157 during running, and 174 during soccer, illustrating a gradual progression in intensity. 

There’s not enough research available to determine how many calories a person burns during masturbation, but studies on energy expenditure during sex do provide a clue.

According to one small 2013 study of 21 young, healthy couples, the average calorie-burn amount during partnered sexual intercourse was 101 calories in men and around 69 calories in women (or 3 to 4 kcal per minute).

As with other forms of exercise, calorie expenditure during masturbation or sex depends on your age, body composition, sex, body weight, and overall health. It also depends on how long you masturbate and the intensity of the session.

You may not be moving much when you ejaculate, but studies of men and women show that a person’s heart rate peaks alongside their pleasure at the point of orgasm. And heart rate is a good indicator of energy expenditure. 

Studies that have measured heart rate during sex have found a steady increase from foreplay to orgasm, with an average in men of between 96 bpm and 127 bpm, with peak heart rates up to around 170 bpm. However, it’s unclear which part of sex contributes most to the heart rate increase (and the associated calorie loss). Is it the kissing, the fondling, the hip thrusts, or the orgasm itself?

According to 2012 research from the American Heart Association (AHA), blood pressure and heart rate increase mildly during foreplay in men and women, but the greatest increases occur during the 10 to 15 seconds of orgasm. Then, there’s a rapid return to baseline systemic blood pressure and heart rate thereafter.

So, whether you’re playing solo or with a partner, you can expect a spike in heart rate and extra calories burned when you ejaculate during orgasm.

Unfortunately, masturbating doesn’t burn enough calories to contribute to weight loss.

As mentioned, the average partnered sex session burns around 101 calories in men and about 69 calories in women. Those numbers are likely higher than what you’d burn during masturbation. Compare this to what you burn each hour during other physical activities, such as hiking (370 kcal) or cycling (290 kcal), and it’s pretty clear that an intentional fitness activity is a more efficient strategy than masturbation to target weight loss. Adults should strive for a minimum of 150 minutes (2.5 hours) of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise each week, along with two days of strength training, such as resistance exercises or weightlifting.

Also, consider that excessive masturbation may make you tired or unmotivated to exercise. Therefore, it’s important that masturbation doesn’t replace other activities that can help with weight management. These strategies include cardio and strength-training exercises, following a healthy diet, getting better sleep, and more.

Masturbation may not be a silver bullet for weight loss, but it’s still worth doing for a number of reasons (and if you don’t feel the need to masturbate, that’s okay too).

Other health benefits of masturbating include:

• Stress relief. Masturbation and other forms of sex stimulate the release of feel-good hormones like endorphins, dopamine, and oxytocin. These hormones can contribute to lowered stress levels and an improved mood, at least temporarily.

• Better sleep quality. Masturbation may help you sleep better. A 2019 study of over 1,000 men and women concluded that sexual activity resulting in orgasm (solo or partnered) helped participants fall asleep.

• Lower prostate cancer risk. According to a 2016 study of nearly 32,000 men, frequent ejaculation (at least 21 times per month) was associated with a lower risk of prostate cancer compared to men who ejaculated just 4 to 7 times per month.

• More confidence. Masturbating helps you figure out what you enjoy sexually so you can better express that to your partners. This can help you become more confident about your sexual desires and fantasies.

Masturbation is an excellent form of self-care with numerous positive benefits for your sexual health and overall well-being. But it probably isn’t the best way to burn a ton of calories or lose weight, if that’s your ultimate goal. Here’s what we know:

• Masturbation burns calories, but probably not enough for weight loss. While masturbation does burn some calories, the energy expenditure is relatively low compared to other physical activities, like partnered sex or exercise. It won't significantly contribute to weight loss on its own.

• Intensity and duration matter. The number of calories burned during masturbation depends on factors like intensity and duration. You can make your masturbation session more active by stroking vigorously, edging to make the session last longer, or regularly changing positions.

• Masturbating offers health benefits beyond calorie burn. Masturbation offers numerous health benefits, such as improved mood, better sleep quality, and more self-confidence.

Want to upgrade your self-love session? Try using a vibrator or vibrating penis ring. Or add some prostate play to the mix with a prostate massager.

And though masturbation is often thought of as a solo activity, you may be able to increase your heart rate even more by masturbating with your partner. Check out other non-penetrative sex ideas here.