Masterbation and PEM

[JasonPerth]

Hi, i hope this question is okay to ask, i only feel safe asking it here.
When my Condition of ME/CFS was very Mild, something like Sex and Masterbation was something that i could do i believe without PEM, but i could no longer run for example or do heavy lifting as that would cause PEM and many symptoms to develop. As i was deteriorating between Mild and Severe in 2022 i did start to feel super heavy pulses after sex and i was starting to get more and more knackered after it.

I was unsure how much adrenaline played apart, however, up until 2022 i never had that PEM /Brain feeling of “i am not able to participate as much as i want to” as i do now because im weak and bedridden with no real interest due to recent deterioration as much as id love to due to how much i enjoy it.

Regardless , as i became bored with life i believe i have become addicted to Masterbation. Without talking to other men its hard to know if i do this too much however because i believe i am its probably very likely an addiction as i dont do much else besides sleep, watch youtube, and talk on social media , and when i could be resting and doing nothing, i play…. To my regret i think.

Now that i am Bedridden about 95% , i do worry if its causing me PEM or not, or if im in a never ending PEM because of my daily antics. Or if im just at a bedridden state that will have me always battling symptoms whether im Masterbating or not.

I guess what id like to know is if anyone stopped or has given masterbation a break and if its improved symptoms. In Particular if you are Bedridden.

Other then Watching Screens, bath/shower and Making my own meals, its the only thing im not doing that i would say is definitely not resting and i just feel like am forever deteriorating. (Doing less then i was a month ago ongoing)

Please dont judge id much rather be fit and healthy and playing sport like i once was everyday instead of doing this sport was my place of escape

 

[linusbert]

this is a common theme here. masturbation and sex for many is PEM inducing, for some its somewhat improving but i only heard this from women. so basically men have no effect or bad effect.
i do too have bad effects.

for me its like this
- masturbation with ejaculation -> feeling worse the next day
- masturbation without ejaculation(also known as edging) -> actually feeling great and makes me feel better even the following days
- masturbation with ejaculation + taking immediately vitamin C -> most of the time no good or bad effect, so it seams to spare me or at least reduce PEM

so try not to ejaculate, and if you do try to take some vitamin C in like 500-1000mg , maybe it helps.


what are the physiological mechanics to explain this? no one knows for sure,
what i am hypothesising is that in men ejaculation causes a shift in hormones, especially a raise in prolactin and a fall in testosteron. and prolacting seams to be somewhat bad for us cfs folks. and lower testosterone isnt good either.

why vitamin C does have for me a somewhat protective effect is probably because it either prevents too much prolactin or kinda shifts hormones back towards something more beneficial.

no one is judging you, the times where people have to be ashamed of masturbation should actually be over. and as said above, we have a lot of sexual topics in this forum including a half-ironic dating section.

 

[hapl808]

for me its like this
- masturbation with ejaculation -> feeling worse the next day
- masturbation without ejaculation(also known as edging) -> actually feeling great and makes me feel better even the following days
- masturbation with ejaculation + taking immediately vitamin C -> most of the time no good or bad effect, so it seams to spare me or at least reduce PEM

All of it makes me feel awful. Looking at porn for 5 minutes will often bring on a PEM crash within the next day or two for me.

I guess what id like to know is if anyone stopped or has given masterbation a break and if its improved symptoms. In Particular if you are Bedridden.

Yep, I've stopped for months at a time. It makes no difference on my baseline, but I generally don't do it just because the crashes are brutal. It's not worth it when it takes me 7-10 days to recover. Messes up my digestion, acid reflux, migraines, etc.

When I was less severe (moderate), sex (or masturbation) made me feel somewhat crappy for 1-2 days, but I never fully realized how directly it was affecting me. Since I had crashes all the time from cognitive or physical exertion, it wasn't until I was more severe that I recognized ones from sexual activity as much. It's weird because I felt better during sex and right after - but the next day it would hit me like a hangover. Also weird how many years it took me to realize that.

So nothing abnormal about your reaction. There are whole forums dedicated to POIS (post orgasmic illness syndrome). Unfortunately, I haven't found anything that helps me - but then again, even working on the computer for more than 30 minutes will often crash me these days.

 

[Rufous McKinney]

and if you do try to take some

Seems like you should not rule out that it's strictly an energy cost. To produce sperm etc; and then the physical activity/muscular part.

Lately I really notice, eating, for instance, I go into narcolepsy half way thru breakfast.

And I get some tachycardia/ or increased HR, when I sit on the toilet.

 

[Rufous McKinney]

Looking at porn for 5 minutes

oh Good Grief. I"d be scared to go looking for any of that. What if it won't stop flooding in ?

 

[Rufous McKinney]

There is also an old thread around here someplace, with men discussing issues with the mechanics of all that, and "circulation" and I weighed in once briefly, then fled the area.

The loss of subcutaneous fat deposits/ missing proteins/ collagen...is affecting some males.

 

[Treeman]

I think with me, due to low energy my libido has declined accordingly. However, any activity that causes energy usage will have a cost due to having so little energy to start with.

I'm also aware that boredom can increase masturbation.

 

[Rufous McKinney]

I'm also aware that boredom can increase masturbation.

somehow, this was funny, as I considered the story about a sort of famous on the TV lawyer, who must have gotten a little bored, on the conference call with all his work colleagues.

And then, he thought the camera was off. So he beat the drum with many shocked witnesses. Gosh I hope the sound was off.

 

[Treeman]

somehow, this was funny, as I considered the story about a sort of famous on the TV lawyer, who must have gotten a little bored, on the conference call with all his work colleagues.

And then, he thought the camera was off. So he beat the drum with many shocked witnesses. Gosh I hope the sound was off.

I think I've been in a few work meetings that could drive anyone to become,.... distracted

 

[linusbert]

just saw this, its not about cfs and masturbation but more in general about what happens in male masturbation / ejaculation.