How often should you be masturbating? We asked the experts

A lazy Sunday when you've the house to yourself; just before you drift off to sleep; with a new partner.

There's no right time to masturbate, but is there a right amount of time to spend doing it? It'll happen that there are days when you lose hours to a bit of self-care or indeed there'll be weeks or even months when the thought doesn't cross your mind at all - is either wrong? Not at all, says sex therapist Teresa Bergin.

"There’s no optimal number of times people need to masturbate, this will vary significantly from person to person," she told us. "Some might feel the desire to masturbate daily, others every now and then."

Having a positive, guilt-free mindset is more important than how long you spend, added Shawna Scott of Sex Siopa.

"There's no right or wrong amount, so long as you have a healthy attitude towards it - you don't feel shame about masturbating and it brings you joy," she said.

There are numerous benefits to masturbating too, aside from the obvious one of bringing yourself to climax. It releases dopamine and oxytocin, chemicals that give us a natural high, help us sleep and can even act as a natural painkiller. Masturbating is also a great way to get to know your own body and what you like. That's not to say that there's no such thing as too much, though. It can happen when people over-rely on porn when masturbating, according to Teresa.

"When dependence on, or addiction to pornography becomes an issue, people find themselves masturbating repeatedly throughout the day and this interferes with work, relationships and everything else we need to pay attention to." "Too much masturbation can also become a problem within a relationship if it’s the only sexual activity and one partner ends up feeling left out or rejected."

Best not to flick the bean to the detriment of everything and everyone else in your life, then. Still, a healthy solo sex life can be pretty good for you so no harm in putting some time into your alone time. Teresa Bergin is a sex and relationship therapist. Find out more about her work at SexTherapy.ie Shawna Scott runs Sex Siopa, an Irish online sex toy retailer. Check out SexSiopa.ie