People still aren’t that fussed about talking about their sex lives but I’ve gotta admit, we’re definitely getting there. Granted, after a few drinks and someone breaking the ice, there’s always one that throws the spanner into the works but generally speaking, we all hold back when it comes to talking about our bedroom antics. Even more so when it comes to single person sex. But why? Why can’t we talk about it? What, you say?

Yep, that’s right. Masturbation. In fact, you probably do want to talk about it, you just don’t know how to go about it. I get that, but trust me, more and more people are opening up about self-gratification and the ways we can all reach the solo big-O. Just recently, TENGA,  the sexual pleasure brand, conducted a study of 2,000 UK adults that found that openness about the ‘M’ word in relationships is a growing trend. Good news eh? No more worrying about the judgmental eye meeting you when you talk about having a little bit of “me” time, and no more looking over your shoulder after mentioning the “M” word to one of your friend’s walking behind you like…

Masturbation is actually pretty important. As much as people think, it’s not just about finding yourself alone in the house and dropping your drawers at every given opportunity. It’s about exploring your own body, I’m not trying to sound like a hippie but the more you know about how your own body works, the better. Some people, especially women, find it difficult to orgasm but believe it or not, the more you can make yourself orgasm, the easier it is to have someone else make you do it. Pretty special if you ask me.

I mean, not to mention that it’s a stress reliever too. Sometimes, all we need after a long, hard, grueling day at work is a little somethin’ somethin’ and perhaps even a wine or a beer too to take the edge off. Wouldn’t you agree? I’m almost certain a lot of you are reading this and sat there thinking “well you’re a bit of a sex addict aren’t you?”. Well, I’m not, and neither are a lot of other people too. Trust me, the numbers add up!

DID YOU KNOW?

 A quarter 25% of millennials (18-34s) talk openly about masturbation at least once a month with friends or partners, compared to only three per cent of baby boomers (over 55s)

Overall, 85% of people in relationships are comfortable with their other half masturbating; most of these (78%) say it’s OK for their partner to masturbate because it’s a natural thing to do and 60% say it would be OK as they do it too

More than four in five (83%) British people in a relationship say they masturbate when they are alone, and over half (51%) of these say their other half is aware of it

The most popular person to think about when masturbating for all adults is their current partner (35%), rather than fantasising about a celebrity (16%), or past lover (23%)

In short, everyone’s at it – men and women alike. Whether it comes from the simple pleasures of the hands or the new fangled silicone sex toys you can get your hands on, masturbation is fast becoming a hotter topic of conversation than ever before, because people are realising that it’s a perfectly natural thing to do, whether you’re single or in a relationship.

So next time you’ve gotta explain being late to your pals, just be like…