Sex Toys: Benefits and Negative Health Implications
Did you know that sex toys have been around since the 15th century. However, the sex toys then were no't used only for sexual pleasures but for defloration rituals.
Today, the sex toy industry is estimated to have a market growth of $52 billion by 2026.
Sex toys are devices or objects designed to look like human genitals and are used for sexual pleasure. Sex toys vary per function like dildos, vibrators, and so on. Toys toggle between vibrating or non-vibrating options, with different purposes, for different body parts, and positions.
The online sex toy store 'Erotic Planet' on Instagram, has narrowed down a list of the most common types of sex toys women use.
These include;
- Vibrators: Wand, Clitoral, Clit suction toys, Rabbit Vibrators, Finger vibrators, wireless panty sets.
- Anal toys: Butt plugs.
- Nipple toys: Nipple clamps.
- Penetrative toys: Dildos.
Are sex toys healthy?
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Sexual satisfaction
Sex toys are designed to improve sexual pleasures.
In 2017, the Journal of Sex & Marital Therapy took a poll of 1,000 women aged 18 to 94, most of the respondents said that they could not reach their orgasms without clitoral stimulation.
Sex toys give you a high chance of reaching orgasm; you have to know how to use them to explore areas of your body that can take you there. It improves your sex life whether you are single or have a partner.
Dr Lauren Streicher, a gynaecologist and sexual health specialist, believes that women's inability to orgasm should be evaluated as a medical issue, with vibrators as a possible remedy. “For some people, achieving orgasms is difficult due to psychological factors. However, certain medical conditions reduce blood flow to the clitoris, causing nerve endings to malfunction”, she explains. A vibrator, however, can change that for many women.
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Body confidence
Experimenting with your body allows you to know your pleasure spots even better. A woman's body is a work of art, and sex toys exist as paintbrushes to help you realize this. When you know your body's ins and outs, you appreciate it more, and this improves your confidence.
"So far, I've had a terrific experience; I use one with a wand for penetration and another for clitoral stimulation." I don't use the penetration wand because I'm not interested in penetration, but the clitoral wand is great. I would recommend it to any lady; it's difficult to navigate at first, but it becomes easier.", says Shalom.
On bad experiences using sex toys, Shalom says, "No, I haven't had any unpleasant experiences with sex toys other than the battery drying in the middle of the action. And if someone finds out I use a sex toy, I don't enjoy it when people know what I'm up to."
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Better sleep cycles
Good sleep is essential to our health. Apart from helping the body rest, it strengthens the immune system, lowers depression and anxiety, and sharpens our cognitive skills. When sex toys help you reach orgasm, it releases oxytocin and endorphins that help you feel calmer and relaxed.
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Manages sexual dysfunction
Sex toys help reduce sex-related problems like performance anxiety, improve vagina lubrication, and help women who struggle to reach orgasm by learning how to experience orgasm through using sex toys.
Sex toys help treat menopausal symptoms like vaginal pains and tightness. Research shows that vaginal vibrators help to stretch the tissues of the vagina to aid penetration without pains and increase blood flow in the vagina walls, thereby promoting healing and improving lubrication.
"Some women claim to feel pain during orgasms, but the only thing I've ever felt was discomfort in my vaginal area, which was usually intense whenever I used it." Kiki says.
Other benefits of sex toys for women are; that they relieve body aches, lower blood pressure, and improve intimacy between you and your partner.