It’s easy to find an excuse not to go to the gym or grocery shopping or to cut the lawn, but there is absolutely no reason not to have an orgasm. In fact, there are more reasons to have an orgasm than do just about anything else, but if you needed a new one this month, okay, we’ve got you covered: July 31 is National Orgasm Day.
You’ve all felt one. More than one. A thousand times more than one, we hope. But do you know how an orgasm happens? Technically? Physiologically? This is something you should know, especially to fully celebrate the national day for orgasms, especially if you want to put the O in Orgasm hOliday!
Laurie Mintz, Ph.D., wants you to know, too. So, she not only wrote an article about it in Psychology Today, “Happy National Orgasm Day: Some information and tips to help you celebrate.” but she even wrote a book, Becoming Cliterate: Why Orgasm Equality Matters – And How To Get It.”
So here’s how Mintz explains the Big O in her article: “To understand orgasm, you first need to know that both penis- and vagina-owners have erectile tissue in their genitals. This tissue contains special capillaries that let the blood in, but not out. And, all that blood going into your erectile tissue creates tension that builds up to a very high point of tension. Orgasm is when powerful, rhythmic muscle contractions release that tension. And, stating the obvious, orgasm feels good.”
Why yes. Yes it does. In fact, Mintz adds a perfect description of said good feeling by quoting a woman from a textbook, Human Sexuality Today: “It feels like all the tension that has been building and building is released with an explosion. It is the most pleasurable thing in the whole world.”
Of course, if you’re going to celebrate the national festivities like a champ, you have to try a variety of types of orgasms to send your July out with a bang. According to the appropriately titled AH!Yes.org website article “National Orgasm Day: Types of female orgasm”: “Many people don’t realize that there are several types of female orgasm or rather, different ways of evoking the sensation. In fact, according to some researchers, the female body is capable of 11 different types of orgasm.”
The AH! Yes naughty near dozen range from clitoral, the most common, to G Spot, anal, nipple and a less common “coregasm” or an orgasm resulting from physical activity. “A study by Indiana University found that 370 out of 530 women surveyed had experienced orgasm or sexual pleasure while working out. This is most common with core-based exercises.”
All right, so maybe you have more good reasons to go to the gym than we thought. The ladies are so fortunate to enjoy an embarrassment of orgasm opportunities that they even get their Own O-national holiday a week later on August 8: International Female Orgasm Day!
However, every source you consult will state different totals and types of orgasms for women and even multiple kinds for men. Ha! You thought you were limited to one, didn’t you, men?
Seriously, though, depending on who you ask, you may be able to have 3, 5, 7, 10, all the way up to 14 different types of orgasms. Mamamia gives you only 3, but they at least tell you what they mean. Yahoo.com grants you 7. Cosmo generously rockets you up to the 10 Types of Orgasms Every Man Has in His Life. Mysteryvibe says 14, and they do tell you how to achieve them. Heck, Men’s Health shoots the whole wad and just posits the Golden Question: “Wanna Have Multiple Orgasms? Try These Expert Recommended Tips and Techniques.”
So who knows for sure? But boy, how much fun will you have putting them all to the test and seeing what your total is?!
The foundation for all celebratory activities on National Orgasm Day is the undeniable fact that the indomitable Mae West was right: An orgasm a day keeps the doctor away. As Temma Ehrenfeld’s article “Sex Is Good For You” in the January 2023 issue of Psychology Today attests, science confirms that regular sex boosts overall health.
“Yes, you can catch viruses or sexually transmitted diseases or fall into relationships that mess with your heart and health,” Ehrenfeld acknowledges. “However, sex shakes out on the positive side. For example, in a study of nearly 7,000 older Americans (the average age was 65), those who had had any kind of sexual activity in the last year were happier with their lives—particularly men who had intercourse more than twice a month.”
Ehrenfeld’s list of how sex enhances you health includes the benefits of sex as exercise that boosts your heart rate, burns calories, and gives muscles a workout, and it boosts your immune system. Research “links the frequency of sex to a natural chemical called immunoglobulin A, which helps protect both your GI tract and respiratory system from bad bugs,” she informs.
Additionally, sex can elevate your mood and relieve stress and depression. All the more reason to go for more orgasms, on National Orgasm Day or any day before or after. You need plenty of happy, pleasurable practice to stay in shape for the annual holiday, right? “You know whether sex is giving you a healthy afterglow,” Ehrenfeld says. “If sex doesn’t boost your mood, that’s a good reason to reconsider your relationship or other issues around sex.”
No one says you have to stop having sex after you experience an orgasm, but it’s nice to know that orgasm is about as natural a sleep aid as natural gets. Ehrenfeld writes that “Both men and women self-report better sleep after an orgasm, whether they achieved that with a partner or through masturbation, according to one large study. The release of oxytocin and prolactin in orgasm for women is slightly sedating.”
If you actually needed anymore reasons, excuses or justifications – we seriously doubt that you do – we’re going to leave you with an excellent one: Orgasms keep your brain at its peak sharpness, a fun factoid you will find in Bustle’s “15 Stimulating Facts About Getting Off”:
“The more that you orgasm, the more that your body releases a chemical called dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) – the same chemical that improves brain function and memory.”
