Experimenting with new styles and techniques can provide more pleasure, says Dr. Chris Donaghue, a psychologist specializing in individual and couples sex. "The number one reason guys should experiment is because the most arousing thing sexually is newness and novelty," he explains.
Plus, switching things up alone can make you better at having sex with a partner, he says.
Don't know where to begin? Try one of these four techniques the next time you have some solo time.
Change positions
Most guys masturbate in the exact same position — every. Single. Time.
"People laugh because I’ll ask them, 'Have you ever masturbated standing?,'" Donaghue explains. The answer is almost always no.
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If you always sit while masturbating, try standing or lying on your back. The key is to always change your position, which will make your solo sessions "more interesting and dynamic," Donaghue says.
Plus, if you get really creative, it'll make you more confident when it comes to trying out new positions in the bedroom. "You’re learning how to be erotic in different positions," Donaghue explains.
Explore your whole body
Chances are, your penis gets all of the attention during masturbation. This is a mistake, says Donaghue. "Our whole body is wired for pleasure," he explains. There are a whole host of so-called erogenous zones on your body, including your nipples, your sacrum (the small of your back), and the tops of your thighs.
Donaghue recommends exploring these typically overlooked areas and zoning in on how stimulating them makes you feel. Start slow by playing with your nipples and then progress to rubbing your thigh or grabbing your butt. Other unexpected areas you should be exploring include the scalp, neck and inner wrist.
Tease yourself
Of course you just want to get to the orgasm, but refraining could provide a new kind of pleasure, according to sex therapist Dr Ian Kerner, instead of giving into sweet release, masturbate until you're close to ejaculation. Force yourself to stop, then begin masturbating again, this time allowing yourself to ejaculate. (This is called "edging," and some guys swear by it.)
Kerner says that staying in a heightened state of arousal "creates more sexual tension in the body." Some guys even liken it to having multiple orgasms, since they'll experience multiple pelvic contractions in the process of delaying the big O.
Use sex toys
Using a penis sleeve like the Fleshlight provides an entirely different experience, according to Kerner. Some toys are ridged, and others have bumps, but all will provide a novel sensation.
"It can provide a lot of friction and really enhance the feeling of the pleasure," he says. An added bonus? You can use them with your partner for foreplay.
This article originally appeared on Men's Health
