Masturbating while you have COVID-19 is safe and will not make your illness worse. The physical exertion involved is minimal, roughly equivalent to a slow walk, and there is no evidence that orgasm suppresses the immune response you need to fight the virus. In fact, a few small physiological perks, from temporary nasal decongestion to improved sleep onset, might make you feel marginally better in the short term. The more interesting story is what COVID itself can do to sexual function, both during acute illness and long after you test negative.
The Energy Question
One of the first concerns people have when sick is whether an activity will drain the energy their body needs for recovery. With masturbation, the answer is straightforward: it barely registers as exertion. Sexual activity in general burns only about 85 kilocalories per episode, with a metabolic demand roughly equivalent to walking up a short flight of stairs. That level of effort is far too low to deplete the energy reserves your immune system draws on during an infection.1International Journal of Sports Physiology and Performance. Acute and Delayed Effects of Sexual Activity on Athletic Performance: A Scoping Review Across Sex, Age, and Ethnicity Solo activity is almost certainly on the lower end of even that modest range, since there is no partner interaction adding cardiovascular demand.
Early in the pandemic, sexual health researchers addressed this directly. The recommendation from a review published in Sexual Medicine Reviews was blunt: masturbation is allowed and may provide meaningful psychological benefits, including relief of tension and anxiety, while also being the safest sexual activity option for avoiding COVID transmission.2Oxford Academic. Sexual Health Implications of COVID-19 Pandemic That guidance assumed proper hygiene with any toys used, but the core point was that solo sexual activity posed no additional medical risk during an active infection.
What Happens to Your Immune System
If you are worried that an orgasm might somehow suppress the immune cells fighting COVID in your body, the available evidence points in the opposite direction. A controlled study measuring immune cell counts before, during, and after sexual arousal and orgasm in men found that orgasm triggered a transient increase in the total number of circulating white blood cells, with a particularly notable spike in natural killer cells, a type of immune cell involved in attacking virus-infected cells. Meanwhile, other key immune populations like T cells and B cells, along with the inflammatory signaling molecules interleukin-6 and tumor necrosis factor alpha, were unaffected.3PubMed. Effects of sexual arousal on lymphocyte subset circulation and cytokine production in man
The natural killer cell bump is temporary, likely lasting minutes to hours rather than days, so it would be a stretch to claim masturbation meaningfully “boosts” your immune response to COVID. But the key takeaway is that there is no evidence of immune suppression. Your body does not redirect resources away from fighting infection to accommodate an orgasm. The autonomic nervous system shifts that occur during arousal and climax, including a brief rise in heart rate variability immediately after orgasm followed by a return to baseline within an hour, are well within what a sick person’s body handles routinely.4The Journal of Sexual Medicine. Changes in Biomarkers and Autonomic Nervous System Parameters in Response to Orgasm in Women and Men
Temporary Nasal Decongestion
This is one of the more surprising findings in the sexual health literature, and it is directly relevant if your COVID symptoms include a stuffed nose. A study measuring nasal airflow before and after sexual intercourse with climax found that participants experienced a significant improvement in nasal breathing for up to 60 minutes afterward, comparable in magnitude to the effect of a nasal decongestant spray. Airflow increased, resistance decreased, and the subjective sensation of blockage dropped substantially. The effect was most pronounced in people who had meaningful nasal obstruction to begin with and returned to baseline after about three hours.5PubMed. Can Sex Improve Nasal Function?-An Exploration of the Link Between Sex and Nasal Function
The mechanism likely involves the sympathetic nervous system activation that accompanies arousal and orgasm, which constricts the blood vessels in the nasal mucosa and opens the airway. The study used partnered sex, not masturbation specifically, but the autonomic response to orgasm is broadly similar regardless of how it is achieved. One earlier study did find that visual sexual stimulation alone, without orgasm, could actually decrease nasal airflow slightly, possibly through parasympathetic-mediated vasodilation.6PubMed. Nasal congestion after visual sexual stimulation with and without sildenafil (Viagra): a randomized placebo-controlled study So the decongestion effect seems tied to reaching climax, not just to arousal. If you are lying in bed with COVID and cannot breathe through your nose, an orgasm is not a substitute for medication, but it may buy you an hour of relief.
Sleep Onset and Stress Relief
Poor sleep is common during COVID, whether from coughing, fever, discomfort, or just the stress of being sick. This is where masturbation may offer its most practical benefit. In a large survey of adults, about half reported that orgasm from masturbation improved their sleep quality, and a similar proportion said it helped them fall asleep faster.7Human Kinetics Journals. From the Bedroom to the Arena: How Sex and Masturbation Influence Athletes’ Sleep Partnered sex scored slightly higher on both measures, but the difference was not statistically significant. The likely mechanism involves the post-orgasm release of prolactin and oxytocin, which promote relaxation and drowsiness.
The caveat is that these benefits assume you can actually get to orgasm comfortably. If your COVID symptoms include severe fatigue, body aches, or shortness of breath, the physical effort, however small, may not feel worth it. There is no medical reason to push through discomfort for the sake of a sleep benefit you could also get from a cup of herbal tea. But if you are feeling up to it, the sleep-promoting effect is real and well-documented.
What About Pain Relief?
You may have heard that orgasm can relieve headaches or body pain, which would sound appealing during a rough bout of COVID. The evidence here is less convincing than popular accounts suggest. A study specifically testing whether sexual arousal reduced pain perception during an experimental pain task found that, while the pattern of results pointed in the expected direction, the differences did not reach statistical significance. The effect sizes were small to medium at best.8PubMed Central. The influence of sexual arousal on subjective pain intensity during a cold pressor test in women – Section: Influence of sexual arousal on subjective pain intensity So while orgasm may slightly blunt your awareness of aches and pains for a few minutes through endorphin release and distraction, it is not a reliable analgesic. Do not skip the ibuprofen.
COVID’s Effect on Sexual Function During Acute Illness
Here is where the conversation flips. Rather than asking whether masturbation affects COVID, the more common real-world experience is that COVID affects your ability and desire to masturbate. Multiple studies have documented declines in sexual function during and shortly after active infection. A study comparing women who had recovered from COVID to those who had never been infected found that the COVID group scored significantly lower on measures of arousal, orgasm, satisfaction, and overall sexual function.9PubMed Central. Evaluation of Women’s Sexual Functions After COVID-19 Infection An umbrella review pulling together multiple meta-analyses confirmed a significant decrease in female sexual function associated with COVID.10PubMed Central. Association between COVID-19 and sexual health: an umbrella review
For men, the picture is similar. Beyond the obvious effects of feeling terrible, general fatigue, brain fog, and malaise, COVID may directly affect the physiological machinery of arousal. The virus can damage blood vessel linings and trigger inflammation in ways that impair blood flow, including to the genitals. If you are in the acute phase of infection and find you have no interest in sex or that your body is not responding the way it usually does, that is a well-documented effect of the illness itself, not something wrong with you beyond the infection.
Long COVID and Sexual Health
For some people, sexual function does not bounce back after the acute illness resolves. Erectile dysfunction has emerged as a recognized feature of long COVID, and the numbers are striking. A follow-up study of men who had recovered from COVID found that about half still met criteria for erectile dysfunction three months after recovery, down from roughly two-thirds during the acute illness but still far above normal baseline rates. Age over 40 and a diagnosis of major depression were the strongest predictors of persistent problems.11PubMed Central. Erectile dysfunction after COVID-19 recovery: A follow-up study
A Japanese study of hospitalized COVID patients found that about one in five reported erectile dysfunction symptoms at either the one-year or two-year follow-up surveys. Of those who developed the problem, about two-thirds reported it starting within 28 days of their COVID infection.12Scientific Reports. Prevalence of erectile dysfunction as long-COVID symptom in hospitalized Japanese patients Researchers have attributed this to the multiple ways long COVID damages the body: endothelial dysfunction in blood vessels, chronic low-grade inflammation, autonomic nervous system disruption, hormonal changes, and the psychological toll of prolonged illness.13PubMed Central. The Sexual Long COVID (SLC): Erectile Dysfunction as a Biomarker of Systemic Complications for COVID-19 Long Haulers
If you are weeks or months past your COVID infection and finding that masturbation is not working the way it used to, whether through reduced desire, difficulty with arousal, or trouble reaching orgasm, it is worth mentioning to your doctor. These issues are treatable, and bringing them up is not trivial: some researchers have proposed that erectile dysfunction may serve as an early biomarker for the broader vascular damage that long COVID can cause throughout the body.
Hormonal Shifts From Masturbation
A small randomized crossover study in young healthy men examined what happens to hormones after masturbation compared to passive rest. The researchers found that masturbation significantly attenuated the normal afternoon drop in free testosterone, essentially keeping levels a bit higher than they would have been otherwise. Even watching erotic material without masturbating had a smaller version of the same effect.14PubMed Central. Hormonal response after masturbation in young healthy men – a randomized controlled cross-over pilot study This is a modest and short-lived effect, not a testosterone “boost” in any meaningful clinical sense, but it does counter the persistent myth that masturbation lowers testosterone. It does not.
During COVID, your hormonal environment is already somewhat disrupted by the infection itself and by the stress response that comes with being sick. Cortisol tends to run high, and testosterone may dip. There is no evidence that masturbation makes these infection-related hormonal shifts worse. The post-orgasm prolactin surge that makes you feel sleepy is temporary and does not interfere with your body’s ability to manage the infection.
Viral Shedding and Hygiene
One reason the early pandemic guidance endorsed masturbation as a safe activity was the question of virus in genital fluids. A systematic review and meta-analysis examining SARS-CoV-2 detection across body fluids found the virus in saliva about 83% of the time and in feces about 32% of the time, but in semen only about 2% of the time and in vaginal secretions less than 3% of the time.15PubMed Central. Viral shedding of SARS-CoV-2 in body fluids associated with sexual activity: a systematic review and meta-analysis Individual studies have confirmed this pattern. One found SARS-CoV-2 RNA in a single semen sample from one participant at 81 days post-symptom onset, but the virus could not be cultured from that sample, meaning it was likely non-infectious. Subsequent samples from the same man and all samples from six other participants were negative.16Emerging Infectious Diseases. SARS-CoV-2 RNA Shedding in Semen and Oligozoospermia of Patient with Severe Coronavirus Disease 11 Weeks after Infection Another study tested semen from six men who still had detectable virus in their saliva and nasal passages and found zero copies of the virus in any semen sample.17Open Forum Infectious Diseases. No Evidence of SARS-CoV-2 Seminal Shedding Despite SARS-CoV-2 Persistence in the Upper Respiratory Tract
For solo masturbation, this is mostly academic since you are not sharing fluids with anyone. But it does mean that even if you are worried about contamination on your hands or toys, genital secretions are extremely unlikely to carry viable virus. Basic hand hygiene before and after, which is good practice regardless, is all that is needed.
When Smell Disappears and Desire Follows
One of COVID’s most distinctive symptoms, the loss of smell, has a less obvious sexual dimension. Olfaction plays a significant role in sexual desire and arousal, and a longitudinal study tracking people who experienced COVID-related smell loss found that as their psychophysical olfactory function improved over time, their sexual frequency increased in parallel. Among people in stable relationships, improved smell function predicted both higher sexual frequency and greater sexual desire.18PubMed. The impact of COVID-19-related smell dysfunction on sexual and mental wellbeing: Data from a longitudinal sample
This makes intuitive sense. Smell is deeply tied to attraction, pleasure, and even the perception of your own body. If you are dealing with anosmia or parosmia during COVID and find that your sexual interest has dropped off a cliff, the smell loss may be a contributing factor on top of the general malaise. The encouraging news is that for most people, smell gradually returns, and sexual desire tends to recover with it.
How Pandemic Lockdowns Changed Solo Sex Habits
The pandemic reshaped sexual behavior at a population level, and masturbation patterns shifted alongside everything else. A large nationally representative British survey found that while about 61% of people reported no change in how often they masturbated compared to pre-lockdown, those who did change were more likely to increase than decrease, with roughly 24% reporting more frequent masturbation and 15% reporting less.19Sexually Transmitted Infections. Impacts of COVID-19 on sexual behaviour in Britain: findings from a large, quasi-representative survey (Natsal-COVID) A U.S. national survey found a similar pattern: a small but significant decrease in partnered sexual activities alongside a small increase in masturbation and pornography use among men.20PubMed Central. The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Sexual Behaviors: Findings From a National Survey in the United States A systematic review and meta-analysis across multiple countries confirmed the broader trend: fewer partnered sexual encounters and more solo activity.21BMC Public Health. Effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on sexual functioning and activity: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Pornography searches spiked during lockdowns, with a roughly 25% increase in traffic to major platforms compared to pre-pandemic averages, and searches for pandemic-themed content rose alongside case counts.22PubMed Central. Porndemic? A Longitudinal Study of Pornography Use Before and During the COVID-19 Pandemic in a Nationally Representative Sample of Americans However, a longitudinal study tracking the same individuals over time found that fears of a “porndemic” were largely overblown. Only about 14% of people who used pornography in the immediate post-lockdown period reported having increased their use since the pandemic started, and that bump returned to normal levels within a few months. Overall, pornography use actually trended slightly downward over the course of the pandemic for both men and women.
The population-level shift toward more solo sex made sense as a behavioral adaptation. People who were isolating, living apart from partners, or anxious about close contact found masturbation a practical outlet. For those who were actively sick with COVID and not up for the physical and social demands of partnered sex, solo activity offered a lower-barrier option for stress relief and pleasure, which is exactly what the sexual health guidance at the time supported.