We should all feel pretty blessed to live in an age where the positive effects of masturbation are widely accepted. No longer does science tell us that women who masturbate will break their vaginas or go to hell. We’ve also come to accept, as a society, that morning sex is the best sex — yet strangely, no one is really talking about morning masturbation. I’m here to change that. Here are the top five reasons why you should be getting off in the morning.

1. Ward Off Illness

Just like you take your morning vitamin, a morning pleasure session can boost your health and prevent illnesses like diabetes and prostate cancer. For women, in particular, masturbating can help prevent cervical and urinary tract infections, according to Anthony Santella, a public health scientist at University of Sydney.

2. Be Happy

Don’t feel like leaving your warm and cozy bed? Not quite ready to put on clothes? If you’ve found yourself in a bit of a pre-work rut, masturbate to boost your body’s feel-good chemicals like endorphins, dopamine, and serotonin.

3. Get Fit

Maybe you can’t find the time to make it to the gym in the morning, or ever. Fortunately, masturbation is a great work out for certain body parts — and you don’t even have to leave the bed! You can actually tone and strengthen your pelvic muscles while pleasuring yourself, which means you’ll have way better sex.

4. Hurt Less

There’s almost nothing as challenging as getting out of bed when you’re on your period, what with all the aching and cramping and bloating. Yes, definitely pop some Tylenol and turn on the heating pad — but also, whip out your vibrator! Masturbating increases blood flow to the pelvic region, which can help ease the pain of cramps and back aches.

5. Spend Quality Time Together

Masturbating doesn’t have to be a solo activity. If you’re having trouble carving out time to be alone with your partner, or if sex is the last thing on your mind when you come home from work, exhausted and stressed, consider masturbating together in the morning. It’s a fulfilling, highly pleasurable way to spend quality time together — even if just for a few minutes — and it will make sex even more awesome.

Images: The To Do List/CBS Films

Want more of Bustle's Sex and Relationships coverage? Check out our new podcast, I Want It That Way, which delves into the difficult and downright dirty parts of a relationship, and find more on our Soundcloud page.

Want more sex? Of course you do. So download Bustle's app from iTunes for all the most recent sex and relationships news, advice, memes, and GIFs from around the Web. Guaranteed to fulfill you more than your ex.