I ejaculated all my energy!

January 7, 2009 8:32 AM

Today I masturbated in the shower and as soon as I came I felt totally wiped out. It was like an incredibly strong headrush combined with very low blood sugar. I had trouble seeing and I was very weak. I had to quickly dry off and lay down for about 10 minutes before I felt comfortable walking around. What the hell happened to me?!
posted by anonymous to Health & Fitness (12 answers total)

This has happened to me. Basically my hand wavey explanation is that you're already experiencing low blood pressure because it's the morning, your skin is flushed with blood because you're in the shower and you're all warm, you may be breathing heavily (hello hyperventilation) and then you get a big rush of blood to your genital region (I do not know if you are a dude or a lady, I don't think it matters) and you're standing up which leaves not quite enough blood for your brain and you get a little lightheaded esp once you get the endorphin rush. If you google

orgasm dizzy

you'll find a lot of other people reporting similar issues. I do not suggest googling

orgasm shower

unless you are safely not at work.
posted by jessamyn at 8:39 AM on January 7, 2009 [5 favorites]

It's possible that you inadvertently bore down or otherwise accidentally created a Valsalva effect, the results of which sound very like what you experienced. Combined with the already-vasodilating effects of a hot shower and the endorphin release from orgasm, the precipitous drop in blood pressure that a Valsalva causes would feel much like what you described.
posted by scrump at 8:40 AM on January 7, 2009

I've also had this happen. It usually happens on the second or third time for me, but it makes some sense; standing-up orgasms can take more energy and effort, and even lying down they're quite an impactful experience.

You're probably okay; just relax a bit. That always works for me.
posted by koeselitz at 8:46 AM on January 7, 2009

The hot shower is a common place for syncope; when people get the symptoms but do not pass out all the way, we call it 'pre-syncope'. Orgasm is also a common syncope trigger.

Ask your doc if you're still worried.
posted by ikkyu2 at 8:52 AM on January 7, 2009 [3 favorites]

Minus the masturbation, this is how my heart attack started: hot shower, low blood pressure, woozy, faint, dizzy, couldn't really see, went to lie down. Not that you had a heart attack, you just had low blood pressure.
posted by orthogonality at 8:55 AM on January 7, 2009

Nthing that you're fine and that this is normal, unless you have other symptoms not related to showers and orgasms. IANAD but I've had this happen many times. Even a long, hot shower, minus the orgasm, will sometimes produce this effect in me (my blood pressure is normally low to begin with).
posted by desjardins at 9:17 AM on January 7, 2009

I've had this. I'm a guy, fwiw. I've no idea about the medical aspects of it, but I figured I'd let you know you're not a freak. :)
posted by Solomon at 9:17 AM on January 7, 2009

Mod note: comments removed - dr. strangelove quotes not ok here
posted by jessamyn (staff) at 10:12 AM on January 7, 2009

I'll have what he's having. *rim shot* *tssss*

I think most of us have been there, could be many factors. Maybe a quick visit to check blood pressure would be practical.
posted by Kensational at 11:04 AM on January 7, 2009

If I make my husband come in the shower the same thing happens to him, and he's extremely healthy. Jessamyn's hand-wavey explanation is vaguely what we attribute it to. If it doesn't happen any other time I doubt you need to worry about it.
posted by Nattie at 11:04 AM on January 7, 2009

Oh, I wanted to add that one of my friend's funny masturbation stories involves him falling down in the shower after orgasming, and not because he slipped or anything. In other words, it's something I've heard of happening often enough.
posted by Nattie at 11:05 AM on January 7, 2009

ditto what jessamyn and scrump said.... which is why you don't have sex in the men's sauna at the gym.
posted by spoons at 11:42 AM on January 7, 2009