We’ve all heard the stories: You give a new sex toy a spin, love it so much you never want to get off, and – oops! – find yourself a little too sore. Vibrator overstimulation, while rare, is certainly possible.
While even the highest-intensity settings cannot permanently numb your clitoris, when used incorrectly, some people may experience temporary vaginal numbness or loss in sensitivity.
However, that doesn’t mean you have to throw away your favorite vibrator or quit sex toys entirely. Here’s how you can maintain pleasurable sensations and get back to mind-rocking orgasms with a few simple adjustments.
What Is Overstimulation and Why Does It Happen?
Understanding Overstimulation
Can you use a vibrator too much? Not necessarily, but you can overstimulate your genital area.
Sexual overstimulation occurs when nerves become desensitized from prolonged or intense stimulation. Clitorises, nipples, and penises are delicate bundles of blood vessels covered in paper-thin skin. After peaking in an orgasm, your genital area flushes with blood, becoming hypersensitive, and experiences a refractory period.
Additional sexual stimulation during the refractory period can start feeling unpleasant or even painful – something nobody should experience during masturbation or sex!
Factors That Contribute to Overstimulation
Using high-intensity settings for too long
More isn’t always better. Consistently using sex toys at their highest vibrations may result in discomfort. Explore different intensities, and make sure to turn down the settings once you orgasm. You can always build your climax back up for multiple orgasms.
Applying direct pressure without variation
Just like with any other body part, consistent pressure can irritate delicate tissues. Varying the tempo, stroke, and area of stimulation is important to avoid overstimulation.
Not taking breaks between sessions
Yes, orgasms can be rewarding – but pausing during refractory periods is important so your nerves don’t become overwhelmed. For most people, not wanting to be touched or stimulated right after an orgasm is completely normal.
Relying on the same type of stimulation too frequently
We all have a specific stroke, rhythm, or spot that consistently gets us off, and it’s all too easy to go back to the same handy trick again and again. If you’re experiencing diminishing returns, however, it could be that your nerve endings are getting sick of being rubbed the same way.
How To Avoid Overstimulation When Using Sex Toys
Start Slow and Build Up Sensation Gradually
The best part about play time is that there’s no rush. Begin with a lower setting and ease into a comfortable tempo so you don’t immediately overstimulate your nerves. There are many ways to gradually increase intensity.
For example, you can try teasing yourself with light taps until you feel fully aroused before applying the vibrator directly for a longer period of time. Or, you can start on a lower setting and test different areas, holding off on higher settings until you find your sweet spot.
Remember: Some of the most satisfying orgasms are achieved by giving yourself time to explore your body and listening to your body’s signals.
Take Breaks and Rotate Sensation Types
Love going round after round without any time in between? Your nerve endings go through a refractory period after orgasm, and pushing through the refractory period may result in temporary numbness. If you always use your vibrator a specific way, take a break between each round to allow your frazzled nerve endings to reset. That way, the next orgasm will feel even better!
This doesn’t mean you need to stop what you’re doing entirely and go eat some popcorn (unless that’s your thing. Post-orgasm popcorn sounds pretty good). Try alternating between different types of stimulation, such as decreasing or increasing the amount of pressure you’re applying, switching the vibration to a different mode, or gently massaging the area.
Although females are designed for multiple orgasms, breaking for at least a few minutes between sessions will reduce any temporary numbness you may feel from overstimulation.
Explore Different Erogenous Zones
Don’t limit stimulation to nipples and genitals – the human body is full of erogenous zones. In fact, in a 2016 study of 704 participants, there wasn’t a single area of the body that zero respondents considered an erogenous zone. Avoid overstimulation by giving other areas of your body some love.
Exploring different erogenous zones like buttocks, neck, ears, and inner thighs through touch and vibration can be a pleasurable discovery process that deepens the mind-body connection, heightening overall sensation throughout your body.
Choose the Right Sex Toy Settings and Materials
- Intensity Control: Lower, pulsing, or wave patterns create gradual buildup without overstimulating nerve endings or chafing skin – and prolonging your pleasure.
- Material Considerations: Sex toy safety is key. Softer, body-safe silicone is much less likely to scratch or irritate your delicate tissues compared to rigid materials like cheap hard plastics.
- Best Vibrators for Gentle Stimulation: If you are prone to overstimulation, or find direct stimulation too intense, try gentle vibrators like wands, air pulse stimulators, or toys with lower intensity settings.
Avoiding Overuse and Dependency
Listen to your body. Just like you need to give your sore muscles time to heal after several tough workouts at the gym, it’s important to give your body time to reset. Sexual exploration is about connecting with your body on a deeper level; knowing what feels good, what doesn’t, and when it’s time to take a break. When your vibrator is starting to feel too intense, go old-school with your hands, or have your partner help you out.
If certain areas feel desensitized or overstimulated, don’t despair – numbness is typically temporary and doesn’t last very long. When your nerves become used to a certain type of sensation, they will be less responsive. Giving that specific area a break or changing the type of stimulation you apply will help recover sensation.
What to Do If You Experience Numbness from Sex Toys
- Temporary Fixes: As we mentioned above, taking a break from using sex toys on that particular area, switching up the type of stimulation you use, or reducing the amount of pressure and intensity you apply, should restore sensation.
- Long-Term Solutions: If you experience vaginal numbness after prolonged periods of intense vibrator use, but still want to continue enjoying sex toys, consider rotating between different kinds of toys or using lower settings.
- When to Seek Medical Advice: Loss of sensitivity in the clitoral or vulval area due to overstimulation almost always goes away after a break, but if you stop stimulating the area for a while and sensation does not return, there may be deeper underlying issues such as vaginal atrophy or mental/emotional factors and you should consult with your physician.
Conclusion
It turns out, you can have too much of a good thing. Repetitive, prolonged vibrator use – particularly at high settings – may result in overstimulation and potential loss of sensation. Prolong play and avoid overstimulation by listening to your body.
Take breaks when you need to, switch up the techniques, and explore mindfully. Your whole body is full of erogenous zones, so if you’re feeling a little worn out on clitoral stimulation, take the opportunity to discover other ways to enhance your pleasure.
Check out our guide to using a vibrator for full-body pleasure here.
