Looking for tips on how to increase your stamina in bed? If it doesn’t last long enough, your masturbation habits may be (at least partially) to blame. That’s because most men masturbate in a way that trains their bodies for a sprint, rather than a marathon.

You may have developed these “quick” masturbation habits for many reasons. You may run to the finish line because you are anxious that someone might interrupt you. Or you also finish fast because there is no reason not to finish fast. An orgasm feels good. Why delay?

Well, the problem is, if you’ve been masturbating like this for years, then what you’ve really been doing is training for a sprint instead of a marathon. So it shouldn’t surprise you that you’re good at running. But you still can’t run a marathon.

Don’t worry. A very significant percentage of men, between 20% and 40%, suffer from premature ejaculation. And an even higher percentage of men wish they could last longer in bed (70% of men, according to Men’s Health).

Few men are born with the ability to last as long as they please, so it’s something every man must learn to deal with. The good news is that if he follows the right advice, he can improve his stamina in a matter of days or weeks. And the important thing is to take action to solve the problem. Too many men wait years before taking any action to beat premature ejaculation.

The first step is to break the “running sprint” habit completely. Instead of thinking of masturbation as a way to quickly give yourself pleasure, approach it as an opportunity to get to know your body and how it responds to stimulation.

Now, you don’t want to stop masturbating completely. Masturbation is a powerful tool to train yourself to last longer in bed. But really you should replace your “sprint” training with a “marathon” training.

The next time you feel like going to the bathroom and having a quickie, resist the temptation. Instead, only masturbate if you can really spare at least 10-20 minutes, so you use masturbation as a way to build your stamina, rather than just giving yourself quick pleasure.

But in addition to correcting your masturbation habits, it’s also important to break other bad habits that may be preventing you from lasting longer in bed. Apart from masturbation habits, premature ejaculation is also caused by anxieties and negative thoughts. So if you want to last longer in bed, you need to retrain your mind and body.