Millions of men embark on ‘No Nut November’ today that will see them abstain from masturbating or having sex for a month

The annual internet challenge for men to forego any kind of sexual release for the entire month of November has begun, but men’s health experts say the benefits are all in your head.

Since its conception in 2011, followers of the No Nut November movement (a name derived from the unsavory term ‘to bust a nut’) have credited abstaining from ejaculation with improving their mental health and clarity, gastrointestinal problems, and increased self-confidence.

No Nut November has appealed to millions of men around the world in hopes it will boost their sperm count and health, increase testosterone levels, and perform better athletically.

Reddit forums dedicated to the internet challenge lit up early Wednesday with countless men detailing their struggles on the first of 30 days and many others issuing football locker room-style pep talks urging them to keep going.

The self-discipline it takes to make it through 30 days without ejaculating is likely the cause of people’s improved self-confidence – proving to themselves that they can set a goal and achieve it. 

But experts told DailyMail.com if men want to see higher testosterone levels and more eager sperm, No Nut November is not the way to get there.

Dr Fenwa Milhouse, a board-certified urologist with expertise in sexual dysfunction, told DailyMail.com: ‘My first honest impression of No Nut November was, clearly a urologist didn’t think of it think of that.

‘As we know it now, there isn’t really any solid scientific evidence that it’s beneficial to purposefully withhold ejaculation, particularly for that length of time. 

‘And in fact, there is more evidence for ejaculating and its potential benefits than the anecdotal, which is basically what all we have, reports of improved well-being.’

Many men who embark on the No Nut November journey have goals to increase testosterone, but neither masturbation or ejaculation have been shown to have any long-term positive or negative effects on T levels. 

In fact, some studies, including one published in the Archives of Sexual Behavior in 2016, have reported testosterone levels increased after orgasm.

Men may also claim they want to try No Nut November to improve the health and volume of their sperm. 

While studies have shown semen volume and sperm count increase after two days of abstaining from any sexual release, when it came to the health of that sperm, abstaining appeared to have a negative effect. 

The motility, or moving ability and shape of sperm, which make them able to fertilize an egg to initiate a pregnancy, decreases after two days of abstinence.

After one day of abstinence, an estimated 42 percent of sperm moved around as normal. But by day 10, that rate fell to 38 percent, and still further to 33 percent by day 14.

Some men may take the challenge as a way to improve their physical prowess, an idea that gained mainstream popularity with world-famous boxer Mike Tyson who abstained from sex for five years to help his boxing performance, a move he later called ‘stupid’. 

The notion of retaining semen to improve performance dates back even further than Mr Tyson’s trend. Sexual activity before an athletic event was often seen as causing less-than-optimal sport performance in ancient Greece and Rome. 

The most frequently touted benefit among No Nut November participants is improved mental health and self-confidence that comes with being able to temper overwhelming physical urges.

Dr Boback Berookhim, a New York-based urologist and men’s sexual health specialist, told DailyMail.com: ‘From a philosophical standpoint, having control over one’s various bodily urges does have a benefit in terms of self-discipline and self-control and kind of improving one’s general sense of self over time.

‘Does that mean that that person needs to abstain from sexual activity for a month? I’m not convinced but to each his own. It’s certainly not going to be harmful.’

While holding back might raise a man’s sense of awareness and mental clarity, there is more evidence to support sexual release. 

The feel-good hormone oxytocin surges during sex, which can alleviate stress and improve feelings of relaxation, translating to better sleep. 

During sex the brain also releases a flood of dopamine in response to feelings of pleasure. Dopamine is known as the pleasure chemical but it is also integral for feeling romantic attachment and intimacy. This is why a healthy sex life is critical to maintaining the romantic bond between partners. 

There is even a link between ejaculating regularly and the prevention of prostate cancer, though more clinical research into this association needs to be completed before scientists can establish a possible causal link. 

It’s not clear how many adherents No Nut November has, but the Reddit page dedicated to it has 145,000 followers.

The page has been active since the early hours of November 1 with campy messages of encouragement to fellow ‘soldiers’ around the globe. 

The act of abstaining is uncomfortable, something very evident in the number of online postings from struggling men showing images of cartoon planes going down and many versions of a popular meme showing a boy straining so hard not to speak the veins on his skull become visible. 

Withholding sexual release can cause emotional distress and difficulty concentrating. 

And at the end of the day, the body may still find a way to expel ejaculate in the form of nocturnal emissions, more commonly known as wet dreams. 

Wet dreams are not always the product of sexual arousal. Rather, they are a way for the body to filter out the old sperm to make room for the new.  

Dr Berookhim said: ‘There are concepts of this everywhere. You have dry January, and there’s intermittent fasting. I think people across the board are trying to take control of some of their more bodily urges. And that in and of itself, I don’t think is such a negative.

‘There is certainly an element of somebody who’s controlling their urges, is going to have better self-confidence.

‘But to assume that it’s going to lead to major physiologic differences in terms of athletic performance, or in terms of hormonal fraction, it just isn’t there.’