NoFap Benefits: Definition and What Research Says

What Is Nofap?

No Fap is a movement. A masturbation movement. Most importantly, it is an approach to the act of masturbation that involves abstaining from this sexual activity for prolonged periods and semen retention. Men often seek to re-establish control over their lives and stay away from compulsive sexual behaviour.

No Fap Benefits In Ayurveda?

The Ayurvedic discipline believes that the food we consume produces blood in our systems which, in turn, produces semen. Hence, an ejaculation of unnecessary semen is directly related to a loss in the life force. Avoiding the constant usage of reproductive organs for the sake of pleasure gives the body mental benefits that come from the act of exercising control. These newfound benefits are transformed into Ojas or spiritual energy that comes from pure thoughts.

Scientific Benefits of NoFap

As per studies, it is believed that pornography causes addiction. The core motive of the NoFap anti-masturbation movement is to break that chain by avoiding masturbation for a stretch of at least 30 to 90 days at a time.

NoFap Regulates The Dopamine System

Dopamine is the neural chemical compound present in the brain which tells you to take the initiative, makes you feel motivated, satisfied, and aroused. When you refrain from fapping, the dopamine levels in your brain decrease.

The brain adjusts to the low dopamine level. Research suggests it increases the number of dopamine receptors to maximise the low dopamine effect. By having more dopamine receptors, you will feel more pleasure from doing simpler things.

NoFap Manages ADHD

Excessive fapping is associated with ADHD, which stands for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. It mobilises the neurotransmitters that make you feel calm and good.

NoFap Betters Mental Health And Self Esteem

Excessive masturbation ruins your brain functioning by not allowing you to focus on other parts of life. It also helps us feel a sense of reward. Research shows a relationship between low dopamine levels and social anxiety, depression, and low self-esteem. One of the effects of not masturbating is that it brings back your confidence.

Also read: Masturbation effects on kidney and back pain

NoFap Mental Advantages

• It increases your willpower and your overall level of motivation. This enables you to stick to your goals for yourself due to the increase in dopamine levels.
• Giving up on masturbation makes you more confident by reversing the damage caused by porn addiction.
• It makes you sharper by eliminating the brain fog that you tend to develop when you masturbate excessively.
• It helps you stay present in the moment and enables you to improve your quality of life as a whole. Staying away from masturbation makes you happier and increases your life satisfaction. You start focusing on things of more importance and decrease procrastination levels.
• You gain a sense of discipline because you train yourself to maintain the no fapping routine.

NoFap Physical Advantages

• It increases energy levels and makes men feel stronger, which in turn increases productivity.
• According to studies, It boosts testosterone levels in the body. A week of NoFap can boost testosterone levels by 150%. Increased testosterone means higher sperm production, better libido, stronger bones and muscles.
• NoFap will help you get better erections as it changes the addictive high stimulus environment you create in your brain with excessive masturbation.
• It helps with better physical performance and stamina as, while fapping, your brain gets rewired.
• It improves sperm quality and helps you become more focused. According to experts, 2 to 7 days of abstinence makes weak sperm grow stronger.
• NoFap helps you prioritise your sleep and subsequently improves your sleep cycle.
• Last but not least, NoFap saves you an ample amount of time.

Pro Tips for NoFap

NoFap is a platform that helps youths, especially males, reduce their addiction to pornography and masturbation. The word 'fap' or 'fapping' is slang for masturbation. Many youths on the program sometimes succeed in weaning themselves off the habit of masturbating, while others are known to relapse after a few days. Here are a few tips that should be followed in order to follow the NoFap routine successfully. NoFap benefits are many.

1. Work Hard for Your Goals

The first thing you should do is to sit alone because if you're bored, it's likely that you'll relapse. People addicted to masturbation earlier can lose control during this time and go back to square one.

When you are bored, your mind loves to participate in things that make us feel good; and because of that, you will be forced to look for stimulants, including maybe porn. If you try to keep yourself busy, it will not provide you the time to feel bored, and by the time you finally get some rest, you'll feel sleepy.

2. Participate In Activities like Gym, Sports, Yoga, Meditation

When you are physically very strong, you become mentally strong as well. As you engage yourself in activities other than masturbation that are physically stimulating, your dependence on porn would automatically decrease. The advantages of NoFap are many.

3. You Can Turn It Into a Game

The NoFap platform has turned the whole process of abstinence from porn into a competition. You can join the game if you join NoFap.

4. You Can Try to Replace Your Porn Watching With Something Else

Many of the NoFappers have replaced their previous masturbation time with exercise or various other activities. This had allowed them to strengthen their resolve.

5. You can use a NoFap App

The NoFap organisation has developed various apps to provide encouragement to people who want to abstain.

NoFap Risks

However, having a NoFap routine is not without its risks. Those are as follows:

1. It Can Decrease the Health of Semen

If various experts are to be believed, then regular ejaculation can help to maintain a normal sperm count range. It also promotes the formation of healthy sperm and maintains a fairly normal volume of semen.

2. Better Sexual Health

Masturbation can assist people in understanding their sexual desires much better, gain more insight into what turns them on, and therefore communicate effectively with their sexual partners. Masturbation is something that sex therapists recommend for the sake of improving sex life.

3. Abstinence

Masturbation can make abstinence much easier. It can also be an important tool to prevent pregnancy and stop the spread of a large number of STDs or sexually transmitted diseases.

NoFap Rules

• Refrain from using porn, edging and masturbating
• Avoid having sex for a set period of 90 days
• You can have sex after the reset period
• Set a goal and make streaks by following rules every consecutive day.
• Do not imagine, scroll or watch anything that will increase your chances of fapping.

Myths Vs. Truths About NoFap

1.  Myth: NoFap can significantly benefit your health.

Truth: Actually, there are absolutely no health benefits to stopping masturbation. In fact, not masturbating can increase your risk of prostate cancer.

2. Myth: NoFap is primarily religious in nature.

Truth: NoFap does not comment on the religious and spiritual benefits of abstaining from masturbation. This is a complete myth.

3. Myth: NoFap increases time in bed.

Truth: This is not true. On the other hand, you could easily ejaculate sooner than the desired time if you abstain from pleasing yourself. There are no known scientific benefits of NoFap.

4. Myth: Masturbation reduces IQ.

Truth: There is no scientific basis to this.

5. Myth: NoFap says that masturbation is morally wrong.

Truth: NoFap never gives any moral lectures on masturbation; instead, it aims to stop addiction to porn and masturbation.

Nofap Vs. Semen Retention

NoFap tells people to stop their masturbatory practices or jerking off, especially when it comes to pornography. This is in stark contrast to semen retention or edging, which is masturbating without ejaculating.

When to See a Doctor

You should see a doctor if you feel that abstaining from masturbation affects your physical health and gives you conditions such as blue balls.

In A Nutshell - Fapping Or No Fapping?

According to scientific evidence, not ejaculating for a few days may enhance testosterone levels and even increase sperm count. Other benefits of NoFap, however, are not scientifically proven. That being said, enough positive, anecdotal evidence from the NoFap community includes satisfied men staying away from masturbation and pornographic videos. If it works for you, make sure to stick to it. If it doesn't, ensure you control your masturbation and limit it to once a day.

Also read: Masturbation effects on the memory and brain

FAQs

Does NoFap Increase Sperm Count?

Research shows that men with infertility issues and low sperm count often benefit from NoFap as it helps improve sperm quality (that is, its concentration and motility).

How long should NoFap Last?

It is recommended to go for NoFap for at least 90 days. Once you complete this goal, you can choose to continue following it.

Does Masturbating Make You Tired?

Yes, it does. If you masturbate often, your body becomes insensitive towards dopamine, leaving you feeling depressed and exhausted with low energy levels. You can become demotivated. When you consider NoFap, it balances your hormone levels and helps you get your energy and motivation back.  

References

Todd Love, Christian Laier (2015) Neuroscience of Internet Pornography Addiction: A Review and Update (Behavioural Sciences) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4600144/

Hugo Juárez Olguín, David Calderón Guzmán (2016) The Role of Dopamine and Its Dysfunction as a Consequence of Oxidative Stress (Oxidative Medicine and Cellular Longevity) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4684895/

Felix Zimmer, Roland Imhoff (2020) Abstinence from Masturbation and Hypersexuality (Archives Of Sexual Behaviour) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7145784/

Ming Jiang, Jiang Xin (2003) A research on the relationship between ejaculation and serum testosterone level in men (National Library of Medicine) https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12659241/

Marlene Hartmann (2020) The totalising meritocracy of heterosex: Subjectivity in NoFap (Sexualities) https://www.researchgate.net/publication/342514403_The_totalizing_meritocracy_of_heterosex_Subjectivity_in_NoFap