How Often Should a Man Release Sperm?

  • Author: Sumit
  • Published: December 21, 2022
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Ejaculation frequency isn’t a topic that’s talked about a lot online, especially in the NoFap and semen retention community. After all, why regulate the frequency of your ejaculation if you’re trying to quit watching porn, or retain semen? Shouldn’t you just go cold turkey?

The truth is, for most men it isn’t that easy. Trying to control a porn addiction or chronic masturbation is a tall order. It requires a lot of patience and going cold turkey is extremely difficult.

If you don’t have an addiction and masturbate casually, you’re also included in this conversation. Maybe you’re here because you’re trying to increase your vitality and reap the benefits of ejaculating less.

This naturally leads us to one question:

Is there an ejaculation frequency I should be aiming for?

To help you answer the big question we’ll tell you what affects your ability to ejaculate frequently, the pros and cons, different methods of release, and even what science and practices of the past have to say. Your philosophical and religious views also matter, so we’ll touch on those too.

Is there a magic frequency for releasing sperm? Maybe we’ll reveal it today… or debunk the myth surrounding it. Keep reading to find out!

The promise: By the end of this article you’ll have enough knowledge to make an informed decision for yourself.

Disclaimer: This article is intended for educational purposes only. The views presented here should not be taken as medical or professional advice. Please speak to your doctor about your personal circumstances. All opinions are simply the writers’ during the time of publication and are subject to change.

Factors That Affect Ejaculation Frequency

There are many factors that’ll affect how often you ejaculate. Your busy work schedule or your demanding personal life could get in the way of a self-gratification session — but those are exceptional cases that can be worked around with a bit of planning.

Instead, we’ll focus on common factors that have the biggest impact on how often you ejaculate. Let’s have a look at how your age, health, and relationship status can affect you.

Age

Age is one of the first things to consider when deciding how often to blow your load.

Generally, the older you get, the weaker you become. Ejaculations become less intense and don’t have as much force. Sperm count also decreases by up to 50% when a man reaches his 40s based on studies published by the National Institute of Health.

We’ll talk more about how this affects your semen release later in the article. The Taoist perspective sheds more light on this area. Check out the “Ancient Practices & Semen Retention” section for a clearer picture.

Health

Just like age, health is either a limiting factor or an enabling factor when it comes to ejaculating.

Men in poor health won’t have the luxury of ejaculating as frequently as their healthy counterparts. This is because the body is dedicating resources to improve the quality of muscle tissue, bones, and to assist with general body functions.

Bodily resources are crucial when a man is sick since they’ll be needed to cure an ailment rather than replenish sperm reserves. In addition, men with various health complications such as diabetes will have problems getting and maintaining an erection.

Healthy men will find they can ejaculate more often without many restrictions or consequences.

Relationship Status

A 2015 study titled Sexual Exploration in America highlighted the sexual frequency of men in their 20s and 30s among many interesting factors.

Ejaculation with a partner was most common for men around the ages of 25-29 at a rate of 68.9%. Men in their 30s reported at a rate of 63.2%. This figure declined with each successive decade.

Masturbation is also widely used as a means of releasing sperm across all age groups for men. So if you’re not getting any sex, you could consider masturbating.

There is no recommended amount of ejaculation for men in or out of relationships. However, research from the journal titled Social Psychological and Personality Science found that partners who had sex at least once a week had more satisfaction in their relationship, but more sex than this didn’t cause an additional increase in satisfaction.

Pros and Cons of Releasing Sperm Daily

As with most decisions in life, a good ol’ snapshot of the pros and cons helps us decide whether the choice is right for us. Without further ado, let’s look at some of the pros and cons of releasing sperm daily.

Pros

  • Heart health – Masturbation and sex raise your heart rate to the point of moderate or mild physical activity. This is beneficial for your cardiovascular health.
  • Prostate Cancer Prevention – This one’s a maybe. Some studies say yes, and some say no.
  • Erectile dysfunction treatment – Frequent ejaculation has been known to treat erectile dysfunction. Talk to your doctor before using this method to help with your ED.
  • Arousal increases levels of dopamine and oxytocin. These hormones contribute to feelings of pleasure and stress reduction.

Cons

  • Frequent masturbation may throw off your daily routine.
  • Lower sex drive – Ejaculation can reduce your sex drive. You may want to save yourself for your partner. Satisfying sex with a partner is usually more beneficial than a solo session.
  • Other effects include weakness, fatigue, PE (premature ejaculation), PIED (porn-induced erectile dysfunction), muscle cramps, mood swings, laziness, and inability to sleep.

Sex or Masturbation?

You may have an idea of how frequently you want to release sperm, but what about the best way to release sperm?

Should you go for a quick masturbation session, or save yourself for sex? Let’s take a look at the differences between each method.

  • Research indicates that an orgasm from sex produces 400% more prolactin than an orgasm from masturbation. Prolactin makes us feel sexually satisfied. This means that sex may reduce the need for frequent ejaculation.
  • Depending on your access to sex (relationship status, religion, etc.) it can be hard to get. In this case, you have to opt for masturbation if you want to ejaculate.
  • Masturbating can save you from poor choices when you’re in a pinch for sex. Sex has been understood as a “soul tie” in the spiritual realm. If you have sex with someone simply for the sake of getting off, they could be emotionally distraught when they find out you don’t want anything more. Furthermore, if you’re not used to casual hookups, it could damage your own emotional state.
  • Looking for sex when you’re desperate can also pressure you into unsafe sex or pay for sex. This can be dangerous because you have a higher chance of contracting an STD (sexually transmitted disease).

The research points towards sex as a superior method for releasing sperm. But if you have little access to sex or poor partner selection, masturbation is the better choice. Of course, if you want to emulate a monk’s way of life, you can abstain entirely!

Modern Science

There’s a popular study from Harvard Medical School that quotes a magic number of “21 times” per month. The study concluded that men who ejaculated at least 21 times per month had a 31 percent lower chance of developing prostate cancer than those who ejaculated 4 to 7 times per month.

However, there’s also research that contradicts what’s been said above.

  • BJUI (a leading urology journal) found that young men who ejaculated more actually had a higher risk of prostate cancer in their 20s and 30s. It’s important to mention that this study also found that more sex also lowered the risk of prostate cancer in older age.
  • Multiple studies by Chinese researchers also found a lower risk of prostate cancer in people who ejaculated 2 to 4 times per week. The risk didn’t decrease further for those who ejaculated more than this.

Even with these findings — there is no magic ejaculation frequency. You can fap as much, or as little as you want.

Cultural Practices & Semen Retention

Semen is revered as a precious life-giving fluid in many ancient societies. In a more unscientific light, it was also believed to be magical. The fluid itself and its effect was considered sacred.

The 3 most prominent cultures that speak about the release (or lack thereof) of semen are Taoism, the Indian philosophy of brahmacharya, and ancient Greek philosophy. Let’s look at what each culture has to say.

Taoism

Within the system of Qigong, there is a focus on a type of sexual energy called “Jing”. Jing is lost through ejaculation — so masturbation is an act through which energy is lost.

In the philosophy of Qigong, energy from different paths gets diverted into the sexual organs during arousal. Ejaculation will expel this energy. There is a Chinese proverb that illustrates this by stating, “a drop of semen is equal to ten drops of blood”.

Taoist author Kris Deva North has compiled the research on ejaculation frequency from Taoist texts.

Here is the Taoist recommendation for ejaculation frequency based on age only:

Age Frequency
Teens and Twenties Once every 4 days
Thirties Once every 8 days
Forties Once every 16 days
Fifties Once every 21 days
Sixties Once every 30 days

Qi (pronounced “chi”) also comes into play here. Qi is pretty much your vital life force, or in simpler terms — how energetic you are. Here is the Taoist recommended frequency of ejaculation based on age and strength.

Age Frequency (strong) Frequency (weak)
Teens and Twenties Twice a day Once a day
Thirties Once a day Once every 2 days
Forties Once every 3 days Once every 4 days
Fifties Once every 5 days Once every 10 days
Sixties Once every 10 days Once every 20 days
Seventies Once every 30 days Never

It’s also worth mentioning that not all Taoist teachers were on the NoFap train, some were against it.

Indian Philosophy

Ayurveda is the Indian system of medicine. It states that one drop of semen is equal to 40 drops of blood. It’s also considered the last stage of the food digestion cycle.

This means that nutrients that aren’t wasted during digestion are absorbed into the bloodstream and contribute to making healthy sperm cells.

Brahmacharya is also part of the Hindu religion. It’s basically a practice of abstinence that places a great emphasis on semen retention. It’s used as a spiritual practice for specific days of the week, but it can also last a lifetime for serious practitioners.

The purpose of this spiritual practice is to conserve sexual energy. In Indian tradition, there are no set guidelines for how often to release sperm — instead, the focus is placed on transmuting sexual energy to use “the right way.”

Brahmacharya also invites us to direct our energy away from desire and fleeting pleasures and focus on contentment from within.

Ancient Greeks

Aristotle often spoke of the importance of semen. He believed that semen was “the most perfect component of our food”. Similar to Indian and Chinese philosophies, he also believed it was derived from nourishment that was transferred into blood.

For teens: He said that the release of semen at a younger age would divert nutrients that would otherwise be used for growth, to the production of semen. He went on to say that once the body was finished growing, sexual activity should begin. If you’re in your developing years, it may be wise to consider Aristotle’s advice and pump the brakes on masturbation for a bit!

A Christian Platonist by the name of Clement of Alexandria had the view that the seed (semen) should not be recklessly scattered or thoughtlessly wasted in a way it cannot grow.

Sperm Quality & Quantity

If you want to have kids, the quality & quantity of your swimmers should be a big concern.

Generally, ejaculation is known to improve the quality of your sperm. As expected, too much ejaculation has a negative effect on the quality of your sperm. A 2015 study indicated that men who ejaculated daily had a decline in their sperm count.

The other measures of “sperm fitness” didn’t see a noticeable change. Some of these fitness attributes included shape, swimming ability, and concentration.

It takes about 74 days to make sperm but don’t worry. You can’t run out of sperm, the average dude produces millions of sperm every day.

A man’s sperm count rises when he goes a few days without ejaculating.

Abstinence and NoFap

The modern take on abstinence and NoFap is useful to consider. Addiction experts say that it can be beneficial when used as a reboot — other guys can use NoFap to deal with chronic masturbation or porn addiction.

But what happens to my swimmers if they’re not ejaculated?

Don’t fret — wet dreams (aka nocturnal emissions) will take care of any excess sperm. A wet dream is when you ejaculate and release sperm in your sleep. This may be accompanied by an orgasm.

Another route for unejected sperm is to be reabsorbed into your body.

Here are some pros of abstaining from ejaculation:

  • Increased physical stamina
  • Muscle growth
  • Thicker hair
  • Reduced stress
  • More confidence
  • Better focus
  • Improved self-control
  • More meaningful relationships
  • And more!

FAQs

There are a lot of questions that come with discovering how often you want to ejaculate. Let’s look at some commonly asked questions.

Can you run out of sperm?

Absolutely not, your body maintains the production of sperm at a rate of about 1,500 per second!

How long should it take to release sperm?

There is no fixed time. A couple of minutes, or up to an hour is okay. A study from the NHS showcasing 500 couples concluded that the average time to ejaculate was 5.5 minutes during sex.

Can I ejaculate multiple times a day?

As mentioned earlier, there is no magic number. However, most sources say once to twice a day is on the higher end of the spectrum if you’re perfectly healthy. Also, keep in mind that too much of a good thing can be a bad thing. An addiction to masturbation, pornography, or sex can develop and your body may feel drained.

Asking yourself why you need to ejaculate multiple times a day is a great question that’ll help you assess your inner state. If there is underlying trauma, we advise you to deal with it in a healthy way instead of using masturbation as an escape.

Your refractory period is also something you’ll need to take into account. It’s the window of time after ejaculation where you can’t get hard, or you’re not interested in sex.

The Wrap Up

TL;DR. How often you ejaculate is going to be unique to you. Ejaculating often, rarely, or never are all viable options. You can combine viewpoints from different philosophies and scientific evidence to help you decide.

Your decision largely depends on your particular situation. Maybe you’re a busy dad and need a weekly release to get rid of some stress. Or perhaps you’re a college athlete with a ridiculous amount of pent-up energy that just needs an outlet.

Retaining, and releasing each come with their own benefits and you get to decide which side you want to be on (or maybe you want to double dip, and that’s cool too).

It’s also important to mention — if you’re facing any performance issues in the bedroom, it may not be due to frequent ejaculation. Something else may be afoot here, so it’s important to talk to your doctor.

Come say HI!

Tired of reading? Want to talk to an actual human? Let us know what’s on your mind — even if it’s not related to NoFap or porn recovery. Leave a comment below or shoot us an email at [email protected].

Sumit is a chemical engineer and a motivational speaker. He is a regular contributor to MrMindBlowing.com.

Sumit


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