No Nut November: Using Edging to Survive the Month

November is too easy of a month. Like what’s the hardest thing, eating many plates at Thanksgiving? Pfft, chump change. How about you tackle a real challenge this month and partake in No Nut November–push your limits of self-control? But don’t worry, just because it is No Nut November doesn’t mean that you can’t still enjoy pleasure and sexual stimulation–give edging a try to still experience pleasure, just without an orgasm.

No Nut November (NNN) is a challenge where people engage in sexual abstinence for the whole month of November. Generally, it is supposed to include all sexual activity and masturbation. For some people that sounds horrible, and they have taken it in a more literal sense, where No Nut November is where you actually don’t “nut” or orgasm. This adjustment has made it so that people can still experience sexual pleasure and participate in the challenge.

Edging is a kink activity in which you get yourself close to orgasming but pull back or stop before actually climaxing. Edging can be used for delayed sexual gratification, endurance building and training, and as a way to explore power dynamics. You can engage in edging from just digital or manual stimulation and also with toys. If you are going to do some edging by yourself and with toys I recommend using app-controlled or remote-controlled toys to make it easier to stop before climaxing.

Now that you know what edging is, how do you get started with it? The first thing is to recognize that if you are edging yourself, it may take a few times to get the hang of it. We are so used to finishing when masturbating that stopping seems so weird while edging. If you are struggling try going in intervals, so masturbate for five minutes then stop for a couple minutes then start again. Keep repeating this until it feels less foreign to stop during masturbation. If you are engaging in edging with a partner the key to doing it successfully is communicating. Letting your partner know when you are getting close allows them to know when to pull back to keep you from climaxing. It is also important for your partner to pay attention to body language. If they have experience seeing your body climax then they may have a good idea of when to pull back without you vocalizing, but that takes time to work up to.

Though No Nut November is a popular event and challenge there are some people that advise against it, and we feel you should be well informed before partaking in anything. Most of the concerns around No Nut November are focused on people with penises, because partaking can reduce the quality of sperm. Depending on your goals in terms of reproduction this may or may not be a concern for you. Just be sure to give it some thought and do your research before just diving in. It is also important to remember that the body will do what the body wants to do and most people do still nut during No Nut November because sleep emissions, better known as wet dreams, do still happen.

Whether you choose to partake in No Nut November or not it has become very present in our culture as a way to discuss sex in a more playful and public way. If you do partake don’t feel bad if you don’t succeed in not nutting all month long, it is no easy feat to accomplish, but trying could be afun experience. The choice is yours.