Spermatorrhea
WHAT IS SPERMATORRHEA?
Spermatorrhea involves an involuntary and unconscious escape of seminal fluid without sexual excitement. In the 19th century, some medical professionals referred to spermatorrhea as nocturnal pollutions. Nowadays, people generally refer to events of spermatorrhea as wet dreams or nocturnal emissions. Before the 20th century, one could see newspaper advertisements abounding with graphic descriptions of the terrible consequences of nocturnal emissions. These advertisements would cause great alarm among men and they would urgently bring their concerns to their family physicians.
THE SYMPTOMS
Typically, men would describe to their physicians a multitude of symptoms. Men can experience seminal loss with or without sexual dreams, burning during urination, dribbling after urination, pains in the groins or testicles, muscular twitching, dull pains in the perineum, abnormal excitability, frequent and painful erections, unnatural coldness or numbness of the genitals, unnatural tenderness, softness, or shrinking in the size of the testicles. The symptoms usually occur when masturbation is abandoned or greatly diminished in frequency.
SHOULD WE BE CONCERNED ABOUT THIS?
Spermatorrhea in and of itself is not evidence of serious disease. If a perfectly healthy continent man lives a quiet normal life and doesn’t allow his mind to dwell upon things that produce sexual excitement, yet experiences nocturnal emissions without pain, depression or any other unpleasant symptoms, then that individual could be considered in a fine condition of health. Every individual is different. If a man experiences significant loss of seminal fluid with the following symptoms of extreme nervous irritability, exhaustion, backache or any other debilitating condition, then that man should consider seeing a physician.
WHAT CAN WE DO TO STOP NOCTURNAL EMISSIONS?
Dreams
Dreams can be considered reflections of our waking hours. Our dreams can be likened to echoes or shadows of our voluntary thoughts. During the time we are awake, we should do all that we can to avoid unchaste thoughts by being careful about what we view, see and hear. We should keep our minds focused on high and elevated subjects. Moreover, we should focus on topics of purity and holiness. If during the waking hours our minds are kept under control and free from impure thoughts, it will be far more likely that we will have echoes of purity and holiness in our dreams.
The Power of the Will
God has given us the power of free will to exercise. We can choose to see, hear, think, speak and do whatever we want. The more we exercise our will, in accordance with God’s principles of righteousness and holiness, the better we will get at not only just controlling our waking thoughts, but also steering our dreams in a holy and pure direction. Make a determined and persistent effort to keep yourself under the control of sanctified thought and reason. Success requires faithful and persevering effort.
Diet
The food we place on our tables should be nutritious and unstimulating. We can and should prepare our food in a most tasteful way. But when we add spices, condiments, tea, coffee and alcohol with our meals, this stimulates the animal propensities and will contribute to the development of erotic thoughts. We should also avoid overeating, late suppers, sugary foods, pastries, dairy, eggs and meat.
Sleep
We should pay attention to the position in which we sleep. By laying on our stomachs, this not only harms our posture but also stimulates the genital organs. Moreover, Dr. John Harvey Kellogg noted that spermatorrhea occurred frequently when people slept on their back. He hypothesized that blood accumulates in the spinal cord and overheats the lower part of the body; thus, producing abnormal excitability of the nerve centers controlling the sexual organs. Furthermore, Dr. Kellogg noted that “nocturnal losses almost always occur in the morning when the sleep is less profound than in the early part of the night, and the imagination begins to become active in the production of dreams.” {Man, The Masterpiece, 1886}. Therefore, we should avoid morning napping.
Bladders & Bowels
Before going to bed, it is a good idea to empty the bladder and bowels. When the bladder and bowels are full, this may put pressure on surrounding organs and promote excitability. As a precaution, it is good to avoid drinking in the evening.
SPERMATORRHEA DOES NOT ALWAYS OCCUR WITH NORMAL NOCTURNAL PENILE TUMESCENCE
On average, men have between 3-5 erections per 8 hours of sleep. This regular occurrence is referred to as nocturnal penile tumescence. Just because one has sleep related erections, this does not automatically mean that they will experience an involuntary and unconscious escape of seminal fluid. Sleep related erections (SRE’s) are related with the stage in sleep known as rapid eye movement or REM sleep. SRE’s reduce in number as we age. Men sometimes experience painful SRE’s. This phenomenon is poorly understood and one should consult with their physician if they are experiencing painful SRE’s.
