Sleep: the key to male fertility

If they want to produce quality sperm, it’s time for men to stop staying up late reading, browsing on their smartphones, or watching TV series and sleep. A recent Danish study published by Τhe Independent claims that to maintain their sperm quality, men should start falling into the arms of… Morpheus before 10.30 pm!

Men who go to bed earlier have better sperm quality

A research team from the University of Aarhus in Denmark gathered 104 male volunteers from fertility clinics – 56 of whom had low sperm quality – to examine their sleep habits. It was noted that men who went to bed before 10.30pm were four times more likely to have healthy sperm compared to… night owls who stayed awake after 11.30pm! The research team also found that men who completed eight hours of sleep during the night were more likely to have healthy sperm than those who chose to sleep less than seven hours a night.

Male infertility: how is it controlled?

Of course, sleep plays a very important role in producing testosterone and therefore better sperm quality, but if you want to be sure that there is no abnormality causing infertility, men may need to have a spermogram. This is a test that measures sperm quality (sperm count, shape, motility, lifespan, etc.). Depending on the results, other tests may be carried out, such as hormonal testing, genital ultrasound, testicular biopsy, etc.

What can I do to help me sleep better?

“Sleep hygiene” is the term used to describe the habits we have while we sleep. There is a lot of research that proves that “good sleep hygiene” helps to have a good memory, high energy levels, increased hormone production, proper cell growth, and of course, enhances male fertility. Here are some ways to maximize your sleep hygiene:

Go to bed between 10:00 pm and 12:00 pm every night.
Increase aerobic exercise and weight training (better not exercise 5-6 hours before bedtime).
Avoid contact with ultraviolet rays from electronic screens until one hour before bedtime.
Keep your bedroom only for sleep and sex. If you have a TV next to your bed, consider moving it to another part of the house. A TV in bed is one of the most common reasons to awake.
Keep your bedroom cool, dark, and quiet. Try putting heavy curtains or using a white noise application to see if they help.

Although these strategies will probably put you into a deep sleep more quickly, don’t worry if you don’t see immediate changes in your tests or if you’re trying for pregnancy. The body creates new sperm every 72 days, so it takes a little over two months to see a change in fertility levels. If you are trying to conceive, start changing your habits about three months before.