Women tend to think there is something wrong with them when they have a hard time conceiving. But it takes two to tango, so to speak, when it comes to getting pregnant. Half of a baby’s genes is your partner’s, so the responsibility to keep a healthy lifestyle when trying to get pregnant is on you both.
Several factors affect a man’s sperm count and quality, and sleep, which is vital for any gender, takes the spotlight in a new study. According to the Danish research, presented at the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology annual conference, men need to be in bed before 10:30 p.m. ideally to get around eight hours of sleep to have healthy sperm.
Researchers from the Aarhus University in Denmark looked at sleep patterns and sperm health of 104 male volunteers who were already trying for a baby and having consultations at fertility clinics in Denmark. They had an average age of 34 and were observed for over two years. Among the subjects, 48 had healthy sperm, while 56 had low-quality sperm. While the study size may be small, it showed noteworthy differences.
The study revealed that men who were asleep before 10:30 p.m. were four times more likely to have healthy sperm than men whose bedtimes are past 11:30 p.m. The men asleep before 10 p.m. were 2.75 times more likely to have healthy sperm than those who go to sleep between 10:30 and 11 p.m. It’s still a considerable shift even if the bedtime had only 30 minutes to an hour interval.
The researchers also found that men who got eight hours of sleep had healthier sperm than men who got seven or fewer hours of sleep, no matter what time they go to bed. In fact, men who get less than seven hours of sleep at night were six times more likely to have poor quality sperm.
This isn’t the first time sleep and sperm quality or quantity have been linked. A 2017 study showed the similar results; men who stayed up past midnight had low sperm count and the sperm didn’t last long inside a woman’s reproductive system.
Sleep has always been crucial in female fertility, and it may be time to think it is the same for men. “The reasons could be psychological as sleep-deprived men suffer more stress and that can have an impact on fertility,” Professor Hans Jakob Ingerslev, co-author of the study from Aarhus University, told the Independent.
Not getting enough sleep has an impact on metabolism, which can negatively affect sperm quality. It has also been tied to less sexual desire, resulting in fewer instances of intercourse.
Doctors have long suggested that couples evaluate what’s keeping them up at night and affecting their quantity and quality of sleep. Is it an aching back, work-related emails, binge-watching Netflix, or playing Mobile Legends? Couples need to make lifestyle changes if they want to increase their chances of getting pregnant.
Sleep isn’t the only thing that’s affecting men and women’s fertility, of course. Start with proper diet and regular exercise to get or maintain an ideal weight. With past-faced lives we all have today, it’s time to make sleep a priority.
Besides, if you and your partner sleep early together, there are higher chances of getting busy under the sheets. Having great sex can also contribute to your quality of sleep! Let us spell it out: sex makes you tired, leading to deep slumber.
Lear more about your partner’s sperm here.
