Most people plan their future around getting married, settling down and having kids. However, sometimes things don’t go as planned as it can be difficult for some couples to conceive due to the husband’s infertility issues.
Recently, scientists have found a “cure” for this issue. In a new study, they have discovered that men who sleep before 10.30pm have a four-times-higher chance of fathering children as they are better able to produce higher quality sperm as compared to those who go to bed at 11.30 or later.
According to fertility experts, when men’s bodies lack sleep, their immune system is provoked into overreacting and attacking healthy sperm. Additionally, the lack of sleep also puts men under physical and psychological stress, which results in infertility issues.
The Telegraph reported that a team at Aarhus University in The Netherlands confirmed these findings, and said that this problem in men has significantly increased, especially in modern times like today when people often binge on television shows until late at night.
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They conducted a study involving 104 male participants with an average age of 34 over the span of two years. These men’s sleep patterns were tracked and compared against their sperm sample analysis results.
Figures from the results revealed that there was even a difference between men who slept before 10.30pm and men who slept between 10.30pm to 11.30pm, with the former yielding 2.75 times healthier sperm.
In this study that was presented at the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology conference in Vienna, scientists admitted that infertility issues in males have been underestimated for many years and that it has contributed to a great shift in focus towards the impact of substandard sperm in couples’ infertility.
“The reasons could be psychological as sleep-deprived men suffer more stress and that can have an impact on fertility,” said Professor Hans Jacob Ingerslev, a co-author of the study.
“These were men who had been trying to have a baby for about two years and an early bedtime was likely to be important because it allowed them to get more sleep.”
Source: Wirecutter
Taking the study a step further, the team also measured the participants’ sleep duration against the health of their sperm, and discovered that sleeping between seven and a half to eight hours was the ideal length. This is because the men who slept the ideal length produced sperm that was six times healthier than that of those who got less than seven hours of sleep.
However, the study showed that there was no link between men’s sperm health and a sleep length that lasts for eight hours or longer.
“If you don’t get enough sleep, that has an impact on the metabolism, which will have a negative effect on sperm quality,” Dr Christopher Barratt, professor of reproductive medicine at the University of Dundee.
“It is pretty basic advice but a lack of sleep is closely tied to feeling stressed and stressed men are also less likely to have sex once a day, as we recommend when trying for a baby.”
Source: EyeEm
This entire study was initiated when a previous study from Imperial College London discovered that the sperm from infertile men is as healthy as those of fertile men while it is still in the testicles. However, as the sperm travels through a series of ducts and leaves the body, it becomes damaged. This led scientists to believe that something toxic happens when the sperm makes its way out.
This new discovery offers new hope for men who struggle to become fathers even with the help of IVF.
Well, I guess you know what to do, guys. Remember to get enough sleep and try to sleep before 10.30pm. What do you think of this new study? Let us know in the comments below.
Also read: Study: Drinking Two Cups of Coffee a Day Can Help You Live Up to Two Years Longer
