According to recent studies, the sleeping pattern of males can also affect their fertility. Sleeping too much or too little can affect a man’s fertility and in turn, his ability to make his partner pregnant.
Normally, 7 to 8 hours of sleep every night is recommended for all individuals. According to research, men who slept for less than 6 hours or more than 9 hours had a lesser chance of conceiving in any given month, as compared to those who slept for 7 to 8 hours every night. Their sperm count and sperm survival rate were also low. Individuals involved in the study were asked about a lot of aspects – infertility, history of smoking and use of alcohol, physical activity, stress and so on. Even after these factors were controlled, the association between a man’s sleeping pattern and their fertility remained.
Those men who sleep for a shorter duration, their semen motility was low, as compared to those who slept for average or longer time periods. It may also be possible that sleep and fertility both could be affected due to an underlying health issue or some medical condition.
For reproduction, testosterone in men is essential and a majority of its release occurs when a man is asleep. Thus, an appropriate amount of sleep can be positively linked to the level of testosterone. It is still not clear how the duration of sleep affects the sperm, but it may be due to low levels of testosterone due to the poor quality of sleep.
There may also be a possibility that men who have trouble sleeping might have other habits such as smoking or drinking, which could also affect their fertility adversely. The same goes for men who are overweight or obese. Another reason for low fertility in men could be a misalignment of the circadian rhythm, i.e. when the body’s internal clock is not proper.
Although there needs to be more research done regarding this association and regarding the fact that whether sperm quality would improve if sleeping patterns are improved, you should still improve your sleeping patterns before you start trying to conceive. Start 3 months prior to conception as you can get a fertility boost within this time period.
Thus it is essential that you improve your sleeping patterns as well as your overall lifestyle by making several changes. This can majorly affect your fertility and improve your chances of conception as well.