Poor sleep quality and an inadequate number of hours of sleep have a negative effect on general health. What was not known is that it can also affect fertility in men. A study carried out on 105 men has seen that the worse the quality and quantity of sleep, the greater the sperm DNA fragmentation (DFI), one of the main causes of infertility in men.
Francisco Ruano, embryologist at the Ginemed Sevilla Laboratory, explains the reasons why poor sleep quality can affect semen quality because he remembers that the change in time can be an aggravating factor in the quality and quantity of sleep for some people .
Getting little and bad sleep can negatively affect semen quality. Various investigations suggest that sleep duration may affect sperm chromatin integrity, one of the main causes of male factor infertility.
Inadequate sleep habits disrupt the expression of circadian genes, which causes a drop in melatonin levels. In turn, the decrease in melatonin translates into a decrease in the ability of cells to repair oxidative damage to DNA.
Male factor sterility, what is it?
Male factor sterility is called those cases in which the spermatozoa are partially or totally responsible for the fertility problem. The causes can be genetic or acquired throughout life.
Male factor infertility affects 40% of the cases of couples with difficulties conceiving.
Does lifestyle influence semen quality?
As we said, male factor infertility can be due to multiple factors. Lifestyle is essential for sperm quality: the type of work, stress, excessive exercise or sedentary lifestylethe consumption of toxins such as alcohol, tobacco or marijuana, affect fertility.
Likewise, other risk factors that can influence male fertility are hormonal or chemotherapy treatments, acute infections, genital trauma or surgery, obesity and chronic diseases such as diabetes.
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Taking care of fertility is not an easy task, it depends on many factors. However, by adopting some healthy habits, we can improve male fertility and overall health:
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Take care of your diet: eat foods rich in Omega-3 and take antioxidants.
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control your weight: Obesity causes a decrease in the number of spermatozoa.
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Do physical exercise: avoid cycling and horse riding, because they can increase the temperature of the testicles, negatively influencing fertility.
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avoid tobacco: nicotine can damage the DNA of the spermatozoa and, therefore, the genetic material. In addition, this toxin can decrease the motility and number of spermatozoa.
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avoid alcohol: can lower testosterone values. Do not take drugs and avoid anabolic steroids.
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control stress and try to rest properly.
Life habits are a very important factor in general health and of course also in reproductive health and fertility, both for women and men.
It is important to try to maintain good sleep habits, even if we have to readjust our routines with the time change.