There is no dearth of studies that show sleep is important for human beings. Lack of sleep causes mental issues, irritation, decline of immune system and even premature death. And now, a recent study has come up which talks about sexual health and its relation to sleep.
The study showed that men had healthy and more potent sperm cells when they have a solid 8-hour sleep, in comparison to those who have 1 hour less sleep. The research was conducted by researchers from Aarhus University, Denmark. They studied about 100 male volunteers who were going to fertility clinics present in Denmark. Their sleep patterns were examined and the researchers found that out of the 100, 48 males had healthy sperm while 56 of them had low-quality sperm.
The difference: the men whose night sleep began at 10:30 pm had more potent sperm than those who stayed awake later than 11:30. The former populace was also about 2.75 times likelier to have quality sperm than men who slept between 10:30 and 11:30. The normal sleeping hours in most households. People who had even less than 7 hours of sleep were about 6 times likelier to generate poor quality sperm,
Fertility is affected by stress levels and improper hormone release, both of which can be regulated by sleep. Sleep deprivation has an effect on the immune system which might go rogue and start attacking the sperm cells.
According to Professor Hans Jakob Ingerslev, who is the co-author of the study, there were men who might have been trying for more than 2 years to conceive a baby. Maybe proper sleep was a simple remedy for them. There could also be psychological reasons too like stress that could affect fertility. But sleep deprivation increases stress.
Professor Ingerslev and his fellow researchers also checked the quality of the sleep of the participants. There was no connection established between the quality of the sperm and disrupted sleep. So, getting up for the toilet may not harm your sperm count.
Though the findings are yet to be published in a peer-reviewed journal, it is currently presented in a conference of the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology (ESHRE) in Vienna.
Independent experts continue to value sleep and suggest sleep as a remedy for couples struggling to have a baby. They should bring about a change in their habits – Netflix and checking emails at night and cutting back sleep hours can have an impact on sexual health as per Dr Raj Mathur, who works as a consultant gynaecologist at the Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust. Plus, if you go to bed early, you have more time in hand to have sex and therefore increase chances of conception. It’s a win-win.
So, Netflix and chill? Not a very good idea, it seems.