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Life

12th Nov 2019

Study says staying up late at night can lower sperm count in men

Olivia Hayes

Tell your man.

Everyone might be guilty of staying up late for various reasons – but one of the biggest reasons is binge-watching TV. While we all enjoy a binge watch session of a TV show we’re obsessed about, we all know that the effects of staying up late watching the telly aren’t that great.

It can disturb your sleep, you’ll be tired in the morning and now, according to a new study, it can also lower sperm count in men.

The Danish study looked at 104 couples who had been trying to conceive for two years, with the average age of the men participants being 34.

It found that those who stay up late, whether it’s binge watching TV shows or playing video games, have a much lower count that men who go to bed early.

According to the study, an hour can really make a difference – men in bed by 10.30pm had four times better sperm quality than those staying up after 11.30pm.

However, it’s really all about how much sleep they get – guys who get 7.5 to 8 hours of sleep each night have a normal sperm count and many (not all) find it easier to conceive.

Professor Hans Jakob Ingerslev, co-author of the study from Aarhus University, said:

“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.”

Meanwhile, a gynaecologist at Manchester University NHS Trust said:

“They should think about what is keeping them up and try to change their habits, whether it’s binge-watching Netflix or sending emails.

“Going to bed earlier with their partner may also increase their opportunity for sex, improving their chances of success further.”