Sleep Correlation with Male Infertility | Dr N Layyous

Sleep Correlation with Male Infertility

Effect of sleep on the sperm count, motility, and morphology.

Sleep is a natural state of rest for the mind and body, and it is essential for mental and physical health

Proper and sufficient sleep is a fundamental component of healthy lifestyle.

Multiple factors interfere with the proper amount of sleep each person needs and it varies by age, 7-8 hours per night usually is enough for most adults.

In developed countries sleep disturbance and lack of enough sleep is becoming an increasingly common problem , and that is important not only for social reasons but also for other health disorders related to humans such as heart problems and possible impairment of male reproductive functions.

Studies have shown that lack of enough sleep might interfere with immune function by interfering with the levels of IgG, IgA and IgM.

The relationship between sleep duration and reduced sperm quality has been studied extensively, with much less studies on the relation to the production of anti-sperm antibodies.

Numerous studies have shown that men who slept poorly had lower sperm counts and higher percentage of abnormal sperms.

A comparison between selected group of males which were selected according to certain criteria with the evaluation of the effect of duration of sleep and bedtime on sperm count and quality was done with the establishment of good and regular sleep duration and ideal bedtime for six months before the starting of the study with the exclusion of any other psychological or physical disorders , it showed that sperm count and survival were significantly low in all short sleepers and most of long sleepers ( more than 9 hours of sleep each night for adult is considered long sleeping ) .

• The relationship between sperm parameters and late bedtime are controversial and mostly it refers to its effect mostly on the quality and depth of sleep that will eventually affect on the sleep on subsequent nights.


• Studies have also shown that even men who woke many times in the night had a sperm count 25% lower than those who had no troubles with that, and they had smaller testicles (American Journal of Epidemiology).


• Positive anti-sperm antibodies was significantly higher in short sleepers as compared to others.


• Other than the effect of sleep on anti-sperm antibodies, it was found that sleep duration and quality has an effect on sex hormone production and nighttime testosterone rhythms.


• In conclusion, sleep disturbances should now be added to the line of lifestyle attributes associated with abnormal semen analysis in addition to other previous well-known factors such as smoking, environmental toxins, elevated body max index.

Dr Najeeb Layyous F.R.C.O.G

Consultant Obstetrician, Gynecologist and Infertility Specialist