Low sperm counts could be a serious health problems and many a
time guys don’t know the causes. some habits you enjoy doing everyday
could seriously destroy your sperm and cause you low sperm counts.
You spent so many years trying not to get her pregnant, so when you finally want to become a dad, you might be surprised to discover that conceiving isn’t as easy as you may have thought. In fact, 1 in 8 couples have trouble getting pregnant. And in 1 out of every 3 cases, the problem is on the guy’s end, according to the national fertility organization Resolve.
Part of that dip could be due to seemingly harmless things guys do on an everyday basis. Here, 10 common habits that might be messing with your sperm.
Some innocent habits that could destroy the Sperm
Turn off Netflix and get to bed: Guys who logged less than 6 hours of sleep per night were 31 percent less likely to get their partners pregnant than guys who slept for 7 to 8 hours per night, according to a preliminary study in the journal Fertility & Sterility.
Lack of sleep may lower your production of the hormone testosterone, which is essential for sperm production, researchers say.
But too much shuteye isn’t the answer, either: Men who snoozed for more than 9 hours a night also demonstrated lower levels of fertility. So shoot for 7 to 8 hours a night—the sweet spot in the study.
Sperm-Damaging Habit: Using the Wrong Lube
2. Using the Wrong Lube
Popular commercial lubes like K-Y and Astroglide can hamper your sperm’s motility, or their ability to efficiently swim towards the egg to fertilize it, a 2014 study in Fertility & Sterility found. The lubes’ thick consistency may make it difficult for the sperm to move.
“They’re fine for intercourse [when you’re not trying to get pregnant], but they can act a bit like a spermicidal barrier,” he says. (Still, you should never use a lubricant as birth control.)
Plus, they also contain hydrochloric acid, a preservative that can kill sperm.
3. Skimping On Fish
Ordering your fair share of fish might save your swimmers. When Harvard researchers studied the diet and semen quality of 155 men, they found that guys who ate the most fish—particularly omega-3-rich fish like salmon or tuna—had higher sperm counts and higher levels of normal, healthy sperm than those who ate less.
On the flip side, men who ate the most processed meat, like bacon, hotdogs, and salami, had the lowest sperm counts and the highest levels of abnormally shaped sperm compared to men who ate the least.
Processed meats might decrease reproductive hormones like testosterone, while the omega-3 fatty acids in fish promote the formation of healthier sperm, researchers say.
4. Consumption of much Soda
Guys who drink more than one sugary soda a day have lower sperm motility than those who rarely or never sip the sweet stuff, a study published in Human Reproduction found.
Eating or drinking too much sugar can lead to insulin resistance, a condition where your cells are unable to take glucose from your blood and use it for energy. This can lead to inflammation, which can hinder how your sperm moves, the researchers say.
Plus, if your soda habit is making you fat, that could pose its own problem. Too much fat prompts your body to pump out less testosterone and more estrogen, which is bad for your fertility.
Extra fat tissue around your thighs and groin can also raise the temperature inside your scrotum. That could create a too-warm environment that’s also bad for your sperm.
5. Stressing Out
Men with higher levels of perceived stress have worse sperm quality than men who report feeling less stressed, Too much stress might throw your reproductive hormones out of whack, or lead to the creation of inflammatory proteins that hurt sperm.
No matter what’s eating at you, find ways to keep your worries from getting out of control—like talking with your partner, making time to exercise, or looping in a pro if your stress remains sky-high.
Get the whole gist Here
You spent so many years trying not to get her pregnant, so when you finally want to become a dad, you might be surprised to discover that conceiving isn’t as easy as you may have thought. In fact, 1 in 8 couples have trouble getting pregnant. And in 1 out of every 3 cases, the problem is on the guy’s end, according to the national fertility organization Resolve.
Part of that dip could be due to seemingly harmless things guys do on an everyday basis. Here, 10 common habits that might be messing with your sperm.
Some innocent habits that could destroy the Sperm
- Staying Up Too Late
Turn off Netflix and get to bed: Guys who logged less than 6 hours of sleep per night were 31 percent less likely to get their partners pregnant than guys who slept for 7 to 8 hours per night, according to a preliminary study in the journal Fertility & Sterility.
Lack of sleep may lower your production of the hormone testosterone, which is essential for sperm production, researchers say.
But too much shuteye isn’t the answer, either: Men who snoozed for more than 9 hours a night also demonstrated lower levels of fertility. So shoot for 7 to 8 hours a night—the sweet spot in the study.
Sperm-Damaging Habit: Using the Wrong Lube
2. Using the Wrong Lube
Popular commercial lubes like K-Y and Astroglide can hamper your sperm’s motility, or their ability to efficiently swim towards the egg to fertilize it, a 2014 study in Fertility & Sterility found. The lubes’ thick consistency may make it difficult for the sperm to move.
“They’re fine for intercourse [when you’re not trying to get pregnant], but they can act a bit like a spermicidal barrier,” he says. (Still, you should never use a lubricant as birth control.)
Plus, they also contain hydrochloric acid, a preservative that can kill sperm.
3. Skimping On Fish
Ordering your fair share of fish might save your swimmers. When Harvard researchers studied the diet and semen quality of 155 men, they found that guys who ate the most fish—particularly omega-3-rich fish like salmon or tuna—had higher sperm counts and higher levels of normal, healthy sperm than those who ate less.
On the flip side, men who ate the most processed meat, like bacon, hotdogs, and salami, had the lowest sperm counts and the highest levels of abnormally shaped sperm compared to men who ate the least.
Processed meats might decrease reproductive hormones like testosterone, while the omega-3 fatty acids in fish promote the formation of healthier sperm, researchers say.
4. Consumption of much Soda
Guys who drink more than one sugary soda a day have lower sperm motility than those who rarely or never sip the sweet stuff, a study published in Human Reproduction found.
Eating or drinking too much sugar can lead to insulin resistance, a condition where your cells are unable to take glucose from your blood and use it for energy. This can lead to inflammation, which can hinder how your sperm moves, the researchers say.
Plus, if your soda habit is making you fat, that could pose its own problem. Too much fat prompts your body to pump out less testosterone and more estrogen, which is bad for your fertility.
Extra fat tissue around your thighs and groin can also raise the temperature inside your scrotum. That could create a too-warm environment that’s also bad for your sperm.
5. Stressing Out
Men with higher levels of perceived stress have worse sperm quality than men who report feeling less stressed, Too much stress might throw your reproductive hormones out of whack, or lead to the creation of inflammatory proteins that hurt sperm.
No matter what’s eating at you, find ways to keep your worries from getting out of control—like talking with your partner, making time to exercise, or looping in a pro if your stress remains sky-high.
Get the whole gist Here