Seven hours sleep maximises sleep quality

More than nine hours shut eye reduces the stability of sperm’s DNA by 40%
Previous research suggests excessive sleep of poor quality hinders testosterone
Nodding off for under six-and-a-half hours a night lowers sperm stability by 30%
Insufficient sleep may prevent testosterone, which is needed for reproduction
Seven to seven-and-a-half hours is optimal for semen volume and sperm count

By Alexandra Thompson Health Reporter For Mailonline

Published: 14:32 BST, 17 October 2017 | Updated: 16:33 BST, 17 October 2017

Sleeping for more or less than seven hours a night reduces men’s sperm quality, new research reveals.

Getting more than nine hours shut eye reduces the stability of sperm’s DNA by 40 per cent, a study found.

Yet nodding off for less than six-and-a-half hours a night lowers sperm stability by 30 per cent, new research reveals.

Previous research reveals seven to seven-and-a-half hours sleep is optimal for maximising semen volume and sperm count.

Past studies also suggest too little sleep hinders the release of testosterone, which is critical for reproduction. Excessive shut eye may worsen sleep quality, which could also reduce the hormone’s levels.

Sleeping for more or less than seven hours a night reduces men’s sperm quality (stock)

DECLINING SPERM COUNTS COULD BE A TICKING TIME BOMB FOR THE HUMAN RACE – AND PESTICIDES MAY BE TO BLAME

Declining sperm counts and doubling rates of testicular cancer could be a ticking time bomb for the human race, a leading scientist claimed earlier this month.

Sperm counts have halved in the western world over the past four decades, which, alongside rising testicular tumours, could be behind plummeting fertility rates and couples’ increasing dependency on IVF, according to Professor Niels Skakkebaek from the University of Copenhagen.

Hormone-disrupting pesticides sprayed onto everyday food may be too blame as the changes are occurring too rapidly for genetics to be at fault, he adds.

Professor Skakkebaek said: ‘Modern lifestyles are associated with increased exposure to various endocrine-disrupting chemicals such as pesticides that may be harmful to humans even though exposure to individual chemicals is low.’

How the research was carried out

Researchers from the Third Military Medical University in Chongqing, China, analysed 2,020 semen samples from 796 men between 2013 and 2015.

Sleep duration was assessed via a questionnaire.

More or less than seven hours sleep reduces sperm quality

Results reveal sleeping for more or less than seven to seven-and-a-half hours a night reduces the quality of the DNA in men’s sperm.

Getting more than nine hours shut eye a day reduces the stability of sperm’s DNA by 40 per cent.

Yet nodding off for less than six-and-a-half hours lowers sperm stability by 30 per cent

Previous research reveals sleeping for seven to seven-and-a-half hours a day maximises semen volume and sperm count.

Past studies also suggest too little sleep hinders the release of testosterone, which is critical for reproduction.

Excessive shut eye may result in worse sleep quality, which could also reduce the hormone’s levels.

Study author Dr Jia Cao said: ‘In the previous study, we found that these two semen parameters were highest when sleep is 7.0 to 7.5 hours per day, and either longer or shorter sleep was associated with the decrease of the two semen parameters.’

The findings were published in the Journal of Sleep Research.

Read more at DailyMail.co.uk