Association of Sleep Disturbances With Reduced Semen Quality: A Cross-sectional Study Among 953 Healthy Young Danish Men

Abstract

Several studies have found an association between sleep duration and morbidity and mortality, but no previous studies have examined the association between sleep disturbances and semen quality. We conducted a cross-sectional study among 953 young Danish men from the general population who were recruited in Copenhagen at the time of determination of fitness for military service between January 2008 and June 2011. All of the men delivered a semen sample, had a blood sample drawn, underwent a physical examination, and answered a questionnaire including information about sleep disturbances. Sleep disturbances were assessed on the basis of a modified 4-item version of the Karolinska Sleep Questionnaire, which includes questions on sleep patterns during the past 4 weeks. Sleep disturbances showed an inverse U-shaped association with sperm concentration, total sperm count, percent motile and percent morphologically normal spermatozoa, and testis size. Men with a high level of sleep disturbance (score >50) had a 29% (95% confidence interval: 2, 48) lower adjusted sperm concentration and 1.6 (95% confidence interval: 0.3, 3.0) percentage points' fewer morphologically normal spermatozoa than men with a sleep score of 11-20. This appears to be the first study to find associations between sleep disturbances and semen quality. In future studies, investigators should attempt to elucidate mechanistic explanations and prospectively assess whether semen quality improves after interventions restoring a normal sleeping pattern.

Sleep Deprivation and Late Bedtime Impair Sperm Health Through Increasing Antisperm Antibody Production: A Prospective Study of 981 Healthy Men

“…It has been reported that short and long sleep were associated with a higher prevalence of coronary heart disease, stroke, and diabetes, in addition to obesity and frequent mental distress, compared with optimal sleepers [15,16]. Lack of sleeping time may reduce sperm quality [7]. However, an extra hour of sleep in this study also showed lower sperm count and survival rate, suggesting the negative effect of sleeping too little or too much.…”

“…Sleep deprivation is now being recognized as an increasingly common condition inherent to modern society [4], so sleep loss not only is a social issue but also leads to a large number of human disorders, including male reproductive impairment [5]. It has been found that the frequency of sleep disturbances has increased in the industrialized world during the past few decades, and inadequate sleep can decrease semen quality [6,7]. …”

“…Despite the growing literature on the relationship between sleep loss and reduced sperm quality [5,7], the effects of sleep duration and bedtime on ASA production have been studied less extensively.…”

Biobehavioral effects produced by paternal sleep disturbances

“…Moreover, sleep restriction is associated with metabolic disorders such as obesity, insulin resistance, and diabetes . It was reported that sleep restriction resulted in a decrease in serum testosterone levels and reduced semen quality . Data suggest that sleep restriction during pregnancy results in biochemical, biometrical and behavioral alterations in offspring .…”

Male fertility: modifiable and non-modifiable risk factors (a review)

“…В пере-крестном исследовании 953 молодых мужчин зафик-сирована обратная U-образная зависимость между диссомнией и параметрами спермограммы [41]. Наиболее тесные отношения выявлены между степе-нью нарушений сна и общим количеством спермато-зоидов, их подвижностью, долей патологических форм и размером семенников.…”