Maintaining a healthy lifestyle is important. Lifestyle factors are critical in improving or deteriorating men’s sexual life and reproductive health. We have listed 5 lifestyle factors that can reduce sperm count and negatively impact men’s reproductive health.
- Being lazy and not doing any workout
Overweight can be a cause of many physical problems. It is also a reason for your reduced sperm count. It has been seen among the obese men that their sperm count is less than that of a man who is fit.
Your laziness can cause your body to disrupt the production of sexual hormones like testosterone which is the hormone that produces sperm. Doing some healthy workouts can hugely improve your body activities.
Your hormone production is regulated by the amount of blood circulation in your brain and other body organs. You can improve the blood circulation by doing exercise and workouts.
Having excess fat in your body can hamper your body functions and also too much fat around the testes can increase the heat in that area and ultimately reduce the sperm count.
It doesn’t have to be heavy workouts, you can just do some normal aerobic exercises to keep your weight in check and do some regular physical activity.
- Having too much junk food
You might not know this but the food you are eating can be a reason for the reduced sperm count. Eating too much junk food has a bad effect on your body and it is also associated with sperm production.
Most of the junk food that we eat is made of sugar, fat, and bad proteins. They also have a lot of chemicals to increase the taste of these junk foods. All these ingredients lack the required nutrients for your body to produce healthy sperms.
Your body needs a lot of vitamins, minerals, and good proteins to work properly and when you input too much fat and less helpful nutrients, it tends to lose it’s functionality slowly.
That is why you need to eat more fresh green vegetables and lots of fruits instead of those high calorie, cheesy junk foods. So, you should realize how your food habit can lower your sperm count.
According to a study published in the journal JAMA Network Open, The Indian Express reported that men who consumed a high quantity of pizza, burgers, fries, and sugary foods had a 25% lower sperm count compared to those who consumed vegetables, fish, and fruits.
The study revealed that the sperm count of the unhealthy eaters was approximately 122 million, while the healthy eaters had a higher count of around 167 million.
- Smoking and drinking alcohol
The advertisements that we see before movies, smoking, and consuming alcohol is injurious to your health, is also true for your sperm count. These habits can really affect your sexual life.
Smoking is linked with depression as a start and it can hamper your glands that produce the testosterone hormone. Smoking cigarettes and other nicotinic substances can disrupt the production of antioxidants in your body.
These antioxidants are needed for the testes to be protected from harmful free radicals and testes are the production house of sperms. It has been seen in several scientific studies that men with smoking habit produce less sperm than men those don’t smoke.
Drinking too much alcohol also does the same thing to your sperm counts. It causes your body to disrupt the sperm production process.
Too much alcohol in the body creates a hormonal imbalance which puts a negative effect on your sperm production. So giving up these habit s would be a good thing.
Your Fertility website states that for men or those with sperm-producing bodies, alcohol consumption is associated with sexual dysfunction, and research indicates that it can lead to a decrease in sperm count and quality.
Both of these factors can be assessed through a semen test. Heavy drinking, in particular, has a more pronounced detrimental effect on sperm health.
- Putting too much pressure on testes
The work you do and your profession might put risk on your sperm production. Guys that do hard work like in building sites or welding are at high risk of reduced sperm count.
Even works that give high mental stress and leaves anxiety can have deleterious effect on your sperm production. Working in stress environment and harmful environment where your body is exposed to harmful radiations are also very risky.
Even if you are a sportsman or may be ride too much bicycle then you put heavy pressure on your testes. Your underwear can also put pressure on your testes if you are using tight briefs.
Pressure on testes is can harm your scrotum and this reduces the sperm production. Even if you are giving too much time on your laptops, using them on your laps can produce high temperatures on your testes which might cause your testes to produce less sperms.
- Lack of rest and sleep
Your body needs its fair share of rest and proper sleep time to function properly. If you are doing too much work that doesn’t let your body get enough rest and sleep then you will face several problems.
Reduced sperm count is also one of those problems. Sperm count is regulated by the hormone testosterone which is produced by the glands present in the body.
If the body doesn’t get proper rest then the level of testosterone is hampered and this relates to reduced sperm count.
The National Center for Biotechnology Information reported that a recent animal study showed a significant decline in sperm quality and quantity due to restricted sleep duration. Moreover, in humans, shorter sleep durations have been linked to reduced fecundability.
Additionally, Chen et al. found an interesting inverted U-shaped correlation between sleep duration and both semen volume and total sperm count.
If you are spending too much late-night Netflix time and doing social media on your mobile then you can’t get proper sleep. Men with late bedtime are prone to the weak immune systems and this increases the risk of attacking sperms.
If you go to bed late and have to wake up early and do hard work all day then your hormones are at high stress and this leads to a lower number of sperm count.
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- Drug abuse
The use of recreational drugs is gaining traction fast. Several states have legalized the limited usage of some drugs on medical grounds.
Still, this move hasn’t stopped many men from refraining from substance abuse. The temporary high and bravado effects of these substances make them appealing.
The most popular drugs taken are anabolic steroids. These act to stimulate muscles and grow the tissues.
These substances act as the body’s natural way of making hormones. They improve athletic performance, agility, and endurance.
Steroids help eliminate inflammation that causes asthma and eczema.
But taking them also starves the testicles of the needed nutrients. This end up shrinking the testes’ size.
When you take these steroids routinely, it reduces the body’s natural process of fighting infections. It also alters testosterone’s natural ability to produce sperm and semen.
The reduced sperm factory capacity results in less sperm production,
Other drugs such as cocaine and marijuana, also impact sperm count and health.
- Certain occupation.
You may try to lead a healthy and active lifestyle, but still, you could have a lower-than-expected sperm count.
In this case, you have to search for what you do for a living. Your occupation or work environment could be killing your sperm population.
Jobs that require you to stay for long in front of hot surfaces, or flame sources can increase the testicle temperature to be exceedingly high. Yet, high temperature is counterproductive to sperm growth.
Still, you may be subject to chemicals that aggravate the formation of free radicals in your body. This oxidative effect disturbs the fragile environment the sperm requires to develop well.
Men working in a bakery, and restaurants stand in front of high-intensity heat sources. This environment fries their sperm.
Men who do welding, and mining also use equipment that generates intense heat and vibration. These combinations aren’t perfect for budding sperms.
Even prolonged exposure to harsh chemicals such as pesticides and insecticides can wipe your sperm production process.
In conclusion, we have discussed five aspects of lifestyle that can bring down sperm count in males. We hope you will be able to consider the information and take steps to prevent your lifestyle from affecting your sperm count.
SIMILAR QUESTION
How Does Your Lifestyle Affect Your Sperm?
Introduction
The lifestyle choices we make today can have a significant impact on our health in the future, and this includes the health of our sperm. Many men are unaware that their lifestyle choices can affect their sperm, but it is important to be mindful of how our habits can affect our fertility. In this paper, we will discuss how lifestyle can influence sperm quality, and how men can improve their sperm health by making simple changes to their lifestyles.
Body
One of the most significant lifestyle factors that can influence sperm quality is diet. Eating a balanced diet filled with essential nutrients is key to maintaining healthy sperm. Eating plenty of fruits and vegetables, lean proteins, and healthy fats helps to keep sperm healthy. Eating processed foods, trans fats, and excessive amounts of sugar can lead to unhealthy sperm.
Exercise is another important factor in maintaining healthy sperm. Regular exercise helps to reduce stress, which can have a negative effect on sperm production. Exercise also helps to maintain a healthy weight, which is important for healthy sperm production.
Smoking and excessive alcohol consumption can also have a negative impact on sperm health. Smoking can reduce the production of sperm and make them less motile, while excessive alcohol consumption can lead to a decrease in sperm production. Both smoking and excessive alcohol consumption can also lead to infertility.
Finally, men should be mindful of their exposure to environmental toxins, such as pesticides and heavy metals, as these can also have a negative impact on sperm production.
Conclusion
In conclusion, it is important for men to be mindful of their lifestyle choices, as these can have a significant impact on their sperm health. Eating a healthy diet, exercising regularly, avoiding smoking and excessive alcohol consumption, and avoiding environmental toxins can help to maintain healthy sperm production. Making these simple lifestyle changes can help to ensure that men are doing their part to maintain healthy sperm production and maximize their fertility.
