Sleep and fertility: tips to get pregnant
Numerous lifestyle factors can influence the reproductive health of both men and women: overweight, underweight, type of diet, smoking, drinking, physical activity, among others. In general, having 'poor health' can negatively affect the fertile capacity of our species. But what about sleep? Could it affect fertility? And if so, how do you do it?
Influence of sleep on human health
You don't have to look hard to find studies that show that quality sleep is essential for good health.
However, the data is discouraging.
The Spanish Society of Neurology (SEN) estimates that:
- More of 4 million people in Spain suffer from some sleep disorder chronic and serious. Especially women, and even more so, the elderly, are the most affected group.
- Only a third of Spaniards sleep the necessary hours during weekdays.
- Between a 20 and 48% of the Spanish adult population suffers, at some point in their life, difficulty initiating or maintaining sleep.
- More than one 30% of the population wake up with the feeling of not having had a restful sleep or ends the day very tired.
And, worst of all, the Spanish Society of Neurology estimates that more than two-thirds of people who suffer from sleep problems do not seek professional help.
For this reason, there is World Sleep Day (March 13), to increase sensitivity and raise awareness about the importance of sleep and its great impact on health.
Not sleeping ALWAYS has consequences.
There are people who drag themselves if they don't get enough sleep and others seem to carry it off as if nothing had happened. But everyone ends up paying the bill for not sleeping.
Why does sleep affect health so much?
Because it is at night when, in deep sleep, our body regenerates. It recovers from the wear and tear suffered during the day and regenerates tissues and produces new cells.
It is, without a doubt, the best antiaging!
On a mental level, it also integrates data, establishes concepts and elaborates memory. The Continuous lack of sufficient hours of restful sleep leads to physical wear and tear important for the body.
Physical consequences of not sleeping well
Not sleeping well affects both the body and the mood. Specifically, it can affect all these facets of health:
- Mood, humor and sexual desire.
- It affects the ability to concentrate and memory.
- It influences the ability to be creative.
- It affects the ability to make decisions and find solutions to problems.
- In addition, it also influences motor coordination and balance.
Lack of sleep also contributes to certain problems:
- Hypertension.
- Weight gain
- Risk of heart disease.
- Diabetes.
- Intestinal and blood-brain permeability (network of blood vessels and tissue that prevents harmful substances from entering the brain).
All of these conditions pave the way for a multitude of other pathologies, and put another spin on the wheel of fertility. They may not be sufficient conditions in themselves to prevent fertility, but they do not favor it at all.
But then,
How does lack of sleep affect fertility?
How does sleep (or lack thereof) affect the chance of pregnancy?
Both men and women experience decreased fertility when sleep deprived. Even a few nights without adequate rest can interfere with hormone production and stress response.
In both men and women, the same part of the brain that regulates the hormones involved in sleep and wakefulness (cortisol and melatonin) is also the part that activates the hormones involved in reproduction (gonadotropins and testosterone).
We are going to see the effects on both men and women.
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Sleep and fertility in women
The hormones that trigger egg maturation and are responsible for triggering ovulation are linked to your sleep-wake pattern.
In a sleep-deprived woman, for example, the interruption can interfere with the hormones that trigger ovulation, as it determines the menstrual cycle. Not getting enough sleep can disrupt your menstrual cycle and cause irregular periods, making pregnancy difficult.
Menstrual cycles are closely related to the circadian rhythm or biological rhythm of the body, closely related to the hours of light: day and night.
The brain nucleus called suprachiasmatic is responsible for this circadian rhythm, that is, it tells the body when and how many hormones to release. So, it is easy to think that following a very irregular sleeping pattern takes us away from the proper functioning of this rhythm and can alter, or even interrupt, a woman's menstrual cycle.
Studies on sleep and fertility
On the other hand, there are studies that confirm this good relationship between sleep rhythm and fertility:
- Low levels of the hormones prolactin and melatonin, which work at night, are capable of suppressing ovarian function in women.
- Women who sleep longer appear to have higher levels of FSH (follicle-stimulating hormone), whose function is to stimulate the growth of ovarian follicles before the release of the egg.
- Melatonin has naturally antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, which is why it is widely used to improve the quality of ovarian follicles against oxidation damage caused by free radicals.
Sleep and fertility in men
It is believed that the loss of function of the blood-brain barrier due to lack of sleep can also generate alterations in the integrity of other physiological barriers, such as that which exists in certain areas of the testicles.
Studies have confirmed that Sleep loss decreases sperm viability and its mobility quickly and progressively, influencing the levels of testosterone in the blood and the final quality of the sperm.
As in women, Sleeping a few hours reduces the reproductive capacity of men.
The curious thing is that sleeping many hours also, although the association is weaker and imprecise.
When healthy young men maintain reduced sleep, a maximum of 5 hours, for a week, testosterone levels decrease between 10% and 15%, reaching the levels of someone 20 years older.
One study revealed that a reduced sleep schedule results in lower sperm counts and a lower sperm survival rate. The researchers found an increase in the production of “antisperm antibodies,” resulting in poor sperm quality.
Association between sleep quality and IVFs
Women's sleep quality shows a clear deterioration when they undergo IVF, both before and during treatments. The study is done using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index.
In these studies, variations in the quantity and quality of sleep were evaluated by different methods during the IVF treatments of 22 women.
Sleep quality was noticeably worse in the moments before embryo transfer and improved after embryo transfer.
Three points seemed to be determining factors for a variation of 40% in the number of oocytes recovered: the level of anti-Müllerian hormone, the level of FSH and the total hours of sleep reported.
Another study reported the significant association between sleep disorders and poor ovarian response or low number of oocytes recovered in a series of 200 women undergoing IVF.
Finally, another study of 656 women undergoing IVF found no correlation between sleep duration and the number of oocytes retrieved or fertilization rates.
Even so, a significantly higher pregnancy rate in the medium sleeper group (7-8 hours) vs. long sleeper group (9-11 hours), and a trend towards a greater number of pregnancies in the group of medium sleepers than in the group of short sleepers (4-6 hours).
In this same sense, another study that did not conclude a special association between hours of sleep and the success of IVF did report the existence of a notable deterioration in the quality of sleep at the time of oocyte retrieval in the group of IVF compared to control groups.
This study also reported that shift work (evening, night, or rotating shifts) was associated with poor oocyte retrieval outcomes in 462 women undergoing IVF.
Even so, more studies are necessary that can confirm these hypotheses.
How much sleep is necessary to improve fertility?
To ensure that physiological sleep needs are met, you should sleep for a minimum of hours in a row, without interruptions. At least 6 hours during the night or in the dark and a maximum of 9 hours. Yes, there is also talk of a recommended maximum number of hours since Sleeping too much can also interfere with fertility.
A recent study by the National Sleep Foundation found that women undergoing IVF who managed to get between seven and eight hours of sleep had 25% greater success at conception than those who slept nine hours a night.
Those who experienced less than seven hours were 15% less likely to become pregnant.
What can I do to improve my sleep?
Chronic sleep loss is closely related to stress and anxiety. To overcome the situation, there are “sleep hygiene” recommendations.
Perform some type of aerobic exercise daily
Choose an exercise that temporarily raises your heart rate. At least for 30 minutes and preferably outdoors, in the sun. Exposing yourself to the sun 12 hours before bedtime promotes the production of endogenous melatonin 12 hours later.
Doing even a simple activity like walking for half an hour will improve your sleep. In the case of women, it is better to avoid intense exercises late in the afternoon.
Have a routine and sleep schedule
Be routine at bedtime. Even on weekends! This is especially important when you are trying to conceive. Going to bed early one night and then staying up until dawn can confuse your body clock. Try to go to bed and wake up at the same time every day.
Prepare your room for a restful sleep
Setting the stage for a comfortable night's sleep is ideal for improving the quality of your rest. Keep your room dark and cool. The use of masks and earplugs is recommended if you are a particularly sensitive person.
Avoid blue light
It is important that you avoid blue light, that is, "no screens" for 120 minutes before going to bed. And if it is impossible to avoid them, there are specific glasses for filtering blue light.
Prepare for bedtime
After 8pm it is better to slow down. Try to develop relaxing activities before going to bed. Take a bath (not too hot), drink some hot tea, read a book, listen to relaxing music, or find a calming way to signal to your mind and body that bedtime is near.
Avoid heavy meals
Eating large meals just before going to sleep makes it difficult to fall asleep, either because they involve heavy digestion or because they are stimulants.
Limit alcohol and caffeine consumption
This should be a recommendation for general health, regardless of whether you are trying to get pregnant or not. But in this case, and to improve sleep and increase the chances of conceiving, it is important not to drink caffeine or alcohol until 7 hours before bedtime.
These recommendations can help you improve your sleep, whether you are trying to get pregnant naturally or if you are following assisted reproduction treatment.
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Bibliography
- Lateef OM, Akintubosun MO 2020 Sleep and Reproductive Health. Journal of Circadian Rhythms, 18(1): 1, pp. 1–11.
- Lauren AW et al. Male sleep duration and fecundability in a North American preconception cohort study
Andrology. VOL. 109 NO. 3. March 2018
- Dominguez‐Salazar, E. et al. Chronic sleep loss disrupts blood–testis and blood–epididymis barriers, and reduces male fertility. Journal of sleep research. 2019;00:e12907.
- Caetano, G. et al. Impact of sleep on female and male reproductive functions: a systematic review. ENVIRONMENT AND EPIDEMIOLOGY. August 2020
- Goldstein CA. et al. Sleep in women undergoing in vitro fertilization: a pilot study. Sleep Med 2017;32:105–13.
- Mínguez-Alarcóm, L. et al. Occupational factors and markers of ovarian reserve and response among women at a fertility center. Occup Environ Med 2017;74:426–31.
