Men’s pre-bedtime smartphone use could be causing a decline in their sperm quality, according to a world-first study by the Sleep and Fatigue Institute in Tel Aviv, Israel that was recently published in the journal Sleep. The study also found that men who slept longer had superior sperm health.
The Sleep and Fatigue Institute researchers evaluated the semen samples of 116 men aged between 21 and 59 and then sought to measure their level of exposure to light-emitting electronic devices during the evening and night period.
Those with the highest levels of smartphone, tablet and laptop use were found to have reduced concentration of sperm and less sperm “motility” – motility is a term used to describe the ability of sperm to move rapidly and efficiently.
Although there have not yet been any studies that indicate a clear and compelling link between electronic device use and reduced male fertility, it is thought that the kind of radiofrequency electromagnetic radiation that is emitted by smartphones may increase the temperature of sperm and adversely impact their health and motility; sperm quality decreases when it becomes too warm and many fertility specialists recommend that testicles are kept at a lower temperature than the rest of the body.
Although smartphones may be the main offender, the researchers claim that any light-emitting electronic device has the potential to degrade sperm health. “Smartphone use in the evening, tablet use after bedtime, and television use in the evening were all correlated with the decline of sperm concentration,” said Amit Green, lead research on the Sleep and Fatigue Institute study.
The study adds to an earlier piece of Carmel Medical Center research which found that men who spend an hour or more on their phones every day were more likely to show reduced concentrations of sperm. Furthermore, a Cleveland Clinic Foundation study found that men who keep their smartphones in their front pockets for more than four hours were more likely to exhibit signs of poor sperm quality.
Together, the studies may help to explain why there has been a decrease in sperm quality across the world in recent years, although there are likely to be other factors inherent in contemporary life which affect sperm production and male fertility, including smoking, unhealthy diet and exposure to endocrine disruptors.