Habits That Can Lower A Man's Sperm

Habits that can lower a man's sperm count

There are some very ordinary things that do influence a man's fertility. Below are the things he loves doing that are decreasing his sperm production.

1. Eating Processed Meat

A study found that processed meat, like sausage or bacon, can significantly harm sperm quality. It was found that men who ate half a portion of processed meat a day had only 5.5 percent "normal'" shaped sperm cells, compared to 7.2 percent who ate less. Instead, they found that fish are possibly the secret to better sperm.

2. Wearing Sunscreen

Lathering up before a day in the sun may actually be protecting him against skin cancer, but it's also potentially impairing his fertility. It has been established that chemicals commonly found in sunscreen can impair male fertility by 30 percent. When the skin absorbs chemicals which filter out UV rays, like BP-2 or 3OH-BP, it can interfere with his hormones.

3. Watching TV

A study from the British Journal of Sports Medicine confirmed that men who watch a lot of TV have fewer sperm than men who exercise moderately or vigorously each week. Couch potatoes who viewed more than 20 hours of television a week had 44 percent lower sperm count than men who watched almost no television.

4. Not having Sex

For guys with low sperm counts, abstaining from even one day of sex can decrease their production even further, according to researchers. Abstaining from sex also causes sperm to change in shape, a sign that the sperm is going stale.

5. Drinking

Drinking alcohol can lower testosterone levels, which in turn leads to decreased sperm quality and production. Moderation is key with drinking — and hopefully he stops doing it on the couch while watching TV, too.

6. Eating Soy

A 2008 Harvard School of Public Health study revealed that even half a serving of soy a day was enough to harm a man's sperm production. Isoflavones, which are found in soy products, actually mimic estrogen. No more Soy for men!

7. Being a Vegeterian

Researchers at Loma Linda University Medical School found that vegetarians and vegans had much lower sperm counts compared with carnivores. Moreover, vegetarians also had less active sperm: One third of sperm were active! The culprit could be vitamin deficiencies and the Soy replacements.

8. Using his laptop and cellphone

It might be best for sperm count, for men to avoid using them for long periods of time. Researchers warn that the heat given off from laptops may increase the temperature in the scrotum and reduce sperm production. It has been esta kished that that those who talked for four or more hours have fewer, weaker sperm. More recently, researchers discovered that men who carry their phones in their pocket or on their belt (they still do that?) were more likely to have fewer, inactive sperm.

9. Stress

Whether he's anxious about work or even having a low sperm count, severe or prolonged stress can interfere with testosterone production.