Is there a relationship between sleep and fertility? Does the amount of sleep you get translate to a healthy reproductive system?
In our world today, increasing concerns build up, as people stretch to meet the demands each day throws at them.
Unfortunately, this situation presents humans with circumstances that could affect their sleep pattern.
In this group also are the shift workers and those who sleep late, yet wake up early, to beat traffic situations.
They run a ‘dangerous schedule’ five days of a week, with accumulated sleep deficits.
Amidst this situation, a little attention goes to whether there is a relationship between sleep and infertility.
Sadly, the rate of infertility is increasing and not many partners have been able to identify the underlying problem.
They visit a doctor and get the ‘all is well’ report.
But they know that their desire to add a child to the family is not materialising.
Some still keep trusting God, yet doctors have classified them infertile.
What Is Infertility?
Infertility is defined as “the failure to achieve a successful pregnancy after 12 months or more of appropriate, timed unprotected intercourse or therapeutic donor insemination (1).
While it takes 12 months to classify a couple trying to conceive as infertile, we recommend that partners should not wait for this long before they seek help.
Waiting takes time and lowers the number of eggs a couple has to achieve result.
The older a woman gets, the more eggs she loses and the lower her chances of conception.
It is the reason the number of infertility cases is rising.
For instance, over 72.4 million women worldwide currently encounter infertility.
In the United States, over 6.1 million are having difficulty becoming pregnant or carrying a pregnancy to term (2).
Unfortunately, among different causes of infertility that we know, there is paucity of information when it comes to sleep and infertility.
Sleep And Infertility: The Relationship
Infertility causes could be organic (e.g., anovulation, tubal obstruction) and iatrogenic (e.g., adverse effects of chemotherapy or radiation).
Also, it could be lifestyle-related – weight, nutrition, and substance use.
Unfortunately, sleep quality and quantity could also, directly or indirectly impact fertility.
According to a study, sleep may affect fertility in three different ways.
1. The HPA Activation May Interfere With Reproduction
The study says the Hypothalamic Pituitary Adrenal (HPA) axis may directly exert its effect on reproductive hormones.
When this happens it may potentially interfere with normal follicle development, menstruation and fecundity (3).
Basically, not getting enough sleep could constitute stress to your body.
This is one of the adjustments that our health coach made to address her high prolactin issue before she conceived.
Read Her Story: How I Corrected Hormonal Imbalance And Gave Birth To Near Twin
This accumulated amount of stress further alters your body system.
According to the study on sleep and fertility in women, stress-related alteration of progesterone secretion may increase the risk of abortive responses.
Also, stress, as measured by increases in physical activity and fasting, has been shown to acutely raise melatonin levels.
When the level of melatonin rises, it could affect ovulation (4).
Also, stress may reduce the likelihood of conception through decreased uterine receptivity.
While stress could affect fertility, the study emphasises that not every species experience reproductive challenge in the face of stress.
2. Sleep Dysregulation May Result In Infertility
The earlier cited study further says sleep dysregulation can occur in the absence of HPA activation.
Nonetheless, this may lead to infertility without being precipitated or perpetuated by HPA activation.
Categorically, this happens in different ways.
Insomnia
When a person is unable to get a good sleep. It is a situation that may co-occur with, or result in, HPA activation. It could lead to infertility.
Sleep Dysregulation
This has to do with sleep fragmentation, sleep continuity disturbance, short or long sleep duration.
Women who often have less than the recommended amount of sleep each day are likely to have unsuccessful conception.
Basically, this is because of the suppression or augmentation of reproductive hormones.
Sleep Loss Weakens Immune System
When a woman loses some amount of sleep because she has to wake up early to go to work, her immune system may become weak.
Every woman needs a strong immune system to conceive and keep a pregnancy.
According to the study, sleep loss may also affect conception via compromised immunity.
Also, sleep deprivation could affect prolactin level.
This is because prolactin is inhibited by transient awakening and is profoundly suppressed by sleep deprivation.
When there is imbalance in a woman’s reproductive hormones, it becomes difficult for conception to happen.
3. Circadian Dysrhythmia May Affect Fertility
Also, when a woman’s circadian rhythm is irregular due to sleep deprivation it could affect fertility.
A study establishes that fertility-related hormones exhibit a circadian pattern under the conditions of normal sleep (5).
The study of some shift workers found evidences of altered secretion of reproductive hormones.
It also says circadian dysrhythmia has adverse effect on reproductive outcomes.
Basically, the study is emphasising that having an irregular sleep pattern often affects how reproductive hormones are released.
One of such hormones that play a major role, as found in the study, is melatonin.
It is a key circadian hormone, that has a relationship with fertility.
From the above research findings it is obvious that sleep and fertility are related.
The less sleep a woman gets the more she increases chances of hormone alterations, poor immune system and high stress level.
Do your best to get a good sleep each day to keep your reproductive health intact.
See few things to do to get a good night sleep.