When your head hits the pillow are you a starfisher, in the foetus position or freefaller? Malebox has been asked directly by people within its community whether lying on your front could affect your fertility so we have done some digging to find out.
There is very little research specifically on whether sleeping on your front affects male fertility through increased testicular temperature. However, there was a study in 2003 that looked into the effects that different sleeping postures had on testicular temperature. In a cohort of 22 men, sleeping on their side caused an average increase of over half a degree celsius compared to the temperature of their testicles when lying on their backs. Whilst there was no data from this study looking specifically into lying on your front it is natural to assume that testicular temperature would be even higher in this position. Whilst the temperature increase between the two positions may seem minimal it is important to remember that spermatogenesis (the creation of sperm) can only occur at 2.5 degrees celsius below core body temperature, which is why the testicles are located in the scrotum outside the body. Therefore, even minimal changes to testicular temperature could have an effect on sperm count, morphology and motility.
There is even less research into whether the pressure put on your balls when sleeping on your front can cause infertility making it hard for us to draw a conclusion either way. However, it wouldn’t hurt to try and sleep on your side or even better your back if possible in order to cool down your testicles.
References:
Comments