- Going to bed late disrupts the body’s internal clock and triggers a hormonal reaction.
Women who want to get pregnant should go to bed no later than 10:45 p.m., a study says.
Researchers followed 4,000 women of childbearing age over a five-year period to see how bedtimes affected their chances of conceiving.
The results showed that those who regularly went to bed after 10:45 p.m. were 22 percent more likely to have fertility problems.
Getting enough sleep is known to be important for staying fertile, but the study shows that it’s not just the amount of sleep that matters: avoiding late nights is also crucial.
Up to 15 per cent of couples in the UK have trouble conceiving, defined as failure to achieve pregnancy after 12 months or more of regular unprotected sex.
Women who want to get pregnant should go to bed at 10:45 p.m., according to a new study (file photo)
Up to 15 per cent of couples in the UK have trouble conceiving, defined as failing to achieve pregnancy after 12 months of regular unprotected sex.
About 30 percent of cases are due to the woman, 30 percent to the man, and the remainder to both or an unknown cause.
Scientists at the Second Xiangya Hospital in Hunan, China, surveyed women between 2015 and 2020 to see how sleep regimens affected pregnancy rates among those actively trying to start a family.
Other factors that could reduce the chances of conception, such as obesity, smoking and high alcohol consumption, were ruled out.
The results, published in the journal Frontiers in Endocrinology, showed little variation in fertility rates among those whose bedtime was before 10:45 p.m.
After that time, there was a marked decrease (more than a fifth) in a woman’s chances of becoming pregnant.
Researchers believe that going to bed later disrupts the body’s internal clock and triggers a hormonal reaction that reduces the likelihood of sperm fertilizing a woman’s egg.
Researchers believe that going to bed later disrupts the body’s internal clock and triggers a hormonal chain reaction that reduces the likelihood that a sperm will fertilize a woman’s egg.
The team said: “Reproduction is tightly controlled by hormonal mechanisms. Any disruption of these can lead to infertility.
‘The accelerated pace of modern society has brought about significant disruptions in people’s lifestyles… an increasing number tend to delay their bedtime.
‘These findings provide valuable information for women of childbearing age.’