If you’re not trying for a pregnancy, you may not give much thought to the quality of your sperm. But the benefits of healthy swimmers go beyond babies.
“Your sperm health is a window into your overall health,” says Justin Dubin, MD, a urologist and andrologist with Memorial Healthcare System in Aventura, Florida, who researches men’s health.
Taking steps to improve your sperm quality starts with looking at some key aspects of your lifestyle, including your diet, movement, and sleep habits.
As you make adjustments in these areas, keep in mind that changes in your sperm won’t happen overnight. “The sperm life cycle is about three months,” Dubin says. It will take about three months to see the results of any positive changes you make.
With that in mind, here’s what you can do to improve your sperm quality.
1. Eat a Balanced Diet
In terms of specific supplements, vitamins C and E have the most evidence for supporting sperm quality, says Stanton Honig, MD, professor of urology and chair of the Reproductive and Sexual Health Committee at the Yale School of Medicine in New Haven, Connecticut. Both are antioxidants that may help protect sperm DNA from damage.
Dubin typically recommends a multivitamin to his patients but cautions that supplements are not a replacement for healthy eating habits.
2. Exercise Regularly
Regular physical activity is a boon for overall health, so it’s no wonder it’s also good for sperm health.
Strength training — whether with free weights, resistance bands, or your own body weight — may be beneficial for semen quality. According to Dubin, strength training supports optimal testosterone levels.
3. Get Enough Sleep
Testosterone production is closely tied to your circadian rhythm (your body’s internal “clock” that tells you when to sleep and when to wake up), Dubin says. So, you need consistent, quality sleep to have good testosterone levels and, thus, healthy sperm.
Testosterone levels are highest in the morning and then gradually fall throughout the day. Your body restores your testosterone levels during the rapid eye movement (REM) stage of sleep when most dreaming occurs, Dubin says. If you’re not spending enough time in the REM stage, whether because you’re not getting enough shut-eye overall or because of a sleep disorder, your testosterone levels and sperm quality will likely suffer.
4. Maintain a Healthy Weight
Being overweight or having obesity is linked to low testosterone levels and chronic inflammation, Dubin says, which can both affect sperm quality.
5. Avoid Too Much Time in the Sauna or Steam Room
Dubin says many people don’t know that wet heat exposure — spending time in saunas, steam rooms, or hot tubs — can affect sperm health.
“Your testicles are outside your body for a reason. They like to be a couple degrees cooler than the rest of your body,” Dubin says. But exposure to high heat can essentially “cook” the sperm inside.
Hitting the sauna, hot tub, or steam room once in a while isn’t usually a big deal. “But the more you do it, the more likely you’ll lower your sperm count or even have no sperm in your ejaculate,” Dubin says.
6. Consider a Coenzyme Q10 Supplement
Dubin says this is likely due to CoQ10’s role as an antioxidant, which may help protect sperm from damage by oxidative stress in the body, often caused by exposure to environmental toxins, poor lifestyle habits, and underlying health conditions.
As with any supplement, make sure to talk to your doctor before adding CoQ10 to your routine to ensure it’s safe for you.
7. Limit Alcohol and Recreational Drugs
For most people, drinking in moderation is unlikely to cause fertility issues, Dr. Honig says. But heavy use of alcohol, marijuana, or other drugs might, because this can cause hormonal imbalances and increase inflammation in the body.
“Limiting alcohol and stopping illicit drugs such as heavy marijuana improves testosterone levels naturally and improves sperm quality,” Honig says.
8. Stop Smoking
Smoking and vaping have similar effects on sperm to drugs and alcohol. However, the act of inhaling might compound the problem. “The inhalation process causes inflammation in the lungs and can cause an inflammatory response in your body, and that is what we think is really compromising your sperm,” Dubin says.
9. Minimize Stress
High levels of stress and anxiety increase cortisol (also known as the “stress hormone”), which can decrease testosterone, Dubin says.
Adding relaxation exercises to your daily routine, like deep breathing or meditation, can also help minimize stress and improve sperm quality.
10. Don’t Take Testosterone Replacement Therapy
It may seem counterintuitive, but testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) will tank your sperm quality. “Testosterone use will shut off sperm production to zero or close to zero,” Honig says.
If you have low T and want to preserve your fertility, talk to a urologist about treatment options that don’t affect sperm (such as clomiphene), Honig suggests.
Dubin also says to watch out for supplements marketed as “testosterone boosters,” as some of them may actually contain testosterone (even if they don’t list it on the label).
When to See a Doctor
Lifestyle changes alone won’t be enough for everyone to improve their sperm. You’re more likely to have low testosterone if you have an underlying health issue such as diabetes, obesity, cancer, or HIV. See a urologist to discuss treatment options, Dubin says.
Signs of low testosterone include decreased libido, erectile dysfunction (the inability to get or keep an erection), decreased energy, muscle loss, and weight gain, which warrant a visit to your provider, he adds.
The Takeaway
- Many of the lifestyle habits that support overall health can also help improve sperm quality.
- Eating a balanced diet, getting adequate sleep and exercise, reducing stress, not smoking, taking a CoQ10 supplement, maintaining a healthy weight, and avoiding testosterone replacement therapy, heavy drinking, and drug use can help boost sperm health.
- Certain medical conditions can affect sperm quality, including diabetes, obesity, cancer, and HIV. See a reproductive urologist if you have any of these conditions, or if you’ve made healthy lifestyle changes and still struggle to conceive after a year of having sex without birth control.
