Treating Sleep Apnea Could Improve Sperm Quality, Study Finds
Obstructive sleep apnea occurs when the airway becomes restricted during sleep, leading to loud snoring that's interrupted by pauses in breathing.
It impacts about a quarter of all men over the age of 30, and it does more than leave people feeling unrefreshed. Patients with this sleep disorder are more likely to develop high blood pressure and other cardiovascular concerns.
It may also impact their sex life.
In the past, observational studies have found that sleep apnea is linked to a higher risk of erectile dysfunction, and yet there is scarce evidence on how sperm might be affected.
In 2025, urologists in Brazil penned a correspondence for Nature Reviews Urology that argued sleep medicine should be part of a routine evaluation for male infertility.
Animal studies and some observational human studies suggest that a lack of oxygen or systemic inflammation, triggered by sleep apnea, could possibly mess with sperm production.
This new study, led by researchers at the University of Hong Kong–Shenzhen Hospital in China, is small and the treatment was not randomized, but the authors say it explores a "critical knowledge gap" that is "largely unexplored".
