Underwear and Your Sperm Count
It is interesting how a simple lifestyle change can improve sperm count in men!! The secret lies in wearing loose underwear, or rather, wearing underwear that is not too tight. Recent research done by scientific researchers has proved that wearing loose underwear improves sperm count by 25%. This path-breaking research is enough to stress the one thing that affects fertility in men. And the result is staggering in its own right.
Body temperature and sperm growth
When we try to answer this tough question about our fertility, it all comes down to heat. Sperm cells are susceptible to changes in temperature. Testicles, which produce sperm outside our body. This is so since our evolution into humans. They are outside our bodies and are held by the scrotum. They are thus located away from our body heat. Normal body temperature varies around 37 degree Celsius while the average temperature of the scrotum is 2.5 to 3 degree Celsius. A body temperature that is around 34 degree Celsius is ideal for the testicles to produce sperm.
Heat affects sperm growth
Sperm growth is affected by heat. It is more alarming to note that even slight changes in room temperatures adversely affect sperm growth. This is so even in elongated periods of illness or high fever when body heat is at its highest. Knowing this glaring truth is more reason to explain the relationship between sperm growth and body heat. It is also so simple to know why the testicles are outside our bodies. They are so because they are then away from our body and the heat from our body cannot touch them or affect them in any way.
Research about tight underwear
Scientific research has been undergoing on the results of tight underwear for quite a several years now. But it is only recently that research has proved the adverse effects of wearing tight underwear on sperm growth. In a recent systematic study done by researchers at the Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health, researchers found out what they suspected for so long. This was a detailed study where researchers asked the participants about which type of underwear they wore. They also evaluated their semen and tested the levels of a hormone called FSH in the blood. The FSH hormone is the one that results in the production of sperm in men. The researchers also tested other factors like BMI index, smoking habits, age, and use of a hot bathtub. They found out that men who wear loose-fitting boxers had a sperm concentration that was 25% higher than men who wore tight-fitting boxers. They also found that FSH levels were high in people with low sperm counts. This is because of the natural reaction of the body to increase FSH levels to boost sperm count.
What the results say about loose boxers
The results point out one thing. And that is higher heat inside your pants. The heat is more around the scrotum in people who wear tight underwear. If you switch from tight underwear to boxers then you can improve your sperm count. In tight underwear, the scrotum is held close to the body and the result is that it receives more heat. The research reveals a lot of how our choice of underwear can boost our sperm count. The research is an eye-opener on how a simple thing called underwear can affect our sperm. When we wear Lure Boxers for instance, which are loose fitting, they do not raise the temperatures around our scrotum. As a result, they maintain cooler temperatures and do not have any adverse effect on sperm count.
Underwear that may lead to low sperm count
Some underwear types like boxers, jocks, and briefs can raise the temperatures around our scrotum by bringing the scrotum close to our bodies. Such tight underwear raises the heat and can impact our sperm count negatively. But boxers, on the other hand, are loose-fitting and are cooler. They do not hold the scrotum itself but provide comfortable protection to the groin area. That is the reason why men should switch to boxers if they want their sperm count to improve. This is a very cheap way to increase sperm count, unlike the more expensive ways of taking other medications.
Conclusion
It does not, however, prove that briefs and jocks are always responsible for lower sperm count. This can be in the case of men who have a previous history of fertility issues. However, if you are a healthy male with no such sperm-related issues, you can continue to wear briefs, jocks, and other underwear types, without worrying about their sperm count. However, switching to boxers can prove beneficial in the long run. Wearing them is more comfortable and their structure is such that they are more breathable and airier.