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For the study, researchers looked at more than 1,200 healthy young men and collected information on their sedentary behavior (i.e. how often they watched TV and sat in front of a computer) and physical activity. They also took a semen and blood sample.
Here’s what they found: Men who watched more TV were more likely to have lower sperm counts than those who didn’t watch TV (apparently those people actually exist). Specifically, guys who watched five hours of TV a day had an average total sperm count of 104 million vs. 158 million in guys who weren’t down with a Netflix binge.
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Guys who watched TV also had lower levels of testosterone. In fact, the more TV they watched, the lower their levels.
Surprisingly, computer time wasn’t associated with a decreased sperm count. Men who rated themselves as physically fit also had better sperm counts than guys who admitted they weren’t in great shape. (Spice things up in the sack with these goodies from the Women’s Health Boutique.)
What does this all mean? While TV time is associated with lower sperm counts, there’s probably something else going on there, like the fact that people who are less fit tend to spend more time on the couch. So, if your guy is a devoted Crossfitter who loves to watch football marathons on the weekends, his sperm numbers could still be higher than a dude who does the same thing without working out regularly.
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If your guy falls into the latter camp, don’t panic. We’re still talking about a lot of sperm, and it only takes one to make a baby. Also, five hours of TV a day is a pretty impressive amount.