In our hyper-charged world, it's hard to go to bed completely unplugged. Some people can't sleep without the TV blaring; others lull themselves to sleep by reading on their tablets or smartphones. (That would be me—*raises hand guiltily.*)

But if your sights are set on getting pregnant, you may want to rethink that nighttime routine. A recent study released in Cell Reports says that the use of artificial light at night can interrupt not only one's sleep patterns, but one's fertility by association.

Here's how fertility doctor Mark Surrey of Southern California Reproductive Center breaks it down: "The idea is that artificial light—whether it comes from your radio, TV, or cell phone—may disrupt the suprachiasmatic nucleus, which controls circadian rhythms."

Translation? That soft glow from your electronic device may be having a harsh effect on your body's natural rhythms (sleep-related and otherwise). "It's hard to say that having your cell phone on at night will make you infertile, but not getting enough sleep [due to disrupted patterns] can affect your melatonin and cortisol levels, as well as potentially your ability to produce eggs," adds Surrey.

And the older you are, the more this finding could be an eye-opener. With a special focus on age-related infertility, the study determined that environmental disturbances to natural light-dark cycles resulted in irregular estrous cycles and hormonal issues in middle-aged mice. (We're pointing the finger at you, iPad.) The good news? Fine-tuning those conditions to be more natural again helped restore cycle regularity—and improve fertility—in those same mice.

These findings mimic another study released in Fertility & Sterility last July, which found that artificial light exposure during the darkness of night suppresses melatonin levels and messes with ovarian function.

The takeaway is somewhat obvious: don't be in the dark when it comes to setting up optimal sleep conditions. The more blissful Z's, the better chance of babies.

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