Did you know that certain lifestyle habits could be messing with your swimmers? Yeah, new research suggests that stuff like being overweight, stress, and even being glued to your phone can mess with the DNA in men’s sperm. Crazy, right?

So, here’s the deal: this study out of Poland says that it’s not just about how many swimmers you’ve got, but also about the quality of their DNA. Apparently, the more damaged or fragmented that DNA is, the harder it is to conceive naturally or even through IVF. The International Journal of Impotence Research even backs this up!

Ricardo R. Bretola, from the University of Sao Paulo, thinks lifestyle plays a huge role in all this. He says, “Yeah, your environment and how you live definitely have an impact on your fertility, but it’s different for everyone.”

The study looked at 286 guys under 45. Most of them were a bit on the heavy side, didn’t smoke, and had all sorts of work stress going on. And get this, half of them were glued to their phones for 6 to 10 years! Overall, their swimmers seemed okay, but older guys and those with more work stress had lower quality semen.

Now, here’s where it gets interesting. Being overweight or using your phone like it’s your best friend? Yeah, that could mean more immature swimmers. But things like coffee, booze, and even cigarettes didn’t seem to make a difference.

Experts reckon about 40% of guys have some sort of sperm issue, but most don’t even know because standard tests don’t check for DNA damage. So, if you’re trying for a mini-me, maybe lay off the phone a bit and hit the gym instead!