Have you been feeling less masculine, more stressed, or generally like life isn't as much fun as you once remember it? You may be suffering from low testosterone. Luckily, there are many ways to combat the issues that arise from not having enough testosterone in your body.
In this article, we'll explore some of the symptoms of low testosterone and what are the causes of it.
We also made a video out of this blog in case you are more interested in watching than reading it.
Symptoms of Low Testosterone:
Decreased Libido
If you're experiencing low testosterone, it may lead to a lack of libido. Many times, low libido is simply the result of not having enough testosterone in your body. Loss of libido (sex drive) is a common problem that affects many men and women at some point in their life. It's often linked to relationship issues, stress or tiredness, but can be a sign of an underlying medical problem, such as reduced hormone levels. If you're experiencing low libido, it may be a good idea to visit your doctor to see if what's really occurring is low testosterone. This way, you can get the condition diagnosed and get the right treatment for your needs.
Decreased Erection
Erectile Dysfunction is usually caused by low blood flow to the penis or a problem with the nerves that control erections. This is a result of other conditions, such as hardening of the arteries, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol or diabetes. These conditions narrow the blood vessels and reduce blood flow to the penis or damage the erectile nerves.
Erectile dysfunction (impotence) is the inability to get and keep an erection firm enough for sex. Having erection trouble from time to time isn't necessarily a cause for concern. If erectile dysfunction is an ongoing issue, however, it can cause stress, affect your self-confidence and contribute to relationship problems. Problems getting or keeping an erection can also be a sign of an underlying health condition that needs treatment and a risk factor for heart disease. If you're concerned about erectile dysfunction, talk to your doctor — even if you're embarrassed. Sometimes, treating an underlying condition is enough to reverse erectile dysfunction. In other cases, medications or other direct treatments might be needed.
Decreased Vitality
Your body needs testosterone to function properly. If you're having a hard time getting through your day, it could be because your testosterone levels are low. You might find that you experience a lack of motivation and energy. Low testosterone can lead to moodiness. You may find out that staying home and sleeping more often is a good idea. If you do need to work, you may find that your productivity is reduced. It might be a good idea to see your doctor get some blood tests — and possibly another testing as well — to monitor your specific testosterone levels so that you can see how they are dropping, what is causing it, and how it may be affecting other aspects of your health.
3 Hormones on Low Testosterone
- Insulin:
Increased levels of insulin are bad for testosterone production. So, what causes the increased insulin levels? Insulin rises as a result of too much refined sugar, carbohydrates, and saturated fats. Insulin is the storage hormone for fat; this means that increased levels of it will tell your body to store every morsel of food that you eat. To combat this issue, switch to a diet high in lean proteins and vegetables. You should also avoid sugars and carbs, as they will only cause your body to form more fat.
- Estrogen:
The hormone estrogen is an antagonist to testosterone. This means that the more estrogen in your body, the more testosterone will be suppressed. There are two main causes of high estrogen: lack of sleep and stress. First, inadequate rest causes your testosterone levels to drop, as well as lowers insulin sensitivity. This means that the body will start storing fat rather than burning it off. Second, stress raises cortisol levels, which further suppresses testosterone levels and increases body fat.
- Cortisol:
The stress hormone cortisol is another enemy to your testosterone levels. Increased cortisol levels can further suppress testosterone production in the body. In addition to its effects on your testosterone, cortisol also interferes with the restorative processes of sleep. All of this means that you're not getting enough rest, and you're not producing enough testosterone because of it. Cortisol is a stress-related hormone; when there is too much of it in your body, it can lead to low testosterone production and decreased muscle mass. You can combat this with exercise, meditation, and yoga.
Is Low Testosterone Curable?
The answer is a resounding yes! If you think that you might be suffering from low testosterone, there are many treatments available. If you're a man, make sure to see a doctor for your low T and let him diagnose the cause. Although it's important to be aware that some forms of low testosterone are not curable (such as aging), there are many factors that can be controlled.
Low testosterone can affect men and women alike, but it is much more common in men. Testosterone is an essential hormone for both sexes; however, it's often overlooked by women because they focus on other hormones such as estrogen and progesterone.
As previously mentioned, there are many factors that can lead to low testosterone. A few of these are aging, illness, and lifestyle choices. Make sure to practice a healthy lifestyle that includes a well-balanced diet with plenty of vegetables and protein, adequate rest and sleep, stress reduction, enough exercise and weight lifting for your body's needs, clarity of mind through yoga or meditation, enough sunlight exposure (vitamin D), and avoidance of alcohol consumption.
These steps should help naturally boost your testosterone levels in no time! If you're still suffering from low T after trying all these steps to naturally boost your testosterone levels, it's important that you see a doctor get the appropriate treatment. Remember that low testosterone can be treated effectively with testosterone replacement therapy (TRT). The recommended dosage of TRT for men is between 25 and 100mg of injections per week, while the recommended dosage for women is 50 to 200mg per week.
There are many other natural steps you can take that can help boost your testosterone levels naturally, so keep reading and experiment with different ways to boost your testosterone levels naturally! Many people experience a spike in their testosterone after just a couple of weeks of following a healthy lifestyle.
How to raise your T levels naturally?
In order to boost your testosterone levels, you need to cut back on the stress in your life. Stress causes an increase in cortisol production, which lowers your T levels and increases appetite, and gain body fat. This is why controlling stress is so important. You need to learn how to effectively manage your stress, and how to keep it at bay as much as possible. Meditation, aerobic exercise, and yoga are all great ways of reducing stress and lowering cortisol levels.
If you want to know how to increase testosterone naturally, there are a few things you need to do. First, you must relax. Your body needs time to restore hormones and repair itself after intense exercise sessions or intense sickness. If you're feeling anxious or worried, it will be hard for your body to regain the proper levels of testosterone. Just relax and breathe deeply; this will help your body relax. If stress is a big problem in your life right now, try getting into a hobby that stimulates your mind rather than thinking about past events that cause anxiety. Make sure that you have the time to try new things and take on new challenges. This will make it easier for your body to produce testosterone. Second, you need to eat right. Your body needs vitamin D and zinc in order to produce testosterone. Zinc helps your body produce testosterone, so make sure you get enough of it regularly. Vitamin D promotes muscle growth; as long as your body has enough vitamin D, it will be able to create and maintain muscle mass. If you're looking for a good multivitamin, we recommend the Natrol Men's Multivitamin. It contains all of the essential vitamins and minerals that your body needs to function properly and produce testosterone.
Third, get into exercise! Your body needs exercise in order to burn off stored fat; this is how it creates more testosterone. Make sure that you're working out regularly, and that your workouts are challenging. If you're not getting results from your exercise routine, it's time to try something else. You need to be willing to chase the results that you want; if you aren't seeing positive changes in your body, make sure that you're pushing yourself enough so that it can happen.
How to combat low testosterone naturally?
If you're suffering from low testosterone, there are many ways that you can boost your T levels naturally. First, it's important to note that testosterone is a complex hormone; in order for it to work properly in the body, the correct balance of all four types of it is necessary. If you're suffering from low testosterone due to one type being out of whack, only one or two other types might be below as well. So, what is the right balance?
The right balance of testosterone is known as a "physiological range of normal." It's important to note that there is no exact amount of testosterone that constitutes "normal," so it's important to have a level that is lower than the level that causes side effects. If the levels are too high, it can cause various forms of prostate cancer, so don't ignore this possibility!
- Sleep:
Sleep deprivation causes your body to produce more cortisol, which lowers testosterone production. Make sure you're getting enough rest — you need at least 7 hours of sleep daily. If you're not getting enough sleep, try some natural sleep aids to help you get it. Melatonin is a natural hormone that helps regulate sleep cycles; try taking one before bed for a good night's rest.
- Stress:
In order to combat stress, try yoga and/or meditation. This will help keep your cortisol levels in check and will prevent your testosterone levels from dropping because of stress. Above all else, make sure that you're managing your stress levels. Meditation is a great way to lower cortisol levels and reduce stress. Just try to clear your mind of all thoughts, focus on your breathing (inhale = relax), and focus on the feeling of peace that you feel while doing yoga or meditation.
- Vitamin D:
Vitamin D is important for many aspects of health, including bone health and testosterone production. Make sure you're getting enough of it in your diet by eating a lot of fish and eggs (yolks are high in vitamin D) or taking supplements. As long as you're not deficient in it, the amount needed for testosterone synthesis should be more than enough for any healthy person.
- Weight lifting:
Make sure that you're doing enough weight lifting to promote testosterone production. Lifting weights regularly will increase your muscle mass and will help your body produce more testosterone naturally. This is an important step in boosting testosterone levels naturally!
- Zinc:
Zinc helps with the creation of testosterone, so make sure that you're getting enough of it in your diet or by taking supplements. Zinc also helps with testosterone absorption and can be found in many foods like oysters, red meat, cheese (especially parmesan), whole grains, beans (especially soy), kale, and spinach.
- Essential fatty acids:
Essential fatty acids (EFAs) are naturally produced by the body and help with things such as weight loss and muscle building. Make sure that you're getting enough omega-3s, which can be obtained from flaxseed oil or fish oil. Omega-3s are important for testosterone production compared to the stronger omega-6s.
- Vitamins B6 and B12:
Vitamin B6 is essential in the synthesis of testosterone; make sure you're getting enough of it in your diet or by taking supplements. Make sure you're getting enough of B12, as well as vitamin D (which helps with testosterone production) and zinc (which helps with testosterone production).
- Sauna:
There's a special type of sauna known as a Japanese sweat sauna that men use to detoxify their bodies by sweating out the toxins. The sweat will help balance your body's hormone levels, boost your immune system, and improve circulation. This type of sauna also helps you sweat out toxins such as pesticides and other harmful chemicals that are stored in the fat cells in your body.
- Iodine:
Iodine is important in the synthesis of hormones. Make sure that you're getting enough of it in your diet by eating a lot of seafood, eggs (yolks are high in iodine), and iodized salt.
Low Testosterone in Women
As previously mentioned, low testosterone can be devastating for women. Testosterone is an important hormone in women as well, but its importance is often overlooked. Women need testosterone to build muscle mass, stay active, and lose fat. In fact, testosterone is an essential part of the female sex drive!
If you're suffering from low testosterone due to a condition such as hypothyroidism or polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), it's important to see your doctor. If you're just suffering the natural aging process, there are some things that can be done to help boost your levels naturally.
- Vitamin D:
Vitamin D is essential in the synthesis of many other hormones, and it's necessary for the absorption of testosterone. Make sure you're getting enough of it in your diet by eating a lot of fish and eggs (yolks are high in vitamin D) or taking supplements. As long as you're not deficient in it, the amount needed for testosterone synthesis should be more than enough for any healthy person.
- Vitamin B6:
Vitamin B6 is important in the manufacture of testosterone, so make sure that you're getting enough of it in your diet by eating a lot of bananas, avocados, and whole grains.
- Yoga:
Yoga is a great way to lower cortisol levels, increase testosterone, and reduce stress. Just try to clear your mind of all thoughts, focus on your breathing (inhale = relax), and focus on the feeling of peace that you feel while doing yoga or meditation.
- Acupuncture:
Acupuncture can also be effective in lowering cortisol levels. Additionally, it can heal imbalances in the body's energy flow — which is important for hormone production — and reduce inflammation, which helps with reproductive disorders and other problems. Acupuncture treatments can be great for both men and women looking to boost their testosterone levels naturally.
- Essential fatty acids:
Essential fatty acids (EFAs) are naturally produced by the body and help with things such as weight loss and muscle building. Make sure that you're getting enough omega-3s, which can be obtained from flaxseed oil or fish oil. Omega-3s are important for testosterone production compared to the stronger omega-6s.
- Weight lifting:
Make sure that you're doing enough weight lifting to promote testosterone production. Lifting weights regularly will increase your muscle mass and will help your body produce more testosterone naturally. This is an important step in boosting testosterone levels naturally!
- Weight loss and exercise:
Losing weight can be a great way to boost your testosterone levels naturally, as well as improving your overall health and fitness. Exercise is also extremely important in the process of increasing your body's natural levels of testosterone. Regular exercise, preferably weight lifting, can increase muscle mass and boost the production of testosterone in men or women suffering from low T. Exercise also helps metabolize fat cells, which can help lower cholesterol and combat diseases such as diabetes or obesity.
- Soy (isoflavone):
Soy is a great herb that can help with testosterone production by increasing testosterone receptor sensitivity and stimulating muscle protein synthesis. Make sure to get enough soy in your diet, as well as B6, by eating tofu (soybeans), edamame beans (green soybeans), tempeh, and other soy products.
- Zinc:
Zinc is important for the production of testosterone in men and women alike, so make sure that you're getting enough of it in your diet or by taking supplements. Zinc is a mineral that helps regulate the production of testosterone and boosts its effectiveness by improving zinc levels in the body. Zinc also increases testosterone synthesis in the pituitary gland because it boosts testosterone production in this gland.
Low Testosterone and Hair Loss
Low testosterone levels can be one of the underlying causes of hair loss in men and women. The type of hair loss seen in patients with low testosterone levels is usually a form of male pattern baldness known as androgenic alopecia or female pattern hair loss, which is caused by the same hormone that causes hair growth (DHT).
The production of DHT and the conversion of testosterone into DHT are regulated by your body's natural hormone receptors. When these receptors are working properly, they convert more testosterone into DHT, which is what causes your hair to fall out. If you have low testosterone, then there's less testosterone being converted into DHT; thus, less hair will fall out.
To boost your testosterone naturally, avoid turning testosterone into DHT by stimulating the testosterone receptors through biofeedback therapy. The biofeedback therapy will help you recognize when you're starting to feel stressed and allow you to counteract that stress before it turns into DHT.
Fat cells also secrete estrogen, which can be converted into DHT by an enzyme in the body known as 5-alpha reductase. If there's not enough of the anti-estrogen known as SHBG (sex hormone-binding globulin), then estrogen can turn into a lot more DHT than usual, which causes hair loss.
One way to block the conversion of testosterone into DHT is through the use of androstenedione, which is a steroid hormone precursor. Androstenedione, which is used in testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) therapies, works much like testosterone to stimulate muscle growth and energy production. It also helps prevent balding in men by inhibiting the conversion of testosterone into DHT.
Another supplement that's great for blocking DHT from converting into DHT is licorice root, which can be taken as a supplement or added to your food. Even though it has a bitter taste when consumed in its whole form, it can be made more palatable by mixing it with honey or stevia.