Medical & Health Writer | Wellness Enthusiast | MEng in Biomedical Engineering
Jessica is a medical writer with an unquenched thirst to discover something new. She believes that medical content should be universally accessible and strives to write content that everyone, no matter their background, can understand. Credentials: MEng in Biomedical Engineering from Rutgers University
Every body is filled with chemical messengers that help the body act in its optimal manner. However, when it comes to sex hormones, the ones that are most prevalent in the body depend on the individual’s gender; for men, testosterone reigns supreme.
Testosterone is responsible for typical male characteristics such as body hair, a deeper voice, and a greater capacity for gaining muscle. It’s also important for other areas, though, such as fertility and red blood cell production. As such, keeping testosterone levels balanced should be a priority for all men so they can look and feel their best.
Testosterone plays a role in:
However, testosterone production often declines with age, with more than one-third of men over the age of 45 having levels of testosterone that are lower than the “normal” range.
Symptoms of testosterone deficiency in men can include:
These symptoms not only decrease a man’s quality of life, but they can also create greater issues, such as challenges with conceiving a child or a greater risk of fractures due to brittle bones. Maintaining your testosterone levels is also important for minimizing disease risk. As such, maintaining balance in your hormone levels is crucial to ensure you feel at your best.
There are both at-home and professional ways to improve your testosterone levels.
Exercise is one such option, with a study finding that increasing physical activity if you’re obese is more effective than restricting your calories when the ultimate goal is increasing testosterone levels. While all types of exercise should work, weightlifting and high-intensity interval training (HIIT), in particular, have been cited as highly effective.
Eating a diet that focuses on protein, fat, and carbs can also help boost your testosterone levels, while constant dieting or overeating can disrupt your levels.
Stress can affect your testosterone production, as well, due to disruption from another hormone, cortisol. This is because sudden elevations in cortisol can quickly reduce testosterone, so to prevent this occurrence, focus on managing stress levels.
Sometimes, more than lifestyle changes are needed to balance your testosterone levels. When that is the case, medication may be recommended by your healthcare provider. Medications such as enclomiphene citrate can increase testosterone levels without affecting sperm, helping men maintain their fertility as they regain balance in their hormone levels.
The amount of testosterone that each body needs to function optimally varies by person, so if you suspect that you have low testosterone levels, get started with a Comprehensive Testosterone Test Kit to get a detailed analysis of your testosterone levels—you won’t know how to feel better until you understand where you’re starting.
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Kumagai, H., Zempo-Miyaki, A., Yoshikawa, T., Tsujimoto, T., Tanaka, K., & Maeda, S. (2016). Increased physical activity has a greater effect than reduced energy intake on lifestyle modification-induced increases in testosterone. Journal of clinical biochemistry and nutrition, 58(1), 84–89. https://www.nih.gov/news-events/nih-research-matters/understanding-how-testosterone-affects-men
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Testosterone — What It Does And Doesn’t Do. (2015). Harvard Health. https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/testosterone–what-it-does-and-doesnt-do
