How to increase your Testosterone Levels
John Hawthorne explains how to increase your Testosterone Levels supported by up-to-date research on the best way to boost your T-Levels naturally.
You probably know that testosterone is essential for men. After all, it is responsible for things like sex drive, sperm count, fat distribution, red blood cell count, and muscle strength.
When you have low levels of testosterone, there are significant adverse side effects, including:
- Diminished sex drive
- Muscle loss
- Increased breast size
- Erectile dysfunction or impotence
- Depression, irritability, and the inability to concentrate
- Loss of hair
- Shrunken testes
- Low energy
- Decreased physical endurance
- Increased chance of bone fractures
You need to maintain healthy levels of testosterone to function effectively. This raises an important question: how can you increase testosterone levels? After all, it is one thing to know that you have low testosterone levels; it is something else altogether to increase them. Consider this article a primer on increasing your testosterone levels. We will break down the what, why, and how so that you can make informed decisions about your health.
What Is Testosterone?
Before we discuss how to increase your testosterone levels, it is essential to understand what testosterone is. Testosterone is a male sex hormone essential for both reproductive development and sexual health. It is part of a class of hormones called androgens (also known as "steroids" or "anabolic steroids"). While women do have testosterone in their bodies, their levels are around one-tenth to one-twentieth what is found in men.
Testosterone is primarily created in the testes, although a small amount is produced from the adrenal glands. The hypothalamus and the pituitary gland work together to control a man's testosterone production, with the hypothalamus instructing the pituitary gland and passing those instructions on to the testes. The hormone is also responsible for the initial development of male sex organs before birth and changes at puberty, like an increased penis and testes size, increased facial and body hair, and a deeper voice.
Causes of Low Testosterone
Normal levels of testosterone fall anywhere between 300-1000 nanograms per decilitre (ng/dl), with free testosterone levels usually being between 3-9 ng/dl. There are several causes of low testosterone levels, including:
- Ageing
- Pituitary gland problems
- Toxin or heavy metal exposure
- Stroke Surgery
- Anabolic steroid use
- And many others ...
Dr Robert Kominiarek notes: "Most commonly, I find some history of neurologic insult as the cause - a traumatic brain injury with or without loss of consciousness, stroke, surgery, medical imaging with iodinated contrast, medication, illegal drug use, excessive alcohol [consumption], toxin or heavy metal exposure, prior anabolic steroid use, penetrating or blunt trauma, radiation, chemotherapy, [arrhythmia], motorcycle accident, rollercoaster rides, boxing, martial arts, football, and the list goes on."
The point is that while there are numerous reasons for low testosterone, the cause may not be immediately apparent. And while identifying the underlying cause is crucial, it is even more important to know how to bring testosterone levels back to normal levels. If you think you have low testosterone levels, the easiest way to confirm your suspicion is to have your doctor perform a simple blood test. If your levels fall below the "normal" range, then you have a problem that, thankfully, can be corrected.
How to raise Testosterone levels
If testing reveals that you have low testosterone levels, there are some relatively simple yet powerful ways to increase them.
Improved Diet
The most straightforward, most natural place to start is with your diet. As a study in the Journal of Applied Physiology notes: Individuals consuming a diet containing 20% fat compared with a diet containing 40% fat have significantly lower concentrations of T. Saturated, and monounsaturated fats have both been shown to increase testosterone levels. Also, the replacement of dietary carbohydrates with protein has decreased T concentrations. These studies indicate that the energy supplied by the different macronutrients significantly influences T concentrations. In other words, if your diet is high in healthy fat, there is a greater chance that your overall testosterone levels will be higher.
Some outstanding, high-fat foods to incorporate into your diet are Red meat, Cheese, Eggs, Olive and coconut oil, Avocado, Peanut butter.
However, there are two things to remember as you bring these foods into your diet. First, if you are not carefully monitoring your calorie intake, you can put on weight, which is not suitable for your health. Second, there is a debate about whether or not to maintain or drop your carbohydrate levels when adding high-fat food.
Some say that dropping carbs can increase cortisol, leading to a drop in test levels. Others say that keeping carbohydrates high at the same time as high fat is a recipe for disaster. We tend to opt for lower carbs (around 100 grams a day), but to each our own.
Supplements
In addition to improving your diet, taking supplements can also be an effective, natural way to maintain your overall testosterone levels. One thing to note: many supplements seem to connect with raising or maintaining healthy testosterone levels. For almost everyone, a couple of the staples is vitamin D3 and omega-3 fish oil.
So what other supplements should you be taking?
- Zinc gluconate - low levels of zinc can lead to lower testosterone levels. It can lead to blood sugar issues (ignore the bioscience guys who tell you to take a ton of this forever). It is important not to overdo it on zinc, though, especially if you are not deficient.
- Magnesium -
- Magnesium is essential for muscle health, sleep, and energy. The western diet tends to create magnesium deficiencies in many. When you are low on magnesium, you may also have lower testosterone levels.
- A study by Wankhede et al. (2015)[1] shows that ashwagandha can create smaller boosts in already healthy men.
- A study by Steel et al. (2011)[2] shows that unique extracts of fenugreek can mimic testosterone, leading to many of the same benefits as higher test levels.
- A study by George & Henkel (2014)[3] shows that Eurycoma Longifolia is being used to replace TRT.
Exercise
Numerous studies have demonstrated the testosterone boosting power of high-intensity Interval Training (HIIT).
As William Kraemer notes: "Resistance exercise has been shown to elicit a significant acute hormonal response. Anabolic hormones such as testosterone and the superfamily of growth hormones (GH) are elevated during 15-30 minutes of post-resistance exercise, providing an adequate stimulus is present." It appears that this acute response is more critical to tissue growth and remodelling than chronic changes in resting hormonal concentrations, as many studies have not shown a significant difference during resistance training despite increases in muscle strength and hypertrophy.
HIIT involves doing exercises at a high intensity for short periods interspersed with rest periods.
The best HIIT exercise involves and stimulates as many muscles as possible. Some great activities include:
- Doing kettlebell swings, deadlifts, curls, snatches, and squats can get your body into a prime testosterone-producing state.
- Flying down the track at top speed pushes your body to the max and encourages it to produce more testosterone.
Do Not Cut Calories Too Often
There is a fine line between losing weight and keeping your testosterone levels high. When you diet for long periods, your body reduces testosterone levels. Returning to normal calories level will bring your levels back up to normal.
If you are going to diet, do not overdo it. Balance your calorie cuts with your standard diet.
Go to Sleep
Most production of testosterone happens when you sleep. If you do not wake up with a morning erection, you might have low testosterone levels. If you sleep fewer than five hours per night, it can reduce your testosterone levels by up to 15%. Additionally, insufficient sleep typically increases cortisol levels, which diminishes the amount of testosterone in your body. To keep your testosterone levels high, be sure to get a solid night's sleep.
Conclusion
Testosterone is one of the things you take for granted while it is there. Testosterone is essential for a good life. But low testosterone can be seriously problematic and dramatically reduce the quality of your life. A decreased sex life can hurt your relationships, reduced energy can lower the quality of your work, and extra weight can take a strain on your body.
Thankfully, if you have low levels, you can take steps to repair your body. These steps are simple, like exercising, sleeping well, and eating a healthy diet. These natural solutions are better than medical alternatives like hormone therapy or testosterone patches.
If you think you are deficient in testosterone, act. It does not usually fix itself. Take steps in the right direction today.
References
- WANKHED, S. et al. (2015) Examining the effect of Withania somnifera supplementation on muscle strength and recovery: a randomized controlled trial, J Int Soc Sports Nutr. Nov. p.12-43.
- STEEL, S et al. (2011) Physiological aspects of male libido enhanced by standardized Trigonella foenum-graecum extract and mineral formulation, Phytother Res. 25(9), p. 1294-300
- GEORGE, A. and HENKEL, R. (2014) Phytoandrogenic properties of Eurycoma longifolia as natural alternative to testosterone replacement therapy, Andrologia, 46(7)7, p. 08-21
Page Reference
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About the Author
John Hawthorne is a health nut from Canada with a passion for travel and taking part in humanitarian efforts. His writing not only solves a creative need it has also led to many new opportunities when travelling abroad. John's article can also be viewed at https://www.vitamonk.com/blogs/health/how-to-increase-testosterone-levels