What is Testosterone?
Testosterone is a natural hormone found mostly in men, although it is not uncommon for women to naturally have lower levels of testosterone as well. Medically speaking, there are many reasons why your testosterone levels may be low. Both your brain and body determine what level of testosterone is necessary based on your physical health, demands, and many of your everyday habits and activities.
Can I improve my Testosterone levels Naturally?
There are several ways in which a man can improve and raise his testosterone levels naturally – many of these often overlooked or not considered by the average male.
• According to Medical Research, ensuring you have a minimum of 7 to 8 hours of sleep each night can dramatically improve your overall daily energy, and in turn allow your body to naturally produce more testosterone on it’s own.
• While both steroids and over-the-counter supplements are advertised as improving or raising testosterone levels via the hormone known as DHEA, health experts say this is a minimally effective route to take. Instead, approach your testosterone levels as a health issue, not necessity to feed your body unnecessary and often harmful, foreign substances, chemicals, or “nutrients”.
• How physically active are you per day? If your daily or weekly fitness routine is non-existent or could be improved, then it’s worth addressing. Whether outside of work or school you spend most of your “free time” as a couch potato, due to a lack of energy or motivation, to just simply not working out enough, there could be many reasons and solutions for increasing natural testosterone levels.
• Do you reasonably manage your stress? If not, a stress hormone known as cortisol is likely the chemical-reaction focus of your body, in turn reducing the likelihood of receiving much needed testosterone. Consider dedicating an hour or two per day to something outside of work, school, or other responsibilities and in turn improve your overall stress levels.
• Review your current medications, especially prescription or off-label (abuse) of opioids. These drugs in particular are medically known to often reduce and impair testosterone levels in both men and women.
There can be lots of reasons for not receiving the normal range of testosterone levels in your everyday life. Often, those whom are underweight, overweight, or obese will suffer the most. In reality, if you’re living an unhealthy lifestyle then it’s likely that your natural ability to produce chemicals or hormones like testosterone will be limited. Before diving into an outrageous, new fitness routine consider taking it step by step, responsibly.
Overworking as well as over training can both negatively impact your natural hormone levels. As hinted at above, regular alcohol or substance abuse can also negatively impact your hormonal levels and make your brain and body go ‘haywire’ – including sleep disturbance. Taking better care of your body doesn’t have to mean a daily 2-hour workout at the gym. In fact, it can be as simple as going for daily or bi-daily walks and slowly transitioning to longer, more consistent walks. Over time, you can develop the habit and ability to benefit from transitioning from walking to a jog, and for some even sprinting over time. Burning fat and calories are important for your health, but what you are putting into your body is no less important.
Image credit: Dean Drobot