There are a lot of men that for one reason or the other have issues with their testosterone and they need to get it up and running again. There are a lot of people that know that they have this issue but don’t want to see a doctor or take any medicines to increase their testosterone levels. And it’s normal; a lot of people would prefer to do things naturally wherever they can (myself very much included). And the good news is that yes indeed, you can increase your testosterone levels naturally! This post will show some ways you can naturally increase your testosterone levels.
- Exercising! This is something that really can help in so many ways, can fight off so many diseases and such that you’d normally deal with that you won’t have to worry about if you exercise. A review showed that if you’re exercising regularly you will have higher testosterone levels. Even in the elderly! Reaction time increases as well, which is great too! Research shows that even obese men who have an increase in physical activities can give more benefits than a normal weight loss diet in connection with increasing the testosterone.
- Research shows that long time stress can elevate cortisol in the body, which in turn reduces testosterone. It’s like a teeter totter: one goes up, the other goes down, that sort of thing. And when you’re stressed it’s likely you may eat more food, and gain weight and bad body fat, which too influences your testosterone. You need to have a diet with whole foods, good consistent exercise, and sleep well. These will help testosterone levels. You might want to follow a diet plan such as tasteaholics, which provides some tasty and healthy snacks, many of which are great for boosting testosterone.
- Get out in the sun! When you’re in the sun you’re open to Vitamin D being absorbed and if you’re getting a good level of Vitamin D then you’ll see testosterone levels increase, which is obviously great! Even in the elderly;Vitamin D optimizes testosterone levels and that can lead to a risk in falling. Plus, it’s just fun to be out in the sun, so make sure you’re out as often as you can be.
- Get plenty of good sleep. We mentioned sleep already and it needs to be emphasized again. It’s just as good for your body as exercising and diet. The amount of sleep you may need varies; some people need more, some need less. But it has been found that if you sleep for at least 5 hours a night you’ll see a 15% drop in testosterone levels. Other studies show that for each hour above that you can get per night (6, 7, 8 whatever your number may be) you’ll see a 15% raise in testosterone levels. 7 to 10 hours per night is the best for the levels you want to reach.
- Amazing as it is, playing video games is one way in which men can actually raise their testosterone levels according to recent research. Quoted by GamerBolt – “Video games bring about human-to-human competitiveness which is one of the reasons for this phenomenon”.
- Another interesting area that can potentially boost testosterone is finances. Simply put, money translates to freedom, feelings of power, higher social status, and a stress-free life. On the other hand, those in debt or seeking credit, are sure to find the opposite effect happens; testosterone is suppressed. This means that you should lower stress and aim for financial freedom – if only it was that easy.
These are some practical, natural tips you can follow to increase your testosterone levels. Why should you do this? From age 25 to 30 a man’s testosterone level drops naturally, and that is bad because a drop-in testosterone levels links to obesity and an increased risk of death or getting other diseases. So, it’s very important to have those levels be in good shape. Do what you can, naturally, and get those levels up (or maintain them!).
What is Testosterone?
Testosterone, a steroid hormone derived from cholesterol, is the principal male hormone. Testosterone is responsible for maintaining muscle mass, strength, fat distribution, bone mass, and libido. Low Testosterone has also been associated with changes in attitude, mood, loss of energy and earlier deaths.
Why is it important?
Starting at age 30, Testosterone levels decline at a rate of 10% per decade. Studies show a decline in Testosterone puts men at increased risk of health problems such as cardiovascular disease. Men with low testosterone levels are more likely to have elevated markers of inflammation, called cytokines, which contribute to many diseases. Another characteristic of men with low testosterone levels is that they are three times more likely to have Metabolic Syndrome than men with higher testosterone levels. Metabolic syndrome is the name given when one has three or more of the following risk factors:
waist measurement over 40 inches
low HDL (good cholesterol)
high triglycerides (level of fat in the blood)
high blood pressure
high blood glucose (blood sugar)
Metabolic Syndrome increases the risk of developing Cardiovascular Disease and Diabetes.
Hypogonadism is a medical condition where the body doesn’t produce enough testosterone. Starting at age 30, Testosterone levels decline at a rate of 10% per decade. Studies show a decline in Testosterone puts men at increased risk of health problems such as heart disease, diabetes, and osteoporosis.
When a testosterone deficiency is diagnosed, testosterone can be replaced with either daily topical testosterone cream or weekly intramuscular testosterone injections. Testosterone patches are also available but some patients develop a skin rash to the patch.