Are you feeling a little different lately? Have you grown a little older and started to feel a little less like yourself?
It may seem embarrassing at first, but you don’t have to feel like the only one.
First, let’s figure out exactly what testosterone is, and what it does for the body.
- What is Testosterone?
- 1. Exercise and Weight Lifting
- 2. Get More Zinc
- 3. Eat the Right Fats
- 4. Stay Hydrated
- 5. Reduce Your Stress
- 6. Get Plenty of Quality Sleep
- 7. Consume More Vitamin D
Table of Contents
+What is Testosterone?
Testosterone is the key male sex hormone. It’s also present in small amounts in females.
During puberty, testosterone is one of the main forces behind physical changes like increased muscle, hair growth and a deeper voice. But it’s also crucial to your health far beyond puberty for a number of reasons.
When you reach the age of 25 to 30, your testosterone levels naturally start to decline. It’s just a fact of life.
As men age, they become much more likely to experience symptoms like lack of sex drive, erectile dysfunction, lethargy, depression, and diminished physical performance.
Low testosterone doesn’t only affect men. Healthy testosterone levels are also important for women, along with other hormones like estrogen and progesterone.
1. Exercise and Weight Lifting
One of the big reasons why people want more testosterone is so they can be in better shape – and get into better shape more easily.
But what they might not realize is that it’s part of a cycle. The fitter you are, the fitter you can become.
There have been quite a few studies that show that losing weight through exercise can create significant hormonal differences.
There have also been a number of studies showing that higher fat percentage leads to lower testosterone count.
The more physically active you are, the healthier you’ll be – both in body and mind.
2. Get More Zinc
A zinc deficiency can lead to something called testicular suppression, which includes the suppression of testosterone levels.
To get more zinc in your diet, focus on eating foods like cheese, yogurt, and legumes. Supplementation is still a natural way to get zinc into your diet to improve your testosterone count, but consult with a doctor or specialist before you do.
3. Eat the Right Fats
Fats have gotten a bad rap over the past few decades in the health and nutrition fields, and some for good reason. But it turns out, adding more fat to your diet can have numerous health benefits that include raising your testosterone levels.
Fats help your body absorb nutrients from your food, strengthen your nervous system, maintain cell structures, regulate hormones, and more.
Studies have shown that men whose diets are rich in healthy fats have significantly higher testosterone levels than men whose diets are lacking.
If you get a good amount of these fats from fish and other healthy sources, you’ll ensure your body is ready for the workout.
4. Stay Hydrated
Water is extremely important to your health for a number of reasons, but many people still take it for granted. Instead of drinking the amount they need on a daily basis, they overlook it completely or drink other liquids that are bad for their health.
The same goes for when people work out. All they have to do is fill up a bottle and take it with them on a jog, or use a water fountain, but no – they’d rather deprive themselves of crucial hydration.
When you exercise, your need for water is increased dramatically. Even mild dehydration can suppress the exercise induced rise in testosterone and growth hormone, all while increasing the secretion of cortisol.
So please, keep your body hydrated.
5. Reduce Your Stress
Cutting stress out of your life can be a serious challenge – one that can actually add more stress to your life if you aren’t careful.
However, it’s a challenge worth taking on, because lower stress means higher testosterone levels.
Cortisol is the body’s principal stress hormone that suppresses testosterone levels, among other things.
So, do everything you can to reduce your stress levels. Fortunately, this next tip is uniquely qualified to help you with that.
6. Get Plenty of Quality Sleep
Research now shows that if you don’t get enough sleep, you’re reducing your testosterone levels. The study in question found that young, healthy men who got only 5 hours of sleep per night had a daytime testosterone decrease of 10 to 15 percent.
Aside from a direct link to lower testosterone, not getting enough sleep also makes losing weight more difficult and causes you to actually lose muscle when cutting calories.
So, make sure you’re getting lots of good sleep. I’m not talking about just laying in bed and staring at your phone, either. You need to be sound asleep for 7 to 9 hours per night.
7. Consume More Vitamin D
Vitamin D is already well known for increasing bone density, decreasing your risk of certain cancers, and strengthening your immune system. But now, there’s evidence that vitamin D supplementation can increase your testosterone levels.
One study showed that vitamin D supplementation for a full year leads to a 25 percent higher testosterone level in healthy male subjects.
If you live in a super sunny area, it’s easy to get enough sun naturally. But if you live in a colder climate, it’s easy to become vitamin D deficient.
In fact, despite its importance to your overall health, nearly half the US population is deficient in vitamin D, and even more have “sub-optimal” levels.
So, look into vitamin D supplementation or foods that are naturally high in vitamin D to get all its benefits.+
