Testosterone is undoubtedly the most important sexual hormone in a man, its value is not only limited to a man’s sexual health. It is vital for a man’s overall health and well-being. It’s a steroid hormone, produced in men’s testicles and also in small quantities in the adrenal glands. It is one of the main drivers of physical changes in men from increased muscles, deeper voice to hair growth.
As adults, having optimal testosterone is important throughout adulthood. Healthy levels of it are important for risk against diseases, body composition, sexual stamina and a lot more.
On the flip side, Testosterone is not only found in men, it is also found in women and as well plays an important role in female health and sexual well-being.
Testosterone is the key in the regulation of fertility, fat distribution, muscle mass, and red blood cell production. Low levels of testosterone can have adverse negative effect on the afore-mentioned – weight gain, sexual function and reduced sexual drive (libido), fewer erections, even as serious as leading to infertility
As a man gets older, testosterone production level reduces, but it is possible to slow down the rate at which it reduces or even completely reverse the process.
The issue of reduced testosterone is on an all-time high; Since 2012, there’s been a five-times increment in the prescription for low testosterone in men.
Yes, there are huge pharmaceutical companies that promote drugs that increase testosterone levels and while some of them may help some people, there are also several studies that show that these drugs may slow down the body’s natural ability to produce testosterone on its own.
The best way to increase testosterone levels is by adopting some lifestyle habits that can improve your overall health and well-being.
Here are some of the natural ways you can increase your testosterone level
1. Get enough of High-Quality Sleep
To maintain an optimal testosterone level, the importance of a good sleep cannot be overemphasised. According to a study, it was discovered that testosterone levels can drop in men who do not get enough sleep.
Ideal amount of sleep varies from person to person, but according to another study, sleeping for just 5 hours every night was linked to a 15% reduction in testosterone level, and a long-term study that observed a group of men over a long period of time found out that men who slept for only 4 hours per night had borderline deficiency in their testosterone level.
Also some long-term studies (sources: one, two) shows that for every additional hour of sleep you get, testosterone levels increase by 15% on average
To maintain an optimal level of testosterone production, it is recommended that a man gets about 7-9 hours of sleep per night, although some people seem to do fine with less sleep, but it’s not advisable you go lower than this especially if you are already experiencing some symptoms of low testosterone level.
2. Max out on protein
You are what you eat, but protein is one thing you can’t afford to joke with, if you’re a man hoping to keep the D active in the bedroom. Having enough protein in your meal not only helps maintain your health level, but it also helps in reducing fats (fat loss), which according to several studies (sources: one, two, three) can hugely affect your testosterone.
Although the ideal amount of protein intake varies based on some factors such as: age, sex, your activeness (energy level), but a comfortable amount is about 5 to 6 ounces per day.
Absence of protein or less of it can cause your body to make more substances that attach with testosterone, which means you have significantly less amount of concentrated testosterone in your system.
Some natural sources of protein include: Chicken, lean beef, eggs, you can also find protein in some nuts and seeds.
3. Make friends with Flavonoids
Flavonoids are a group of plant metabolites that helps regulate cellular activity and fight off free radicals to generally lead to stress increase in the body. They clean your body of toxins and stressors. They are powerful antioxidants.
Popular Flavonoids sources that should be your perfect buddy as a man are onions and garlic: they help you make better sperm and increases the level of hormones that tells your body it’s time to produce more testosterone.
Make sure you zing your meals with the personal favourites on a daily basis.
4. Regular exercise is a necessity
Exercise is generally one of the most effective ways of minimizing many lifestyle-related diseases which also happen to increase testosterone level. As a matter of fact, all forms of exercise have the ability to boost your testosterone level.
Weight lifting and other forms of resistance training are the best form of exercise to boost the testosterone level in both a short and long-term. However, High Intensity Interval Training can also be very effective.
A review study shows that exercise increases testosterone levels, reaction time (energy levels) and fitness in aged men (sources: one) and also generally in people (sources: one).In another research on obese men, study shows that increased physical activity has shown to boost testosterone levels better than weight loss or dieting
5. Drop off the Fats
When it comes to your testosterone level, here’s one rule of thumb – Saturated Fats are a total turn off. When your testosterone levels are low, your fat levels go up, which can lead to your body not using insulin well enough.
Men who have more weight generally have lower levels of testosterone – simple as that. According to the journal in Clinical Endocrinology on some obese men aged between 14-20 years shows that they have up to 50% less testosterone that males who are not overweight
6. A little zinc for the road
If there’s one thing Oysters are known for, it’s their richness in Zinc. Zinc is an all-round essential mineral when it comes to fertility and good-quality sperm production; it scores an A when it comes to testosterone production.
Zinc is also known as a powerful immune booster.
Popular sources of zinc include: cashew nuts, pumpkin seeds, and crab meat.
Oysters are also known to contain 5-times your recommended daily dose of Zinc, so you better get yourself some of those oily shells. It also boosts dopamine – a hormone that increases libido.
7. Time to go sunbathing
Vitamin D is hugely coming to the limelight as one of the world’s most popular vitamins
One of the many reasons is based on quite a number of research that connects it to testosterone boost in men. (sources: one, two, three)
Sunbathing for about 10-15 minutes daily is enough to keep your vitamin D level at normalcy.Fatty fish such as salmon, tuna and mackerel are also rich in vitamins D, and can come in handy if staying in the sun 10 minutes a day is too much ritual to perform just to get a vitamin.
Testosterone is a major driver in the production of sperm, libido, muscular strength, fat distribution in the body, and red blood cells creation. Sadly, the male testosterone level begins to go south naturally from the age of 25-30 years. More worse is the fact that studies show that low testosterone has been linked to sudden and premature death and even high risk to diseases.
Therefore, taking necessary steps to making sure our testosterone level is at an optimal level is very important to life literally.
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Olowe Segun
Tolulope
