It’s a common concern for many men, especially as they age – as testosterone levels level off and begin to decrease, what can we do to keep them at their peak levels? The answers are actually easier than you think, so read on for the 8 ways to naturally maintain and even maybe increase your T-levels.
Ways to boost testosterone naturally
For men, testosterone is a very important hormone that affects all of the things that – arguably – make one “manly”, such as libido, muscle mass, and bone density, just to name a few. A man’s levels of testosterone don’t stay constant throughout his life and unavoidably will decrease with age. However, it is in every man’s direct control to maintain their levels of testosterone in ways that are immediately available to him.
Basically, the ways in which you can support your natural testosterone levels are the same ways that you will ensure a healthier sex life and general lifestyle; through diet, exercise and getting enough sleep. If you’re not doing these things now, then embarking on a healthier lifestyle will boost your T-levels. If you currently are doing all of the things described in this article, it will support your levels of testosterone through all stages of male adulthood.
First of all though, let’s describe specifically what testosterone is and what it does. When you’re young, testosterone floods your system during puberty to support developments like deepening your voice, increasing your penis and testicles to their adult sizes, as well as increasing your height, muscle mass, and sex drive. Beyond puberty, testosterone regulates all of these things, and a decrease in it can cause weight gain, loss of muscle mass, and erectile dysfunction.
To make sure that your T-levels don’t start to dip more than they naturally do, there are some things you can do to keep your testosterone pumping away as it should, like:
Getting enough sleep.
I hear you saying it – “What? That’s it?” but before you close the tab, ask yourself: are you getting enough sleep? And even then, is the sleep you are getting quality sleep?
Getting your full 8 hours of uninterrupted sleep has so many benefits for your overall health; what’s more, your body produces most of its testosterone while you’re catching those ZZZs. During times when you’re not getting enough sleep or are constantly waking up and interrupting your sleep, you may experience a dip in your testosterone.
Treating yourself right, with a better diet and less alcohol.
Drinking to excess can cause your blood testosterone levels to decrease, according to some research that also found that low doses of alcohol would actually cause a woman’s blood testosterone to increase. It stands to reason, however, that lowering your alcohol intake will be better for your testosterone production, because it is better for your health overall.
Likewise, rethinking your eating habits will help maintain your T-levels, as studies have previously shown that obese people are likely to have lower testosterone levels than someone who is in better shape. In fact, excess body fat can be converted by one’s body into estrogen.
According to the experts, the testosterone-supporting foods you should focus on are whole foods, lean protein, complex carbohydrates and heart-healthy fats like those found in the Mediterranean Diet.
Speaking of diet, there are a number of natural supplements you can take to encourage testosterone production, and are readily available over-the-counter at your local pharmacy or wholesalers like Costco. These include:
- Zinc, which benefits the hormone that helps in your body’s creation of testosterone.
- Magnesium, which not only promotes bone density, it is an antioxidant that will protect testosterone from any oxidizing effects.
- Ashwagandha is a supplement that won’t decrease one’s stress, but rather will protect your body from the effects of it. Because increased stress can decrease one’s testosterone and start a chain of events that can decrease it even further, diminishing the effects of stress on one’s body (as well as facing and handling the sources of one’s stress) can go a long way in maintaining your proper levels of testosterone.
