8 Ways to Naturally Increase Testosterone: Exercise, Diet, Sleep

Testosterone Therapy: What Men Need to Know About Low T and TRT Treatment Los Angeles Times

“Consuming some caffeine can boost alertness and enhance workout performance, indirectly supporting testosterone levels,” says Lane. As gym bros know, caffeine is a common ingredient in pre-workout supplements because it improves power output, speed, and strength numbers at the gym. “When you’re dehydrated, your cortisol level can go up, which works against testosterone,” says Bailey. Staying hydrated also keeps blood flowing properly to the testes, where testosterone is made, notes Lane.

Also, sprinting is great at elevating your heart rate for stellar cardiovascular health, burns more calories in a shorter amount of time, and may cause you to keep burning calories after your workout. “My advice is to avoid these or not to overdo them as much as possible,” Dr. El-Zawahry says. Usually, when you cut out or cut back on these substances, your T levels will return to normal.

According to a 2020 literature review, the effects on testosterone levels can vary based on several factors, including the type of exercise and the training intensity. Exercise is one of the most effective ways to prevent many lifestyle-related diseases. Your body’s circadian rhythm essentially resets itself every night and releases chemicals like cortisol, which contribute to the overall hormone balance that can prevent low T levels. Research shows that when your liver does not function optimally, it affects your testosterone output. That’s because the liver holds an enzyme that conjugates the 17beta-hydroxyl group of testosterone. In addition to weight training, combining this with interval training is the best site to buy testosterone overall combo to increase HGH. In fact, interval training has been proven to not only boost T levels, but it helps keeps your testosterone elevated and can prevent its decline.

A 2021 systematic review and meta-analysis of nine studies totaling 206 participants found that low-fat diet decreased testosterone levels in men. [21,22] Interestingly, the effect was stronger in participants with European ancestry. Delve into the intricate science of achieving optimal levels, uncovering strategies to naturally reach the coveted 1,000 ng/dL mark. According to a 2016 study, men who are obese have 30% lower testosterone levels compared to men who are lean. Research has long shown that eating well is essential to maintaining testosterone levels and overall health.

Healthcare providers measure testosterone levels with a blood test called a total testosterone (TT) test. This test measures active (or “free”) and inactive (or “bioavailable”) testosterone in the blood. However, a persistently high cortisol level blocks the production of luteinizing hormone (LH), which triggers the release of testosterone from the testicles or ovaries.

Lack of quality sleep can leave you too tired to eat well or sneak in a workout the next day. Too many brewskis also disrupts your sleep and can lead to snacking and weight gain. Free T floats around and binds to the right receptors to keep your body in optimal condition. The decline can also increase your risk of long-term health conditions like diabetes, heart disease (2), and even an early death (3). You might feel tired and lethargic, your sex drive may peter out, you may struggle to focus at work or home, or you could find it impossible to make gains at the gym, even with an all-out effort (1).

When testosterone levels are low, you can experience fatigue, a loss of muscle mass, low libido (sex drive), weight gain, bone loss, depression, and other symptoms. Many healthcare providers will recommend strategies to naturally and safely boost testosterone before turning to medications for moderate testosterone impairment. Low testosterone levels are a common cause of erectile dysfunction in men. Testosterone is vital for libido and sexual function, and when its levels dip, men often experience difficulty maintaining erections or a reduced sexual desire.

The app can tell you when you’ll have more energy and when you should skip the gym and focus on winding down. High stress and the stress hormone cortisol have been linked to lowered testosterone in both men and women. Many of these testosterone-boosting behaviors help to improve your sleep and overall health, too. The RISE app predicts your circadian rhythm each day, so you can see when your body naturally wants to wind down for bed and go to sleep. You can then sync up your meals, light, and sleep-wake times to match. But beyond total sleep deprivation, sleep restricted to the first half of the night, not the second half, lowered testosterone levels, too.

When you don’t eat enough of these foods, your body makes more of a substance that binds with testosterone, leaving you with less T available to do its job. Testosterone levels in males peak at 19 years and naturally decline with age. They decrease by an average of 1% to 2% each year after age 30, although they may stabilize in your 40s or beyond. Research suggests that excessive alcohol consumption can decrease testosterone levels. High exposure to estrogen-like chemicals may also affect testosterone levels. Try to minimize daily exposure to bisphenol-A (BPA), parabens, and other chemicals found in some types of plastic. According to another review, zinc supplementation could also benefit men with low testosterone levels and infertility, particularly if they have a testosterone deficiency.