You might be having a rough day. You are worn out, stressed and its only mid-afternoon. Your memory is shot, and you feel like you can't get anything done. What if I told you that that was low testosterone talking? Would you be more interested in fixing it now?
You are not alone; 12 percent of men aged 30-79 years old experience low testosterone, according to a study in the American Journal of Epidemiology.
Low testosterone can leave men feeling tired, sluggish and depressed, while
Menopause, or the time in a woman’s life when she stops menstruating, is often associated with low estrogen levels. But men can experience a similar hormonal change after the age of thirty-five. In both men and women, testosterone levels peak during adolescence and slowly decline as we age.
Low testosterone can leave men feeling tired, sluggish and depressed — symptoms that are often dismissed as part of getting older. It’s important to recognize the signs of low testosterone so you can take action before it has an impact on your quality of life.
What Is Testosterone?
Testosterone is a male sex hormone that plays an important role in sexual development and reproduction. It also helps build muscles and maintain bone density, which are necessary for strength and energy levels.
Testosterone is produced by Leydig cells in the testicles — two oval organs located below the penis (or scrotum) — and released into the bloodstream where it travels to your brain and other organs throughout your body via blood vessels called capillaries.
Testosterone is an important hormone for both men and women
Testosterone is important for both senses in that it helps mood and sexual desire as well as muscle tone.
It's also known to help with energy levels, concentration and confidence.
But what happens when we start to produce less testosterone naturally?
Testosterone deficiency is increasingly common in men over the age of 40. It affects up to 1 in 10 men aged between 40 and 70 years old, and more than 1 in 5 over 70. In fact, the older you get, the less testosterone your body produces naturally.
Low T can have a huge impact on your life. It can make you feel tired, irritable and depressed, it can affect your sex drive or leave you feeling completely uninterested in sex at all. It can also affect your mental health by making you feel anxious or depressed which is why many people turn to antidepressants as a solution for their low T symptoms.
Aging and dropping hormone levels
As we age, hormone levels drop.
This can cause a number of symptoms that are commonly referred to as andropause or menopause. Symptoms may include low libido, fatigue, depression, weight gain and even muscle loss.
Testosterone is the male sex hormone that plays an important role in maintaining health and vitality in men. It is produced by the testicles and is essential for normal sperm production and reproduction. Testosterone also contributes to bone strength and muscle mass.
How Low T Can Make You Feel
The symptoms of low testosterone (low T) can vary from man to man but commonly include:
Difficulty achieving an erection (erectile dysfunction)
Low energy level and fatigue
Depression or irritability
Poor sleep patterns or insomnia
Difficulty concentrating or remembering things easily (brain fog)
There are many lifestyle changes that can be made to improve energy, mood and sexual function.
Dietary changes including lean meats like chicken, turkey and fish reduce inflammation and improve blood flow to vital organs. Fruits and vegetables are high in vitamins, anti-oxidants and supply fiber which helps to maintain testosterone levels by stabilizing pre-cursor hormone pathways.
One of those changes is increasing exercise.
Increasing exercise supports cardiovascular health, muscle stamina, strength which support testosterone's function. A balance of cardiovascular exercise and resistive weight training supports your weight and hormone levels. Exercise such as walking, jogging, cycling, hiking, using a treadmill or stationary bike helps build stamina which many men with low testosterone experience.
Resistive exercise such as free weights, push-ups and circuit training at the gym help retain and build muscle for endurance and strength.
Weight loss is another change that can help raise testosterone levels (thus the endless cycle of exercising but not losing weight.) Weight gain and low testosterone are a two-way street. Testosterone normally drops after the age of thirty-five in men allowing weight to be gained in conjunction with poor eating habits, less exercise and a more sedentary behavior. Approaching all lifestyle areas (diet, movement, anti-aging hormone balancing) together brings robustness and vitality back to a man's or woman's life.
Another cause of low testosterone is stress. Stress impacts all aspects of a person's health so it's important to address it. Stress interrupts sleep constricts blood vessels raising blood pressure and is a block to testosterone production.
The stress hormone, cortisol, increases when you are under stress. The higher the level the more belly fat you can gain. This is why cortisol is also known as the belly fat hormone.
There are some really high-quality supplements to help boost testosterone levels.
Natural supplements that boost testosterone have been found to be safe and effective. Testosterone concentrations in males tend to decline with advancing age. Low testosterone, also known as androgen deficiency (AD), is associated with an increased risk of morbidity and mortality. Currently, the primary treatment for AD is testosterone replacement therapy (TRT), which may exacerbate pre-existing medical conditions. Therefore, the use of alternative options, such as herbs, spices, plants, or their extracts, has been explored as a potential treatment option for AD.
Maca root, Lepidium meyenii (Maca) is an edible root plant that grows in the Andean region of Peru. For centuries, the plant has been used as a dietary supplement for its nutritional and therapeutic properties. Maca are rich in high value nutritional elements and secondary metabolites (macaridine, macamides and glucosinolates) with high biological activity.
Several studies demonstrated various biological effects of Maca mainly in the field of fertility but also in improved sexual desire.
Fenugreek seed extracts has been proven to have positive effects on testosterone concentrations in men, in a study from May 2021 in the Advances in Nutrition Journal. Fenugreek (Trigonella foenum-graecum) is an herb similar to clover. The seeds taste similar to maple syrup and are used in foods and medicine.
In women, fenugreek was found to be efficient in the management of a number of hormone related disorders in women, including post and peri-menopausal discomforts, sexual dysfunctions, lactation and even in amenorrhea with minimal to no side effects.
Shilajit is known as a mineral pitch, it is made from the breakdown of plant matter and minerals. This is exactly from the journal Academia: Shilajit is quoted as a panacea for all curable disease by Acharya Charaka. According to him; “There is no curable disease on earth, which cannot be cured with the help of Shilajit. When administered at right time, well prepared, and in the right manner, it will secure for the healthy subject the optimum measure of vitality. But the research hasn't proven this statement or it's miraculous claims, at least not yet!
In September of 2021 a research study proved for the first time the presence of androgen and estrogen receptors on the velvet skin of growing antlers.
What this means for humans we will have to wait to see but deer antler velvet continues to be used and evaluated for it's rapid growth and potential for tissue regeneration.
Dr. Plank relies on research to make informed, safe and effective recommendations. The product Pro T+ is an advanced formula featuring clinically proven purified shilajit from the Himalayas, a proprietary maca blend and deer antler velvet to support hormonal balance and improved metabolic health in men and women making positive lifestyle changes.
Takeaway: The good news is there are solutions for low T that can help with weight gain, energy, strength and overall, wellbeing for men and women.
As we touched on improving your overall lifestyle by cleaning up your diet, drinking less alcohol, limiting red meat (hard when it's summer grilling season), drinking more water, eating a salad once a day and improving sleep quality will do wonders for your stress levels and your waist.
Lets discuss your symptoms!