Among all the male hormones, testosterone is regarded as the primary, the supreme one. It facilitates many important bodily functions, such as muscle growth and development, sleep cycle, energy levels, libido and sex drive, and reproduction and fertility, which all contribute to the quality of a man’s life.
Alas, as men grow older, they tend to experience a decrease in their testosterone levels, making them at high risk of various illnesses, diseases, and complications that can negatively impact their physical, emotional, and mental dispositions. Fortunately, there are ways to slow down these effects, and maintain the kind of life that you want as you age.
Why is testosterone important?
Produced in the testicles, testosterone is the key male hormone in charge of numerous functions that are essential in the development of a man. It is responsible for the following:
- The production of sperm with good quality and motility for reproduction
- Meeting the normal sperm count, which is around 15 million to 200 million sperm per milliliter of semen
- High sex drive for easy, firm, and long-lasting erections
- Proper distribution of fat around the body
- Growth and development of strong and healthy muscles
- Maintain normal bone mass and density
What happens if your testosterone levels are low?
Having low testosterone levels in the body can cause problems that can greatly affect your appearance, sexual performance, and fertility. Also called hypogonadism, it has the following effects:
- Hair loss in the different parts of the body
- Muscle loss
- Weight gain
- Becoming easily tired or exhausted despite not doing anything physically demanding
- Loss of stamina, strength, and endurance
- Difficulty getting an erection and/or keeping an erection long enough for a pleasurable sexual intercourse
- Decreased libido or sex drive
- Swollen or enlarged breast tissue
- Low sperm count
- Sperm that is deformed or has poor motility
What should you do to boost your testosterone levels fast?
There are several ways to naturally boost your testosterone levels. They should be integrated into your normal lifestyle so as to achieve the best results. The sooner you start, the better. Here they are:
1. Lose the fat
Getting rid of your belly fat is not only about looking better but also about keeping your testosterone levels up. In case you did not know, having excess fat in the body has no health benefits whatsoever, and it actually just increases your risk of heart disease, hypertension, diabetes, high cholesterol, colon cancer, and other serious medical problems. For your sake, you should start dieting and exercising to be in better shape.
2. Eat more healthy cholesterol
Good cholesterol is integral in the production of testosterone. It also helps keep the hormone levels in your body balanced, preventing the risk of sexual and reproductive dysfunctions. It is found in many foods, including olive oil, flax seeds, chia seeds, beans, legumes, peanuts, brown rice, bran, pears, apples, mackerel, salmon, sardines, almonds, and Brazil nuts.
3. Add cruciferous vegetables to your diet
Cruciferous vegetables are a type of vegetables that are overflowing with essential vitamins and minerals. They include cauliflower, broccoli, cabbage, kale, Brussels sprouts, collard greens, and many other green and leafy veggies. They contain high levels of glucobrassicin, which is a compound that has the ability to suppress estrogen, and to lower body fat in men.
4. Eat more foods rich in zinc
Zinc is an essential nutrient in making testosterone. With enough amounts of it in the body, you can enjoy normal testosterone levels that promote the proper functioning of your sexual and reproductive parts. Some good examples of foods that are loaded with zinc are legumes, nuts, shellfish, avocados, raspberries, peaches, blueberries, apricots, blackberries, kiwifruit, pomegranates, whole grains, and eggs.
5. Increase vitamin D intake
According to health professionals, an adult man should take 1,000 to 2,000 international units of vitamin D on a daily basis for good health. To achieve this, you should add more vitamin D rich foods in your diet, such as salmon, tuna, beef liver, egg yolks, cheese, mushrooms, oysters, and shrimps. You should also go outdoors more, at least 15 minutes a day, to soak up some of that vitamin D the sun has to offer.
6. Start getting into high-intensity interval training
High-intensity interval training, or HIIT, is a cardiovascular exercise that alternates between short periods of intense workout and recovery periods. It is done by doing a particular high-intensity exercise for as long as you can, and then just rest once you are too exhausted or out of breath to continue. Ideally, a session should be at least 30 minutes long and done two to three times a week to see positive results over time. According to studies, it can cause your body to produce more testosterone than the other less intense exercises.
7. Get enough sleep
While you are asleep, your body continues to carry out many of its functions, preparing you for the next day. It also makes use of that time to make testosterone. One study found that men who slept a solid eight hours every night had 10% to 15% more testosterone than those who got only five hours of sleep. So, it is important that you enjoy a comfortable and uninterrupted eight hours of sleep every night to boost your testosterone levels.
When should you see a doctor?
You should go to your doctor regularly to not only make sure that your testosterone levels are fine, but also to check if your heart, kidneys, brain, lungs, and other vital body parts are working right and in good condition.
And, any moment you experience any of the common symptoms of low testosterone levels enumerated earlier, you should not delay paying your doctor a visit any longer. It is crucial that the problem is diagnosed as early as possible to be able to treat it right away and minimize the damage it can do to your body.
