Testosterone is a steroid hormone that is naturally produced in the bodies of both men and women. In men, it is primarily produced in the testicles and exists in large amounts, and in women, it is produced in the ovaries but in much smaller amounts.
During puberty, testosterone facilitates various physical changes in boys, including growth of facial hair and pubic hair, increased muscle mass and bone density, increase in height, enlargement of the penis and the testicles, and deepening of the voice.
Usually, men reach their peak testosterone levels in their late teens to early 20s. And, in their 30s, they may start to experience a gradual decline in their testosterone levels as testosterone production naturally decreases with age.
Throughout adulthood, it is important to keep your body’s testosterone at optimal levels to enjoy healthy sexual and reproductive functions. How do you ensure that your body can produce enough testosterone? What can you do to raise your testosterone levels?
Minimize Your Stress
Through the years, several research studies have been conducted to learn about the different negative effects that stress can cause, and among the dangers found is impaired testosterone production. If you are always stressed because of work, school, family, relationships, finances, or rush hour traffic, your body will start to produce less testosterone and your risk of various diseases increases.
One of the studies observed how stress triggers two simultaneous reactions in the body: an increase in the production of cortisol in the body and a decrease in testosterone levels.
Cortisol is known as the body’s stress hormone. It is a steroid hormone released by the adrenal gland in response to stress stimuli. Every time you are stressed, it increases blood sugar levels, boosts metabolism, and suppresses the immune system. It also slows down your body’s testosterone production. So, the more stressed you are, the higher your cortisol levels are, and the lower your testosterone levels get.
For optimal hormone health, you should protect yourself against stress. Find ways to better manage your stress levels on a day-to-day basis and get into activities that can relax and clear your mind. You can try meditation, yoga, and other exercises, or see a therapist.
Eat Right
The types of foods that you eat have a huge impact on your body’s testosterone levels. So, for normal hormone levels and good overall health, you should keep track of your daily calorie intake and prepare healthy and balanced meals everyday.
According to health experts, foods that are high in good proteins, fats, and carbohydrates can help increase testosterone levels in the body. Thus, you should include more of them in your meals, and get rid of those that do not provide you with the essential nutrients that you can make good use of to improve your health.
Protein-rich foods such as eggs, fish, lean meat, cheese, beans, legumes, and tofu are highly recommended to anyone who wants to fix their low testosterone levels. Carbohydrate sources like apples, bananas, almonds, walnuts, oats, brown rice, and pumpkin seeds are also great natural testosterone-boosting foods. Foods that contain good fats, such as cheese, avocados, dark chocolate, and chia seeds have also been found to be helpful in raising testosterone levels and maintaining good health.
Soak up the Sun
Vitamin D is an important vitamin that can help improve your testosterone levels. It is present in many different kinds of foods, such as cheese, salmon, mackerel, tuna, soy milk, cereal, eggs, and beef, and certain vitamin supplements.
Moreover, it is offered by the sun in abundance. So, if you want to enjoy its natural testosterone-boosting ability, you can just go outside, and stay under the sun for 10 to 15 minutes a day.
With more vitamin D absorbed by the body, you can raise your low testosterone levels, and also improve your skin health, strengthen your bones and muscles, boost your immune and erectile health, and reduce your risk of chronic inflammatory diseases.
Get Regular Exercise
There is a long list of benefits that you can get from exercise. If you are overweight or obese, you can start eating healthily and exercising regularly to get down to your ideal weight more effectively, and decrease your risk of high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and high blood sugar levels. In addition to that, you gain more strength, stamina, endurance, and flexibility.
Exercise can also help raise testosterone levels in the body. In one study, participants who exercised on a regular basis were found to have high testosterone levels than those that did not. They also showed better athletic and fitness abilities and reaction time.
Among the different types of exercise, weight lifting is considered to be the best when it comes to increasing testosterone. A few times a week, you can spend half an hour to an hour at home or at the gym doing push-ups, squats, chest presses, shoulder presses, deadlifts, and others.
High-intensity interval training or HIIT is also good for testosterone. By doing a 15-minute or 30-minute session two or three times a week of jump squats, burpees, butt kicks, jumping lunges, forearm plank, and so on, you can promote testosterone production and also boost your fitness level.
Get Plenty of Sleep and Rest
The human body cannot function properly if it is always tired. It needs to rest and recover everyday to be able to carry out its many responsibilities efficiently.
If you want to start an exercise or workout regimen, you should not force yourself to do it for several hours every single day. You should give your body at least 24 hours in between your exercise days to repair and rejuvenate to avoid injuries and other health problems.
Every night, you should strive to get 7 to 10 hours sleep to give your brain and other vital organs the time to relax, your bones and muscles the time to repair, and your other important organs and systems the time to recover. The next day, you should feel great and have high energy levels.
