Take Steps To Reduce Stress
Like sleep, stress affects your entire well-being including your testosterone levels.
“When you experience stress, your body releases a hormone called cortisol. This hormone helps your body prepare and respond to this stress, and then your body goes back to normal. But when you’re stressed more often than not , you experience prolonged exposure to cortisol and studies show that cortisol circulating in the bloodstream reduces the level of free testosterone,” explains Dr. Starke.
And while life is always going to be stressful, you can take steps to reduce stress you may be feeling.
“One of the best ways to relieve stress is to take time for yourself and do something you enjoy even if it’s only for a few minutes every day. It could also mean actually acting upon those deep-breathing reminders that your smartwatch keeps bugging you about. Just something to get you to slow down, be present and relax your mind and body,” says Dr. Starke.
And if you’re stress is stemming from your low testosterone level itself, seeing your doctor might help.
Cut Back On Alcohol Consumption
Being intoxicated is never a good idea, nor is it healthy.
Theres more than enough scientific data pointing out the fact that alcohol-related intoxication lowers plasma testosterone levels .
Besides, alcoholic beverages pretty much contain empty calories that will most likely turn into body fat once they end up in your system beer belly anyone?
What Does Testosterone Do
Testosterone has vital roles in the body for both men and women. Although men have 10 to 20 times higher testosterone levels than women, the lower levels in women are crucial to many tissue functions.
In men, it stimulates muscle growth and contributes to the maintenance of the skin, sex organs and bones. It is also responsible for the development of masculine physical features. High doses of testosterone are secreted in puberty, triggering increased lean muscle mass, sex organ growth, deepening voice and higher energy levels. Testosterone peaks from the early to mid twenties.
Testosterone has other vital roles besides being a sex hormone. There are testosterone receptors all over the body, including the brain and the heart. This is very important in enhancing cognition, preventing cardiovascular disease and maintaining bone density, muscle tone, mood and general vitality.
The hormonal actions of testosterone can be divided into:
- Androgenic effects, which are masculinising or virilising, for example the growth of facial and body hair, sex hormone development and a deepening voice.
- Anabolic effects, which stimulate the growth of muscle, bones and red blood cells.
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Improve Zinc And Vitamin D Levels
Zinc and Vitamin D are vital contributors to testosterone production. Besides optimizing these elements with the proper nutrition, you can also use supplements. If you are going to supplement zinc, stay below a dosage of less than 40 mg a day. Too much zinc can diminish your bodys ability to absorb other minerals such as copper and can lead to nausea as a negative side effect.
Regarding Vitamin D, there is another great way of increasing its levels. Go out and get some natural sun exposure. At least, 15 minutes each day. This will help to keep your Vitamin D levels balanced.
Ways To Naturally Increase Testosterone
Most guys are aware that testosterone plays a central role in male sexual function and athletic performance, but they are not aware of its other benefits. Those secondary benefits include better cardiovascular health, stronger bones, enhanced memory, better sleep, and increased alertness, just to name a few.
Boosting testosterone levels, then, can be a smart course of action if you want to enjoy more robust all-around health. But how do you do that without subjecting yourself to testosterone shots at your doctors office? Fortunately, if you have an aversion to needles, there are many ways to increase testosterone naturally, and weve brought together 36 of them right here.
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Ways: How To Boost Testosterone Naturally In Women
Founder, Origin Health. Nurse Practitioner, Living Young Center.
There are many ways to bring your testosterone levels back into a healthy range. This includes taking medications or supplementing with hormones. But, you can help your body produce its own without taking medications or hormones, just by changing your lifestyle and supplementing with vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients. By doing this, you can have noticeable results in as little as 24-48 hours.
How Can I Test My Testosterone Levels At Home
You can test your own testosterone levels at the comfort of your home via what is known as at-home testosterone testing kits.
The most common types of home tests available include :
They come with sample instructions and information about mailing your results to a laboratory.
Yes, once you complete the test youll have to send your collections to a lab to measure your results.
Researchers from the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists recommend using blood samples as they provide more accurate readings than saliva samples.
However, if you faint every time you see blood then your best bet would probably be to use a saliva-based test.
Although your results wont be as accurate.
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Which Foods Increase Testosterone The Most
As previously mentioned, the science-backed foods to boost testosterone levels the most are:
- Olive oil
- Bananas
- Onions
Another great thing about these foods is that theyre super easy to find, maybe with the only exception being oysters, which are considered exotic food.
But if you cant find any oysters, simply buy some red meat as it also contains lots of zinc.
Diet For Increasing T Levels
What you eat plays a huge role in your testosterone production. Some foods, like flaxseed, licorice, mint, high-PUFA vegetable oils, trans fats, alcohol and soy can lower your testosterone levels.
Well discuss some of these below in the section about what to avoid for optimal testosterone production.
Certain foods can also enhance your testosterone production. The vitamins and minerals in some foods help raise your own testosterone levels. Others balance out your intake of certain macronutrients, like healthy fats, that contribute to healthy amounts of testosterone in the body.
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Use Natural Sources Of Zinc And Magnesium
Rather than turning to a supplement, there are many different sources of zinc and magnesium that consumers can integrate into their routine. These minerals are necessary for the production of testosterone, but it is easy to miss out. A big sign that consumers are short in these nutrients is diarrhea, though some people bring it on themselves with heavy drinking of alcohol and not enough water consumption.
Luckily, many foods are high in zinc and magnesium. Some foods consumers may consider integrating to keep their body rich with these nutrients include oysters, bran cereals, yogurt, sesame seeds, pumpkin seeds, Brazil nuts, crabs, and scallops.
Tuna For A Higher Sex Drive
People with low energy are constantly looking for ways to improve their energy levels. Tuna is one of the foods that can help increase sex drive and libido in both men and women. It contains high-quality protein that helps build muscle mass, which also increases body fat loss.
The omega-3 fatty acids found in tuna promote better blood flow to all areas of the body, including those related to reproductive organs such as the penis or vagina. Omega-3s have been shown to increase energy levels by lowering fatigue and anxiety while increasing mental clarity and focus.
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Avoid Testosterone Killing Foods
When youre following all the right things to increase your testosterone levels, one more crucial thing that may decrease your testosterone levels is consistently eating unhealthy foods.
What you can do is eliminate foods that kill your testosterone levels. The foods like soy products, alcohol, mint, vegetable oil, nuts, flaxseed, etc., can lower your T levels.
Avoid the foods mentioned above and include some healthy foods in your diet to maximize your bodys ability to produce testosterone naturally.
Add Ginger To Your Diet
This one is a little bit controversial only because there have not been any large-scale human studies looking into the connection between ginger and testosterone production. There have, however, been animal tests that have concluded that ginger can indeed boost testosterone levels . Ginger seems to increase HDL cholesterol levels, enhance antioxidant activity, stabilize blood sugars, and recycle testosterone receptors, among other things.
One of the other many great things about ginger is its versatility. You can use it to enhance any number of dishes from cashew chicken and pork tenderloins to salads, spaghetti, and soups, as well as seafood dishes, pie, chili, and numerous stir-fry dishes. Or you can man up and eat it raw.
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Increase Good Cholesterol Levels
Its well known that increasing good cholesterol is good for your health, while bad cholesterol is not. What you may not know is that its good for your testosterone as well.
This study shows that high levels of HDL have a direct correlation with healthy testosterone levels. So, eating food that gives you a lot of HDL, such as beans and legumes, whole grains, fish, nuts, olive oil, berries, and walnuts, makes for a healthy diet based on increasing this vital hormone.
However, be aware that overeating food that gives you good cholesterol may have the side effect of causing cardiovascular diseases, so talking to your doctor is a brilliant idea before you dig too deeply into this new diet.
Increase Your Exposure To Sunlight
There is a well-known correlation between elevated levels of vitamin D achieved through supplements and elevated testosterone levels . But were looking for natural ways to boost testosterone, so were trying to steer clear of direct use of supplements. Fortunately, in this case, there is a simple and convenient way to increase your vitamin D production: go out and play in the sun for a while.
Exposure to sunlight is actually the primary way most people get their vitamin D . No, sunlight does not include tiny vitamin D molecules. What happens is that ultraviolet B light from the sun is absorbed by the skin and reacts with a compound called 7-dehydrocholesterol. 7D, as well call it, then transforms into previtamin D3 and then actual vitamin D3. So if you want to boost your testosterone levels using Vitamin D, go outside and get some sun.
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Add Resistance Training To Your Workout
Resistance training is a process that allows consumers to build up a lean but strong muscle mass, using resistance bands as the weight instead of conventional methods of weight training. Theres no need to start incorporating bodybuilding routines into a workout, but free weights dont provide the same effect.
Pushing the muscles to work further than what they usually do essentially creates small tears that need repair in the muscle tissue. The body has to recover, but the recovery process allows the muscles to get bigger with each workout. Along with the boost set resistance training can provide testosterone levels, this type of workout can also promote better cardiovascular health and reduce the risk of injury in daily life. Some men even report having better experiences in the bedroom by incorporating such a workout.
Processed Foods And Testosterone
The typical Western diet of bread, dairy, fried food, and sugar has been linked to higher body fat and lower than optimal testosterone levels. Diets higher in homemade foods and green vegetables, on the other hand, are related to overall healthy composition and hormonal balance
To improve your health and boost testosterone in your body, ditch the takeout, and eat more vegetables.
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Check Out Intermittent Fasting
Intermittent fasting is a rather trendy diet nowadays, but it can also help individuals improve their testosterone levels. This type of regimen typically involves a regular eating routine for five days a week and a significant reduction in that amount of food for the other days. Many people claim that this process pushes the body to use stored fat as energy, inherently causing testosterone increase.
If the user is fluctuating in and out of a dietary process called ketosis, it is difficult to continue this boost regularly. However, there is no indication that a keto diet will necessarily increase testosterone levels.
Milk For A Lean Physique
Proof we are supposed to have hard bodies, University of Pittsburgh researchers found that fat blokes have more oestrogen.
Cut the blubber by boosting your T-levels with milk: its amino acids boost production of anabolic hormones, which in turn build muscle and trim fat. The Department of Health recommends three 200ml glasses a day.
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Beromantic To Increase Testosterone
The relationship between sexuality and testosterone has also been well proven. Erotica increases testosterone in men. A 2014 review in the Archives of Sexual Behavior described similar effects in women. For example, intentionally generating sexual thoughts increases testosterone in women not taking oral contraceptives.
Directly interacting with men also affects the hormone levels of women. Both romantic touching and sexual activity increase female testosterone. In contrast, familial touching decreases testosterone.
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Dark Chocolate Is Better Than Normal Chocolate
If you like chocolate, we have excellent news: dark chocolate is healthy, and you can eat it . While desserts, in general, are not very good for people on diets, dark chocolate is considered healthy because its low on sugar and it has a lot of flavanols, which are known for being suitable for the cardiovascular system.
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Increase Hdl Cholesterol Levels
The two most abundant types of cholesterol are LDL and HDL. HDL is considered good cholesterol while LDL is considered bad. There is scientific evidence that strongly suggests a positive link between elevated levels of HDL cholesterol and serum testosterone levels . As a result, you will read lots of blog posts and articles espousing the virtues of packing in the HDL cholesterol.
While the evidence leaves little doubt that more HDL cholesterol equates to more serum testosterone, a word of caution is nonetheless warranted here. Thats because a recent study involving more than 6,000 people concluded that getting too much HDL cholesterol in your diet can dramatically increase a persons risk of heart disease . Therefore, if youre determined to raise your HDL intake to boost testosterone, talk to your doctor first.
Engage In Hiit Training
High-Intensity Interval Training is an excellent alternative for people who want to get a testosterone boost by enhancing their training at the gym. Essentially, this consists of training in which you spent a short time doing hefty exercises and then a few minutes on light exercising.
You can find several HIIT classes, in which you will exercise together with a few colleagues. Its better to do it with others than alone because you wont miss the rhythm even if youre tired. By keeping it up, itll be easier as time passes.
The best effect of this kind of training is that the intensity in which you train will lower your blood sugar.
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Drink Milk At The End Of The Day
Did you know that your mother was right when she said you should drink milk before going to bed? Most of your testosterone is produced while you are asleep. So, whatever food you ingest just before you go to bed has a more significant influence on your hormonal production than what is consumed during other times of the day.
Therefore, milk will indirectly help you produce testosterone because you will sleep deeply and wake up less often during the night. Other factors also influence sleep, though, so milk may not be enough in all cases.
Do Not Ignore Your Mental Health
Mental health is something that should never be ignored. Talking about how it affects testosterone levels in the body, you might not believe us. But, if you are stressed out and mentally upset, your T-levels drop significantly low.
Do not hesitate to consult a psychiatrist whenever you feel like there is something troubling you and making you depressed. Always talk about your mental health with professionals, as it is not a thing to be ignored.
More to keep in mind is to constantly check the medications you are taking for other health problems. This is because they might contain any ingredient that promotes low T levels. This might not happen, but you should be careful and talk to your online therapist if you feel anything like that.
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Testosterone’s Effect On Muscle Growth
Study after study has demonstrated testosterones ability to enhance muscle growth. Take this paper from Bhasin and colleagues for example. 8 men were injected with 600 mg of testosterone over the course of 10 weeks.This rose their testosterone levels to roughly 3x higher than the highest testosterone levels you can expect to achieve naturally.As a result, despite performing no resistance training whatsoever, these men were still able to gain 7 lbs of lean muscle and improve their overall strength – a feat that likely would not be possible naturally.Now this is pretty cool and all, but the real question is how would naturally increasing your testosterone levels affect muscle growth?Well, the truth is, its relatively unclear at the moment. But a few studies are able to provide us with some insight.
Oysters Are The Best Testosterone Boosters
Zinc is necessary for testosterone production and overall health. If youre looking to stack up on this mineral, you should turn to oysters.
They have a massive concentration of zinc, even higher than meat or fish. These hormone-enhancing properties are likely the origin of the conventional wisdom that oysters are an aphrodisiac .
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