How To Increase Testosterone Levels And Bring Them To Normal
Looking for simple and costless methods to increase testosterone levels? Here’s how to bring your testosterone to a normal level.
The first thing that comes into your mind when you hear the word testosterone is manliness. You are right. Testosterone is what makes the difference between a boy and a man.
This hormone stimulates male characteristics such as body and facial hair growth, deeper voice, bone health, and muscles.
Although women produce these hormones too, they are doing it in very small quantities which don’t affect their body, thankfully.
What Is Testosterone?
So this testosterone thing is actually a steroid hormone that stimulates male reproductivity and helps increase your bone mass, muscles, and body hair.
Testosterone is the key hormone that regulates fertility, fat distribution, red blood cells production, and it’s the main male sex hormone.
The brain and a small gland, the pituitary gland, located at the base of the brain, control the production of testosterone by the testes. From that point, testosterone moves through your blood to do its job.
Your testosterone levels are higher in the morning and lower at night.
Testosterone levels also depend on our age. You have higher levels between the ages of 20 to 30. And from here your levels will slowly go down after the age of 30 to 35.
The adult male has 8 times higher testosterone levels than a woman, and the daily production of testosterone is 20 times greater in men.
You have two types of testosterone in your body:
- You have free testosterone levels (free T), which are not chemically bound to anything.
- And you also have your total testosterone levels which are bound to proteins in your blood.
If you have your testosterone levels checked, the doctor will look at both free testosterone and total testosterone levels.
Normal Testosterone Levels
Here are some general values of normal testosterone levels for men, age 19 or older:
- Total testosterone between 240-950 ng/dL*;
- Free testosterone between 9-30 ng/dL.
These are some general values of normal testosterone levels for women, age 19 or older:
- Total testosterone between 8-60 ng/dL;
- Free testosterone between 0.3-1.9 ng/dL.
*ng/dL stands for nanograms per deciliter. A nanogram (ng) is one-billionth of a gram and a deciliter (dL) is one-tenth of a liter.
The main problem with the testosterone levels is that they are too low, not too high. Health issues can also occur when this hormone is not balanced.
If you have low levels of testosterone this can lead to decreasing in your muscles, bone strength, fertility, and energy levels.
Some things can temporarily lower your testosterone, such as poor nutrition, too much exercise, and a serious illness.
You can maintain a normal level of testosterone with a good diet, a healthy lifestyle, and exercise.
What Are The Methods To Increase Testosterone?
If your testosterone levels are not balanced, you should not worry. You can increase testosterone levels naturally with different methods.
1. Work Out Regularly
Exercising can help you boost your testosterone.
To increase testosterone in the short-term and in the long-term too, practice resistance training.
Weightlifting is the best type of exercise you can do to elevate your testosterone.
Another thing that has an influence on your testosterone is what you eat. Your levels can be disrupted by constant dieting or overeating.
Maintain healthy levels of testosterone by eating enough protein, healthy fats, and carbs. During weightlifting, carbs can help you optimize your testosterone.
2. Eat More Testosterone Boosting Foods
These are five testosterone boosting foods you should include in your regular meals:
- Venison is what you need for muscle growth.
- Garlic will help you to maintain your muscle mass.
- Milk for that lean physique.
- Honey will help you to have a better blood flow.
- Eggs are an excellent source of protein and also good to increase muscle mass.
3. Get Into The Light
Another natural way to boost your testosterone is getting enough sun. Getting some sunlight on your skin means your vitamin D intake will naturally boost, which will also increase testosterone.
If you can’t get regular exposure to sunlight, you can take vitamin D3 supplement daily too. This can also supply your body with Vitamin D, which, again, will help balance your testosterone levels.
4. Sleep Enough
A good night’s sleep is what you need to maintain healthy testosterone levels. Sleep is as important to your body as exercise and diet are for a healthy lifestyle.
So make sure that you get plenty of sleep. Aim between 7-9 hours per night, so your body can fully benefit from it.
These are natural ways in which your body can boost its testosterone levels. But if you are more of a supplement guy who likes to take shortcuts in life, then there are some great testosterone boosters for you.
5. Take Testosterone Supplements
These are the best testosterone boosters you can take to bring your testosterone levels in a healthy zone:
6. Consider Testosterone Injections
Testosterone injections are also something you can do to increase testosterone levels.
This kind of injection is used on boys and men to treat the lack of the hormone which can mean delayed puberty or impotence.
These testosterone injections are only for those with low T and are prescribed after a doctors’ consultation.
These injections have the purpose to regulate your testosterone levels and can help you improve your mood, leaving you feeling more energized.
These shots can also help regulate your fat distribution, but this doesn’t necessarily mean weight changes.
Although testosterone injections can help many men with low testosterone levels, that doesn’t mean these powerful shots are safe for everybody.
You have to make sure you tell your doctor all about your medical history and all the conditions you have before starting this treatment.
If you suffer from heart disease, sleep apnea, or high red blood cells count, you will need extra monitoring from your doctor.
Also, you cannot benefit from testosterone injections if you suffer from prostate cancer.
You should take into consideration that testosterone injections may come with health risks too. Some of these are:
- Blood clots;
- Liver problems;
- Heart problems, which include heart attack or stroke.
Bottom line is that testosterone injection can be helpful but only if you have low testosterone.
How To Check Your Testosterone Levels?
You can go and check out your testosterone levels at a specialized clinic in your area.
Based on the results, your doctor will tell you what kind of lifestyle changes you need to make in order to bring your testosterone to a normal level. Or, in some cases with low T, the doctor can recommend testosterone injections.
But in either case, make sure you listen to your doctor’s advice. He/she knows exactly what to do to increase testosterone levels.
If you don’t end up having low levels but you feel like a boost of testosterone is needed, then you should take a more natural approach.
Good nutrition, exercising, and a healthy lifestyle can improve your testosterone levels naturally.
