EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT TESTOSTERONE

 

What is Testosterone?

Testosterone is a hormone that is responsible for the development of male characteristics. It is present in both men and women but is produced in much higher levels in men. Testosterone plays a role in sex drive, bone and muscle mass, fat distribution, and red blood cell production. It also affects your mood and can contribute to feelings of well-being. Testosterone is produced in the male testes and can be measured in the bloodstream. 

Benefits of high testosterone

So, let's look at all of the benefits of testosterone for men:

• Focus                                      
• competitiveness
• drive
• clarity
• increase in energy
• Libido increases
• sperm count increases
•  muscle increase
•  fat storage decrease
•  motivation 
• Fairness increase 
• better sense of well being 
• Assertiveness
•  Cooperation  
• Bone density increase     

Looking at all of these benefits it's clear that having higher levels of testosterone that are stable improve the quality of life for a man. So how do you increase it?

How to increase testosterone

There are many ways that men can increase their testosterone levels. Some methods are more effective than others, but all of them can be helpful in boosting testosterone production. Well firstly we need to understand that there is the chemical compound that lies in the bloodstream and there are also testosterone receptors. These receptors detect testosterone in the bloodstream and trigger many cognitive advantages in the brain such as focus, clarity, positivity, drive, assertiveness, cooperation...etc. These receptors can be triggered when a male is engaging in sexual intercourse and engaging in combat. These receptors can also be triggered by winning a competition. 

A Study on elite hockey players showed that testosterone concentrations are highly responsive to human competitive interactions and that winners have elevated testosterone concentrations relative to losers. It was examined that hockey players who watched themselves engage in a previous successful competitive interaction produced significant increases in testosterone with numbers increasing by 42 to 44 percent. If you want to increase testosterone, it is important to tackle both the testosterone in the blood and the receptors. Here are some of the most popular methods for increasing testosterone:

1. Exercise: One of the best ways to increase testosterone levels is to exercise regularly. This can be through weight training, cardiovascular exercise, or even just doing some light activity every day. All of these activities help to stimulate testosterone production.

2. Diet: Eating a healthy diet is another great way to increase testosterone levels. Foods that are high in protein and low in unhealthy fats are ideal for boosting testosterone production. 

3. Supplements: There are a number of different supplements that can help to increase testosterone levels. These include things like Ashwagandha, tribulus terrestris, magnesium, zinc, and even vitamin D. Taking these supplements can help to give your body the nutrients it needs to produce more testosterone.

4. Sleep: Getting enough sleep is vital for overall health and it can also help to boost testosterone production. aim for 7-8 hours of sleep per night and make sure to avoid any disruptions

Surprising ways to boost testosterone

Now that we looked at the foundational ways to increase testosterone let's look at some unexpected ways to boost it.

Something interesting that won't be talked about anywhere else is the effect testosterone has on a man's thoughts. we know that suicide has risen with testosterone levels also rising similarly. Is it possible they could be linked? When looking at the benefits of testosterone and linking them with the ways to increase testosterone it is almost as if having high testosterone increases testosterone. We know that working out increases strength and increases testosterone, but it is also observed that testosterone increases strength. We see the same compounding effect with fasting. Fasting decreases fat storage in the body which in turn increases testosterone but having an increase in testosterone also decreases fat storage. I propose that having a positive and ego driven mindset actually increases not the testosterone seen in the blood but instead the receptors seen in the brain that are able to detect and receive the testosterone in the blood.

1. Positivity: Of course, this is much easier said than done but positive thoughts allow for the brain to signal to the receptors that testosterone is present and is required. Knowing this, you can easily hack your brain. If you're the kind of person to read this, then you're also the kind of person to have watched motivational videos that trigger your emotional drive to take action. What you need to do in order to have unlimited motivation and positivity is to constantly listen to motivating media, music, podcasts and more importantly people. Being surrounded by a group of positively driven individuals will indirectly cause you to think positively as well. So, stop listening to depressing music, stop being around depressing people, and stop listening to depressing media.

2. Fasting: Fasting decreases fat storage in the body which in turn increases testosterone but having an increase in testosterone also decreases fat storage.

3. Sexual thoughts and activity: sexual stimuli increase testosterone in males of a variety of species that including humans of course, and just thinking about sex increases testosterone in not just males but females as well.

Key takeaway, it is enlightening to think of testosterone as an energy. Instead of thinking what food I should eat to increase testosterone instead think of what seems like something that is masculine. Typically, if it is something, uncomfortable, physical, and even painful on yourself then you'll probably increase testosterone. The opposite applies to estrogen, soft foods and a stagnant lifestyle will typically increase estrogen.

Symptoms of too much testosterone

If you're a man, you need testosterone to maintain your health and vitality. But like all hormones, too much of it can have negative effects. Here are some symptoms of too much testosterone:

1. Acne breakouts. Testosterone can increase oil production, leading to more clogged pores and breakouts.

2. hair loss. High levels of testosterone can lead to thinning hair, particularly on the head.

3. Mood swings. Too much testosterone can cause irritability and even aggression.

4. difficulty sleeping. High levels of testosterone can disrupt your sleep patterns and cause insomnia.

5. reduced fertility. Excess testosterone can reduce sperm count and decrease fertility.

If you're experiencing any of these symptoms, talk to your doctor to see if your testosterone levels are too high. That said, what are some things I can do to lower my testosterone?

How to reduce testosterone

Firstly, consult your doctor for they can prescribe medication that can reduce your testosterone if necessary. Secondly, the best way to reduce testosterone in the bloodstream is by increasing estrogen...see here for everything you need to know about estrogen.

 Diet plays a major role in our hormones. The theory goes that evolutionarily, men who ate the most meat had the highest testosterone because they performed at a higher level in order to attain said provision. Women who signaled having high levels of estrogen were seen with higher levels of fat storage in their hips, glutes, and breasts. Women would gather the fruits and vegetables and the men would coordinate in groups in order to hunt for food. Fruits and vegetables contain a high amount of carbohydrates which is broken down into sugar in the body and stored as fat cells; those fat cells are then converted into estrogen in the body! Eating food high in carbohydrates such as yogurt, ice-cream, cereal, smoothies all contain high amounts of estrogen. I advise you to be healthy with this and to instead eat mostly vegetables and fruit to reduce the amount of sugar going into the body. This also applies to drinking alcohol, excessive drinking leads to reduced sperm levels and an increase in estrogen.

Masturbation reduces testosterone. Ejaculating in it of itself reduces testosterone in the blood but sexual activity triggers an increase in testosterone production because of the signals to the receptors from the brain that indicate a testosterone increase necessity in the body. Masturbation erotic novels and films however only reduce sperm levels and do not trigger a receptor response.

 Fatherhood, a study in the Philippines that followed men for four and a half years showed that males who cooperate with a female partner and invest in parental care showed reduce testosterone production by 27 percent which is an average drop of 170 nanograms per deciliter.

Symptoms of low testosterone

With infertility, suicide, erectile dysfunction and obesity amongst men being at an all-time high you got to wonder what the common denominator in all of this is. The media will often portray that masculinity is toxic because of testosterone and while there may be a deep correlation there is no causation. Science and studies tell us a different matter. That in fact today's "men" have the lowest levels of testosterone on average in recorded history. According to this Article "Men's testosterone levels declined in last 20 years" By Anne Harding, Reuters Health there was a long-term study done in Boston, Massachusetts in male aging among 1700 men from 1987 to 2004. While it is understood that men's testosterone levels will drop as he ages, the study found a speedy decline in the average men's testosterone level. The average levels of the male hormone dropped by 1 percent a year. A 30-year-old man in 2002 would have 15 percent lower testosterone than those 30-year-old men of 1987. Despite what the media may say, science points towards the opposite cause of these issues; that being the lowering of testosterone over the last decades have caused many health problems for men.

So what are the signs my testosterone is low? Here are the negatives of having a low amount of testosterone:

* increase in irritability 

* lower sexual drive and function 

* lower cognition function

* increase in fear and anxiety 

* higher fatigue levels 

* higher depression rates

* increase in fat storage and decrease in muscle mass

* erectile dysfunction

* bone density decrease

Testosterone and success

A study that tracked a group of baboons found that higher levels of testosterone significantly predicted the males who would go on to achieve high rank and access to females. Physical Aggression being used as a primary tool to climb rank in primates does not apply the same way in humans, we've evolved to favor leaders who we find are inspirational, brave and motivating. The traits we see testosterone increasing in humans are geared toward strengthening our social relationships. Studies show winning a competition triggers a temporary increase in testosterone of 20 percent however winning in front of a supportive audience SIGNIFICANTLY increases testosterone of about 140 percent! Testosterone and success give a ping pong effect on each other. 

Winning increases testosterone and testosterone increases your likelihood to succeed which increases testosterone Again. It is called a compound effect and while in some ways this is unfair and allows the winners of life to keep winning this is also motivating in many ways because it shows that all you have to do is never give up and your receptors will keep triggering to your body to produce testosterone. If you win once and maintain that tenacity, then it will become easier and easier to become successful.