Testosterone is important to both males and females. While it’s the main sex hormone in men, women have varying small degrees of it as well. In adults, it becomes a vital hormone for many reasons, including composition, health, disease risk and sex drive.
Testosterone levels are at their highest just around a man’s early adulthood (you’ve seen the college movies), but it starts to decline every year as they continue aging.
Keeping your testosterone levels regular and balanced along with other crucial hormones is profoundly important to your health, both mental and physical.
This is when testosterone replacement therapy can be helpful, though it often isn’t recommended if the levels are declining at a normal range.
This is why so many men of a certain age buy obvious metaphor cars after 50. It’s a reminder from the body - “My hormones are out of whack, balance my hormones!” Losing testosterone can often have psychological effects as well as physical was, as most health-related issues do.
But Porsches are expensive, so for those looking for natural, free and healthy ways to boost your testosterone, here are some medically proven methods.
1: Sleep Well
Getting a proper night’s rest is important for numerous reasons, however it’s been shown that a lack of sleep can actually lower testosterone levels in healthy young men. How much sleep a body needs depends on the body, but it’s typically recommended that adult males get between seven to nine hours a night.
2: Lose Weight
Men who are overweight can suffer many effects, including diabetes. Men with prediabetes also have low testerone. According to the European Journal of Endocrinology, losing excess weight can boost testosterone levels.
But your diet doesn’t have to change drastically. A normal, healthy diet is enough to improve those numbers.
3: Add Zinc to Your Life
Men who have hypogonadism can also be zinc-deficient. While not proven, there is some evidence that zinc can help boost testosterone. Foods that contain high levels of zinc include:
- Beans
- Nuts
- Crab
- Lobster
- Whole Grains
Adult males should try to include at least 11 grams of zinc in their diet daily. Fortunately, most of these foods often go with diets for adults.
4: Reduce Sugar Intake
While zinc can be incredibly helpful in your quest to naturally balance your hormones, it’s not everything. A human body is an incredibly complicated system, and it wants to achieve balance, but it needs your help.
Sugar has been known to decrease testosterone levels in adult males, often as high as 25 percent. This is why prediabetes is often related to hypogonadism. So cut back on foods with high sugar content. Your body will thank you.
5: Exercise!
There’s nothing like good, old-fashioned exercise to increase testosterone in adult males. You’ve been to the gym, those alpha males that take steroid injections are poor substitutes for the natural high you can get off the real thing.
Exercise improves mood, releases endorphins in the brain and, yes, increases testosterone levels.