Testosterone is a male hormone; although small amounts of it are found in females.
High levels of this hormone in men, is often linked with aggressive behavior which can lead to a negative view of testosterone and its importance to your body.
In fact, testosterone is essential to the health of the male body; its presence affects almost every aspect of your life:
Appearance – studies suggest that the more masculine your features the higher your level of testosterone will be.[1]
Sex drive – Low levels of testosterone have been linked with a decreased sex drive.[2]
Bone and Muscle Mass – Testosterone is essential to help your muscles grow and improve your strength. It does this by binding to the receptors in your muscles and boosting the rate of protein synthesis; which causes muscle growth.
Aggression – Extremely high levels of testosterone are linked with aggressive behavior. However, testosterone boosters can actually help to regulate your mood and increase confidence. This will usually translate as a better approach to issues and less aggression.
So How Does Testosterone Influence Your Libido?
Expect a higher libido with raised T levels
This is a complicated subject; after all low sex drive to one person may be a high sex drive to another! In general research shows that testosterone levels decrease as you age.[3] However, this does not need to be the case.
It is first important to understand how testosterone works:
Testosterone is produced by the testes.
It is a naturally occurring hormone, the production of which is controlled by the amount of lutein in your bloodstream.
The amount of lutein, which triggers the production of testosterone, is controlled by the hypothalamus which monitors the amount in your bloodstream and attempts to regulate it.
It is possible to produce too much testosterone but it is very rare in adult men.
There is no doubt that the level of testosterone in your body will affect your desire to have sex. However, scientists have not yet been able to work out the exact link between the hormone and your libido.
A natural reduction of testosterone in your body will reduce your sex drive, although it is not the only reason for a low libido:
Stress
Stress is responsible for many changes in the human body. In stressful situations you produce cortisol which floods the body and blocks the production of other hormones until the situation is resolved. If you are constantly stressed you will see a reduction in your testosterone levels.
Endocrine Issues
The endocrine system is an integral part of your body. It encompasses all the glands in your body, these glands help to control the level of hormones in your body.[4] If this system is not working properly then the production of all hormones can be affected; including testosterone.
Blood Pressure
High blood pressure is usually the result of narrowing arteries; restricting the flow of blood to vital organs round your body. Damage to the testes can occur preventing them from producing sufficient amounts of testosterone.
Diabetes
In a similar way to high blood pressure, diabetes affects the nerves in the body. This can confuse the signals being sent between organs and result in damage to the vascular system. The result of this is decreased testosterone production.
Medications
Many medications prescribed by doctors have unwanted or undesirable side effects; often you will not even be aware of the whole list of them.
Unfortunately many of them can reduce your ability to obtain and sustain an erection. This may not reduce your sex drive but it will prevent you from having sex, which has been shown to reduce your libido!
Recognizing Symptoms of Low Testosterone
A low sex drive is a problem for many men
Low testosterone levels are linked with a low sex drive. However, this is not always the case. This will party depend on what you consider to be a normal amount of sex and what your partner does.
There are other signs that you are low on testosterone; it is important to be aware of these and see a doctor if they apply:
Erection Issues
There are actually many factors which can cause erection issues and testosterone is not directly responsible for most of them. This hormone does tell the brain to produce nitric oxide; which is essential to the creation of an erection.
With enough other stimulants low levels of testosterone will not cause an erection issue. But, it will reduce your ability to obtain a spontaneous erection or one before physical contact with your partner.
Low Semen production
If you notice that you have low levels of seminal production, the white fluid you ejaculate; then there is a good probability that you have low testosterone.
Hair loss
Many people lose their hair as they age and have normal levels of testosterone. Equally, someone with a lot of body hair does not automatically have high testosterone levels. A link has been established between less facial hair and low levels of testosterone.[5]
Muscle mass reduction
This article has already addressed the fact that muscle growth is linked with increased levels of testosterone. The opposite is also true. Low levels of testosterone can lead to muscle deterioration; even if you complete a lot of exercise.
The fact that your energy is not being burned by muscles because they are decreasing in size also means that you are likely to see an increase in body fat.
Tiredness
Again, the scientific link has not been established as to why low levels of testosterone equates to tiredness, but research shows that this is a normal scenario when you have low levels of testosterone. [6]
Ways to Improve Testosterone Levels
There are a variety of methods you can employ to increase your testosterone levels:
#1 Sleep
A lack of sleep does not provide your body with enough time to recover from a workout or balance your hormones.
This means that the signals within your body can become confused. The result is often a decrease in hormone production; including testosterone.
Fortunately, this can be easily resolved! Experts recommend getting between 6 and 8 hours sleep a night to ensure your body regulates itself properly and testosterone levels increase.
#2 Testosterone Boosters
These are a natural based product which enhances your testosterone levels.
They are often used by body builders as high levels of testosterone have been linked with increased lean muscle mass.
But, you do not need to be looking to build your muscles to bodybuilder size to benefit from testosterone boosters. They can help to provide the benefits listed below and prevent the issues listed above; contributing to your overall health and fitness.
Increase your testosterone levels through a naturally based substance, such as a testosterone booster, will make you feel more energetic, healthier and increase your bone and muscle mass.
Note: Remember the highest rated testosterone boosters should have around 5000 IU of vitamin D3, and include the ingredients d-aspartic acid and ginseng. Magnesium and Zinc should also be present to support testosterone production in your body.
#3 Food
You may be surprised to realize that testosterone appear naturally in a wide variety of different foods. Including these in your diet will enable you to boost your testosterone levels naturally; improving your libido!
Steroids are a man made substance designed to replicate the body’s natural production of testosterone.
Unfortunately, they are not an exact match. This means that they can have serious detrimental effects on your health; particularly if you use them in the long term.
Steroids are not recommended for improving your sex drive by boosting your testosterone levels. In fact, they are not recommended even if you are looking to build muscle, a testosterone booster is a much safer alternative.
Benefits of Higher testosterone Levels
It stands to reason that a higher level of testosterone will result in a higher sex drive. This is likely to keep you and your partner happier. However, there are several other benefits to increasing you testosterone levels:
Fertility
This is not the same as sex drive! You can have a high sex drive and low fertility, but increased testosterone will help to improve your sperm mobility, morphology and even quantity.
Body
You may not be undertaking much exercise, although perhaps you should be. Fortunately an increase in your testosterone levels will increase your energy level, desire to exercise and reduce your body fat.
It will not give you a ripped body by itself, but testosterone does play an important part in providing you with a fitter, healthier body.
Mood
High levels of testosterone are associated with aggression; however this is actually a result of artificial testosterone and the other chemicals which are present in steroids.
Boosting your testosterone level will help you to look at each situation rationally, you will have more pride and confidence in yourself and will want your actions to reflect the person you are!
Summary
You may be surprised by how much testosterone affects your body and your outlook on life. People with low testosterone levels suffer from low sex drive, low self-esteem and depression.
A simple solution, such as changing the food you eat and adding a testosterone booster to your diet can improve your libido, increase your muscle mass and make you a happier person!
Do you need any other reason to boost your testosterone?
Updated! The 5 Most Effective Testosterone Boosters in 2023
Find out for yourself the top 5 natural T-boosters currently available on the market right now.
Testosterone is produced by the testes.
You may be surprised by how much testosterone affects your body and your outlook on life. People with low testosterone levels suffer from low sex drive, low self-esteem and depression.
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