Gentlemen, there’s no way around it: as you get older, your testosterone levels drop.
After you turn 30, testosterone levels begin to decline by roughly 1 percent per year.1 This may not seem like a huge deal for the first few years… But by the time you’re 65, your testosterone levels are 35 percent lower.
Low testosterone could have some pretty nasty effects… Thinning hair, erectile dysfunction, depression, and increased body fat, just to name a few. Your bone density and muscle strength start declining too.
But why deal with any of these problems if you can avoid them?
Here are the top 5 ways to keep your testosterone levels high with minimal effort.
1) Don’t Stress Out. Your adrenal glands release cortisol in response to stressors. It controls your fight or flight reaction by raising blood pressure and blood sugar levels.2 High levels of cortisol reduce testosterone levels.3 Men with high cortisol levels are even less competitive than men with low cortisol levels.4 Keep your vigor high by keeping stress low.
2) Get Enough Sleep. Talk about minimal effort! Getting eight hours of quality sleep will give your body time to repair and leave you feeling rested. But missing out on sleep can do more damage than you realize. One study shows that getting five hours of sleep for just one week is enough to lower T levels by 10 percent–15 percent.5 Being a morning person is great. But make sure you allow yourself a full eight hours of sleep the night before.
3) Eat Healthy Fats. Studies show that switching from a 40 percent fat diet to a 25 percent diet lowers testosterone levels by 15 percent after six weeks.6 Healthy fats—like those found in avocados, salmon, and coconut oil—are responsible for regulating hormone function in the body. A diet high in healthy fats will keep your testosterone levels in the right place and your appetite satisfied.
4) Enlist Vitamin D. You already know that sunshine vitamin is good for your bones and overall health… But it’s also critical for healthy T levels. Vitamin D is a hormonal precursor. So getting enough of it in your diet will keep hormone production running smoothly. Men who supplement daily with vitamin D can raise their total testosterone levels by 10 percent. Don’t feel like taking a supplement? Eggs, mushrooms, and cold water fish are great sources.
5) Think Zinc. It’s an essential mineral that most men just don’t get enough of. Zinc deficiency can seriously impact your testosterone levels and the way you feel in general. Luckily, it’s an easy fix. Studies show that daily zinc supplementation in older men can raise levels by about 50 percent after just six months.7 If you don’t want to take a pill, oysters, liver, dark chocolate, and crab are great sources of zinc.
Eat, sleep, and avoid stress… It’s simple but effective.
If you keep your testosterone levels under control, you will feel and perform at your very best.
Declining testosterone levels are just one symptom of what we call “Male Aging Syndrome.” Most men think problems like lack of energy or libido are a natural consequence of getting older…when it may actually be an easy to fix chemical imbalance. See the four ways you can break free of Male Aging Syndrome here.
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References:
1 http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/testosterone-therapy/MC00030
2 http://www.huffingtonpost.com/sara-gottfried-md/cortisol_b_1589670.html
3 http://www.jssm.org/vol4/n1/10/v4n1-10pdf.pdf
4 http://www.utexas.edu/news/2010/09/27/stress-hormone/
5 http://www.uchospitals.edu/news/2011/20110531-sleep.html
6 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/6538617
7 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8875519