Hormone Health : How to Increase Testosterone Levels Naturally for men and women
Testosterone levels for healthy women and men.
You want to know how to boost your testosterone levels naturally? Here you’ll find how you can do this without using any supplements!
Testosterone is an important hormone present in both males and females. It plays a major role in males during puberty by promoting gender-specific characteristics, such as a deeper voice, increased muscles, and hair growth (1). Although it is present in a small amount in females, the absence of this hormone can affect normal body functions. Before we move to the natural ways to boost testosterone levels, let's first understand why healthy testosterone levels are essential.
Why Do Healthy Testosterone Levels Matter?
When a man is between 25-30, the amount of testosterone starts to decline naturally. Low testosterone levels are problematic because they can lead to many health issues. Studies reveal a strong connection between low testosterone and obesity. The risk of many other chronic diseases also increases and can lead to premature death.
Normal testosterone levels are as significant in women as in men, even though it's not women's primary hormone. Abnormally low levels of testosterone
9 Ways To Increase Testosterone Levels Naturally
Instead of using supplements, you can get help from the following ways to increase testosterone naturally:
Exercise and Lift Weights Regularly
Exercise and weight lifting (2) helps you in two ways when your testosterone levels are falling. It brings your testosterone back to normal levels and reduces the risk of diseases that can occur due to an inactive lifestyle. The best exercise for boosting testosterone naturally is resistance training, such as weight lifting. It's helpful if you want to boost testosterone levels for both the long-term and short term.
Reduce Stress and Cortisol Levels
When you're suffering from long-term stress, it can indirectly reduce testosterone levels via cortisol. Stress increases the cortisol hormone in the body, which works as a suppressor of testosterone. These hormones are antagonists; if one rises, the levels of another fall (3). Increased levels of stress and cortisol can also cause many health problems, such as obesity and unhealthy body fat levels around your organs. To prevent a spike in cortisol and low testosterone levels, you need to make lifestyle changes to get rid of stress.
Take Vitamin and Mineral Supplements
You can bring your testosterone levels back to normal by taking suitable vitamins and supplements. Studies have shown that you can boost your testosterone levels considerably by taking vitamin D and zinc supplements (4). Other vitamins that are considered beneficial if you have low testosterone levels are vitamins A, C, and E. Zinc supplements can increase testosterone levels in people who are suffering from zinc deficiency and in athletes.
Get Your Vitamin D3, even during summer
Vitamin D3 has been proven a powerful natural testosterone booster. Besides increasing testosterone levels, it can provide many other benefits too. Despite the importance of vitamin D3, vitamin D3 deficiency is one of the most common vitamin deficiencies seen worldwide.
Although the deficiency is common, making your vitamin D3 levels normal is easier than you think. You can spend some time under the sun to get vitamin D3 naturally or take supplements that can make your vitamin D3 normal again. Once your vitamin D3 is normal, your testosterone will reach normal levels again.
Nutrition is key
Your hormone levels is mainly regulate by the nutrients you intake, micro and macronutrients.
The right amount of macronutrients(Protein, Carbs and Fats) is key to maintain healthy hormone levels. Each person requires certain levels of these macros, based on their daily activity. In general is difficult to reach the amount of protein that we all need. This is why protein powders are convenient for everyone, they don't do any special, just help us to have a balanced diet.
Ensure Quality Sleep
Quality sleep is as important as food and exercise for normal testosterone levels. The ideal amount of sleep is different depending upon a person’s requirements. Studies say that 7-10 hours of sleep is enough to balance testosterone levels and good health.
Avoid Estrogen-like Compounds
Estrogen-like compounds are especially dangerous for maintaining a healthy testosterone amount. You should avoid parabens, BPA, and other chemicals that are commonly found in plastic.
Maintain a Healthy Lifestyle
Excessive use of drugs and alcohol is very harmful to testosterone levels. Maintaining a healthy lifestyle is essential to maintain your testosterone within safe limits (7).
Bottom Line
Normal levels of testosterone are essential for both men and women. Many external and internal factors can decrease the normal levels of testosterone. A lower amount of testosterone than normal can cause many health issues. To avoid this, you can get help from the ways mentioned in this post to naturally boost your testosterone levels without any supplements!
References
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20061435/
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22234399/
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/9629234/
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11872201/
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23412685/
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24371462/
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/2900627/