Bioidentical Testosterone is the male sex hormone mainly but is also found in females in small amounts. This steroid hormone is produced in men’s testicles and women’s ovaries. Also, the adrenal glands produce it in minute quantities. Changes in teenage boys like hoarse voice, hair growth, increased muscles, etc., during puberty, are caused due to the increase of testosterone hormone. At the same time, it is crucial to have optimal compounded progesterone throughout adulthood and even during old age.
The significance of optimal levels of testosterone is essential for boosting overall health, sexual functioning, body composition, and reducing risks for every possible problem. Additionally, an increase in testosterone levels can cause rapid gains in muscle mass and endurance in only a matter of weeks. Interestingly, it also plays a vital part in female sexual health and overall well-being.
We can conclude one obvious thing: both genders should ensure healthy testosterone levels, especially as they age. Here are eight evidence-based ways to increase testosterone levels naturally:
1. Exercise
Exercise is one of the best ways of preventing numerous health issues. Curiously, it can likewise help your testosterone. Comprehensive research discovered that individuals who exercised routinely had higher testosterone levels. In older people, exercise increases testosterone levels, wellness, and response time.
Recently, recent research was done on obese men. It proposed that increased physical activity was considerably more beneficial than a weight loss diet for increasing testosterone levels. Weight lifting and other such resistance training exercises are the best types of exercises to increase testosterone levels in the short and long term. High-intensity interval training (HIIT) can also be efficient, although all kinds of exercise should work to some extent. Taking caffeine and creatine monohydrates as supplements can also help boost testosterone levels if combined with any training program.
2. Eat Protein, Fat, and Carbs
What you eat has an influence on your testosterone, just like other chemical levels. Hence, you should focus on your calorie intake and diet plan. Dieting or overeating over a long period can disturb your testosterone levels. Eating sufficient amounts of protein can help keep up with healthy levels and help lose excess weight, also related to testosterone. Carb intake additionally plays a part, with research showing carbs can assist with balancing during resistance training.
However, research shows that healthy fats in sufficient amounts are also beneficial for testosterone and health. A diet containing mainly whole foods a balance of fat, protein, and carbs can boost your hormone levels and overall health.
3. Minimize Stress and Cortisol Levels
As research always highlights the dangers of long-term stress, it can increase cortisol to dangerous levels. Abnormal growth of cortisol levels can rapidly reduce amounts of testosterone. These hormones are indirectly proportional to each other. If one decreases, the further increases and vice versa. Being stressed and having high cortisol levels can also increase food intake, which leads to weight gain. Also, it can cause harmful fat to deposit around your organs. As a result, in turn, these changes may negatively impact your bioidentical testosterone.
For ideal health and hormone levels, you should try to reduce stress in your life. You should adapt to a lifestyle full of laughter, good sleep, a balanced diet, exercise, and so much more. It can collectively help improve your overall health and bioidentical testosterone.
4. Get Some Sun or Take a Vitamin D Supplement
Sun rays are essential for every living being. To fulfill the need for sun rays, it is essential to take Vitamin D supplements. Vitamin D is becoming one of the most popular vitamins in the world. It has shown multiple health benefits, and it also works as a natural booster of testosterone. Despite its significance, almost 50% of the population of the US lacks vitamin D. A research was carried out for a whole year that showed supplementation of 3000 IU of vitamin D3 per day boosts the testosterone levels by 25% approximately. In the elderly, vitamin D and calcium also improved testosterone levels, reducing their risk of falling.
To increase your bioidentical levels and benefit from other pros of vitamin D, you should regularly expose yourself to sunlight or take 3000 IU of vitamin D3 daily.
5. Take Vitamin and Mineral Supplements
Although the advantages of multivitamins are fervently discussed, explicit nutrients and minerals might be valuable. In one study, zinc and nutrient B supplements enhanced sperm quality by 74%. Zinc also helps boost testosterone levels.
Different studies propose that vitamins A, C, and E can play a part in producing your sex hormones and testosterone levels. But out of all other vitamins and minerals available, the study shows vitamin D and zinc supplements would be the best.
6. Get Plenty of Restful, High-Quality Sleep
Getting good sleep is just as crucial for your health as diet and exercise.
It can significantly impact your levels. The ideal amount of sleep may not be the same for every person. However, a study found that sleeping for 5 hours each night can reduce testosterone levels up to 15%. Similarly, another study showed that sleeping for only four hours caused people’s testosterone to be at borderline deficient levels. A supporting study showed that for each extra hour of sleep you get, your levels increase by 15%, on average. We can conclude that 7-10 hours of sleep on average is best for your testosterone compound and overall health.
7. Take Natural Herbs
Scientific studies support only a few natural boosters. One of the most researched herbs is called Ashwagandha. It has been found to help infertile men increase their testosterone levels by 17% and sperm count by 167%. According to a study, Ashwagandha lowered cortisol by around 25%, which may aid testosterone levels to boost.
Another natural thing to boost is a ginger extract. It is a delicious herb having many other health benefits as well. A study in infertile men found that ginger can boost testosterone levels by 17% and also increase other essential sex hormones. Other popular and well-researched herbs include weed, Mucuna prurient, Shilajit, and Tongkat Ali.
8. Avoid exposure to estrogen-like compounds
Several other factors may affect your hormone levels. A healthy sex life plays an essential role in regulating your sex hormone and testosterone levels. High exposure to estrogen-like chemicals can cause your levels, along with other hormones, to reduce. This is why you should minimize your daily exposure to parabens, BPA, and other such chemicals found in plastics.
After women, men are now looking for hormone replacement therapy, particularly testosterone replacement therapy. There is a link between testosterone and estrogen, even though it is majorly a female hormone. Normal functioning can go down different ways within the body.
In men, too much estrogen can become a problem. It can cause fat buildup, breast tenderness, bloating, and prostate problems. Excessive amounts of estrogen can also increase the production of SHBG, which is a sex hormone-binding globulin. It binds making it inactive. For testosterone to have long-lasting, libido-enhancing effects, it must be kept in an active state. Keeping the amounts of estrogen in check is necessary for men as this hormone will compete for receptor sites.
For avoiding all these problems, our recommendation for any male is to use testosterone replacement combined with a zinc supplement. A zinc deficiency is pretty common in almost everyone, men and women equally.