If your testosterone levels are low, you may notice changes in your sex drive, erections, mood, sleep, energy levels and muscle strength. You may need testosterone replacement therapy to increase your testosterone levels. Living a healthy lifestyle can also help.
Low testosterone levels in males can lead to erectile dysfunction. They can also affect sleep, mood, the size of the testicles, and more. In both males and females, low testosterone can lead to lower bone mass and reduced sex drive.
While testosterone definitely plays a role in your sexual function, many men with low levels of testosterone (also referred to as low-T or hypogonadism) can get erections just fine.
The hormone also plays a role in your state of mind, including how well your brain works. That's why low testosterone has been linked with symptoms such as mood swings, increased stress, and depression.
While getting older is generally the main cause of low testosterone in many men, low T levels can also be a symptom of other underlying conditions or comorbidities. According to the Asian Journal of Andrology, these conditions may include: Obesity. Chronic kidney disease.
Results: Animal and preliminary human studies suggest that testosterone may facilitate erection by acting as vasodilator of the penile arterioles and cavernous sinusoids. Following castration, most, but not all, men had partial or complete loss of erection.
Treating normal aging with testosterone therapy is not advisable. If you don't have a medical condition that's contributing to your decline in testosterone levels, your doctor might suggest natural ways to boost testosterone, such as losing weight and increasing muscle mass through resistance exercise.
A man's ability to produce testosterone starts to decline at about 40 years of age, and levels continue to drop 1 – 3% a year thereafter. It is important to note that just because the levels are dropping after 40 doesn't necessarily mean that all men are candidates for therapy.
“Men with low testosterone find that their emotional reserves are lower,” he says. “They have a shorter fuse. In popular culture, people link male anger with high testosterone, but as a rule we see it more in men with low testosterone -- most commonly when levels are dropping. That's when men get cranky.”
Low testosterone also appears to be linked to lower quality sleep and fewer deep sleep cycles. Researchers have observed that as testosterone goes down, the hormone cortisol increases. Cortisol contributes to wakefulness, resulting in shallower and shorter sleep, noted the February 2012 review in the journal Sleep.
Low testosterone (male hypogonadism) is a condition in which your testicles don't produce enough testosterone. It has several possible causes, including conditions or injuries affecting your testicles, pituitary gland or hypothalamus. It's treatable with testosterone replacement therapy.
Fatigue is a common effect of low testosterone. You might feel like you just don't have the energy that you're used to. Or you might be incredibly tired. But many other things can sap your energy, too, including normal aging and depression.
Losing weight and eating a healthy diet does boost long-term testosterone levels. In addition to a host of other health benefits, losing excess body weight and eating a nutritious, balanced diet indeed increases long-term testosterone levels.
Testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) is most common. This involves using man-made hormones. There are several forms that your doctor can prescribe. They include gel, a patch, or an injection.
Testosterone may also help maintain normal mood. There may be other important functions of this hormone that have not yet been discovered. Signals sent from the brain to the pituitary gland at the base of the brain control the production of testosterone in men.
Common physical causes of erectile dysfunction include heart disease, diabetes, nerve damage and high blood pressure. Hormonal issues, such as low testosterone, can also affect your level of sexual desire, which may stop you from getting an erection even with Viagra.