What is testosterone?

When you first think of testosterone, it’s common to instantly relate this term to macho men, aggression or even an impatient type of behavior.

Although testosterone is frequently linked to (bad) behavior, it is actually largely a myth. Besides making you feel like a man, male testosterone is what encourages hair growth, muscle mass, a deepened voice and your libido.

Lowering your voice aside, it’s pretty interesting to take a look at what testosterone does for your body and health. We take a closer look at what testosterone is, where testosterone is produced and testosterone health.

What is testosterone and what is it for?

While testosterone is primarily discussed in relation to male testosterone, a small amount is actually found in women, too. However, the ovaries make testosterone in much smaller amounts.

Sorry ladies, we’re here to discuss male testosterone and its production. Your T levels increase significantly during puberty, often spiking a surge in body hair growth, your voice deepening and muscle gain. Some males can experience acne during their younger years, as their hormones spike during puberty.

Naturally, a man’s testosterone levels begin to dip after the age of around 30. This is something that happens gradually, so don’t be alarmed!

But what does testosterone really do?

Testosterone is the major sex hormone in men, playing a number of important roles. This includes the development of your penis and testes, as well as lowering your voice, facial and pubic hair growth and muscle size/strength.

Also Read: What’s In TestoGen? Our Powerful Ingredients

Most commonly associated with sex drive, testosterone is also a crucial factor in sperm production – as well as bone and muscle mass, the way in which your body stores fat and even red blood cell production.

Your T levels can also help you to maintain a normal mood. Some of the symptoms of low testosterone – such as irregular moods – are the telltale signs of the many factors testosterone contributes towards.

Where is testosterone produced?

In terms of where testosterone is produced, the name kind of gives it away – the testes.

However, how it happens is much more interesting. Primarily controlled by signals, these signals sent from the brain hit the pituitary gland at the base of the brain – before relaying that signal to the testes. This short sequence is how and where testosterone is produced!

A sort of “feedback loop” helps to regulate the amount of male testosterone in your blood. In other words, when your T levels get too high, signals are returned to reduce testosterone production.

Can too much testosterone be a bad thing?

While your body will realise if too much male testosterone is being produced, and therefore cutback, there can be side effects to too much testosterone.

As we mentioned at the beginning of this article, the testosterone hormone (and usually too much of it) is frequently associated with rage, impatience and macho men! While experiencing too much T is not a common problem for most men, it can occur occasionally.

The difficulty lies in understanding what “normal” testosterone levels look like, and of course, “normal” behavior. In fact, blood levels of male testosterone can fluctuate over time, even during the course of a day.

Also Read: 5 Testosterone Killing Foods to Avoid

While there are symptoms of low testosterone to look out for, what may appear to be a symptom of too much T may actually be unrelated to your T levels.

So, what happens when you have too much testosterone?

There are some problems associated with having excessive testosterone levels in men, including:

• Acne (which can also be seen during puberty when testosterone levels are high)
• Liver disease
• Low sperm count
• Shrinking of the testicles and impotence (odd, we agree!)
• Heart muscle damage and increased risk of heart attack
• Prostate enlargement
• Insomnia
• Increased muscle mass
• High blood pressure and cholesterol
• Fluid retention (swelling in the legs and feet)
• Weight gain
• Headaches
• Increased risk of blood clots
• Mood swings and irritability
• Out-of-character aggressive behavior (however, this is not well studied)

Having too little testosterone

While many men wonder what age their testosterone levels start to decrease, it is pretty common for many men (of all ages) to experience low testosterone.

Naturally, as men age, T levels decrease gradually. So don’t worry, there won’t be a significant drop overnight! Despite recognising this natural decrease as we get older, understanding the effect of low testosterone is important.

Testosterone deficiency means that the testes produce less testosterone, with fewer signals being sent to encourage testosterone production. The protein SHBG (sex hormone binding globulin) increased with age – overall reducing the active (free) form of testosterone in your body.

While the ‘optimal’ levels of testosterone can be difficult to judge, more than a third of men over the age of 45 experience testosterone levels below the ‘normal’ amount.

When you experience low testosterone, there are a variety of symptoms you may experience. Don’t worry, we’re going to tell you everything you need to know!

What are the signs of low testosterone?

When your testosterone levels start to naturally decrease, you may notice a few subtle changes with age. If you have a sudden drop in T levels, some of the symptoms of testosterone deficiency could be more prominent.

Low testosterone is nothing to be ashamed of, in fact, many men in their 20s and 30s experience low T.

The symptoms of low testosterone in men include:

• Loss of muscle mass
• Hot flashes
• Increased fat in the chest (man boobs)
• Lack of libido and impotence
• Small testicle size, reduced sperm count and infertility
• Reduced body hair/facial hair
• Hair thinning/loss of body hair
• Irregular moods and irritability
• Brittle bones and increased risk of fracture

But let’s take a look at some of these symptoms a little more closely.

Low sex drive

Your testosterone health plays a huge role in your sex drive. While naturally decreasing levels may show a decline in your libido, if you were to have a sudden drop in testosterone you could see a significant drop in your desire to get down and dirty.

Erection troubles

Although this kinda goes hand-in-hand with the first symptom we’ve discussed, testosterone can have a huge impact on your ability to get it up.

While the testosterone hormone isn’t solely responsible for gaining an erection, it is responsible for stimulating receptors in the brain to produce nitric oxide.

In order for an erection to occur, a trigger for a series of chemical reactions needs to take place. This includes the molecule nitric oxide. When you experience low testosterone levels, you may experience issues getting hard prior to sex, or having random erections (such as during sleep).

It’s important to note that testosterone is just one of many factors in terms of erectile dysfunction and erectile issues!

Hair loss

Testosterone health goes beyond the ability to get it up! Your T levels actually play a role in a variety of body functions, including hair growth. During puberty, for example – when your testosterone levels can be at their highest – you’ll experience a surge in hair growth.

Also Read: How Does TestoGen Work?

When your male testosterone levels are a little low, you may experience a loss of body and facial hair. So, although balding can be a natural part of aging for many men, if you notice a lack of hair growth (at any age), it could be down to your testosterone health.

Low semen volume

Yep, testosterone plays a role here too – in the production of semen. If you’re experiencing symptoms of low testosterone, a decrease in the volume of your semen during ejaculation can occur.

Low energy levels

It’s common to feel sluggish when you have low testosterone health! Many men report extreme fatigue and a lack of energy when their T levels are low. This can be despite feeling as though you’re getting plenty of sleep!

Increased body fat

Despite regular exercise and a healthy diet, low testosterone health can actually impact your body fat. Yep, we’re talking about dreaded man boobs (gynecomastia).

This effect is believed to occur when men experience an imbalance between testosterone and estrogen.

Irritability and mood changes

While too much testosterone is often associated with some sort of man-rage, mood swings and irritability, low testosterone health can lead to changes in mood.

In fact, research has shown that men with low levels of the male testosterone hormone are more likely to face irritability, depression, or a lack of concentration levels.

Low blood counts

According to a research article in the Journal of the American Medical Association, medical professionals have linked low testosterone levels with an increased risk of anemia.

When a testosterone gel was applied to anemic men who also had low T levels, they saw improvements in blood counts compared to men who used a placebo gel.

Memory troubles

While being a little forgetful is all a part of being human, and natural aging, a research study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association revealed links between low testosterone health and memory.

However, the study’s authors did not observe memory improvements in their study of 493 men with low T levels who took testosterone or a placebo.

Loss of muscle mass

Testosterone naturally plays an important role in building muscle mass, so if your T levels are a little low, you may notice a decrease in this muscle mass.

While testosterone health affects muscle mass, research has shown that it doesn’t affect strength or function.

Testosterone declining

While your T levels typically decline by around 1% each year, if you notice a significant change, it’s almost best to tackle any underlying issues by visiting your GP.

However, there are plenty of things you can do to naturally increase your testosterone levels and help restore them!

What can affect testosterone?

While a natural decrease in testosterone is a common occurrence as men age, a drop in your T levels can be caused by a number of conditions and diseases.

For example:

• Damage to the testes – Such as direct injury, radiation treatment, chemotherapy, tumors, castration or infection.
• Damage caused to the pituitary and hypothalamus glands – Including tumors, HIV/AIDS, certain infections, autoimmune conditions and medications (especially steroids, morphine and related drugs)

There are also certain genetic diseases which can affect your testosterone health, such as Klinefelter syndrome.

What is Klinefelter syndrome?

Klinefelter syndrome is a genetic disease that causes men to be born with an extra copy of the X chromosome in their cells.

Typically, men with this condition have smaller than usual testicles and naturally produce less of the testosterone hormone.

How do you know if you have low testosterone?

While you may experience many of the symptoms we’ve already covered, to really understand if you have low testosterone, a simple blood test would be required.

While it can be difficult to determine the ‘optimal’ levels of testosterone hormone, ‘normal’ T levels can range between 280 and 1,100 nanograms per deciliter (ng/dL) for adult males, and between 15 and 70 ng/dL for adult females, according to the University of Rochester Medical Center.

Low testosterone levels could also be a sign of pituitary gland problems.

How can you naturally increase testosterone levels?

There are many health factors that may be affecting your testosterone health, but don’t worry, there are ways to naturally boost your T levels!

Weight loss

Obesity can affect your health in many ways, including your testosterone levels. If you’re a little on the heavy side, shedding that extra weight can really give your T levels a boost.

Combine a nutritious, healthy diet with regular exercise and you’ll see those levels rise in no time at all!

Exercise

So, how do you lose weight? Exercise of course!

But there’s more to it than improving your testosterone health. Not only does exercise help you lose weight, it also effectively improves your cardiovascular system.

Plenty of sleep

If you’re anything like me, you’ll need those full eight hours each night! Our bodies require sleep to repair and heal, as well as function properly. One important aspect is the maintenance of healthy testosterone levels.

So make sure you’re getting plenty of quality sleep and get boosting that T!

Boost your testosterone with TestoGen

TestoGen is an all-natural supplement which works to increase your testosterone levels quickly and safely. There’s no need for nasty injections, and with proven, powerful ingredients, there’s no horrid side effects either.

TestoGen can boost your testosterone levels, increase your muscle size, strength, stamina, and your libido! So you can wave goodbye to that flagging libido and get your energy back.