Your testosterone levels peak after puberty, level off, and then start declining naturally as you journey through life — by about 1% per year. An increased loss can also lead to a testosterone deficiency, which affects between 10% and 40% of men.
To avoid developing a testosterone deficiency, or low T, board-certified urologist Dr. Robert J. Cornell would like to see patients avoid the following habits and lifestyle conditions that can lower testosterone levels.
There’s no shortage of stress in today’s world, and researchers are constantly discovering new ways stress takes a toll on our collective health. One thing we know is that chronic stress causes your cortisol levels to go up, which can suppress your body’s natural production of testosterone.
If you’re under a lot of stress, try to find ways to relax, such as meditation, deep breathing, and taking walks in nature, all of which are great stress busters.
The United States has a weight problem: About three-quarters of the population is either overweight or has obesity. In men, this excess fat can greatly reduce testosterone production, which is why more younger men are being diagnosed with low T these days.
Going in the other direction, if you lose about 15% of your overall body weight (or more), you increase your testosterone levels.
Alongside carrying too much weight, another significant driver of low T is inactivity and loss of muscle. Both resistance training and cardiovascular exercise can go a long way toward helping you maintain optimal levels of testosterone.
Not to mention, exercise is also a great way to shed pounds.
When you sleep, your body uses this time to perform a number of crucial functions, including rebalancing your hormones. In fact, most of your testosterone is released during the REM stage of sleep.
So, if you're not getting 7-9 hours of sleep each night, you could be exacerbating the natural loss of testosterone in your body.
Opioid-based pain medications aren’t great for you for many reasons, and we’re going to add low T to this list. Long-term use of opioids is strongly linked with lower testosterone levels, so it's a good idea to find healthier ways to manage your pain.
Let’s face it: Smoking and drinking alcohol simply aren’t good for your health. Excessive alcohol consumption can impact testosterone levels, and smoking is bad for your overall reproductive health.
We suggest that you quit smoking (and vaping) entirely and confine your drinking to one beverage per day.
As you might have noticed, most of what we covered here can not only improve your testosterone levels but also boost your overall health. That means any effort you make to address these issues will be well worth your while.
If you have more questions about protecting your testosterone levels, we’re here to help. Start by contacting our Houston office to schedule a consultation.
