Starting around the age of 30 years old, men’s testosterone levels will start to drop between 1 to 2% per year. For some men, it’s dropping faster, that being said, you cannot control getting older but you can control or adjust some testosterone killers.
- Chronic stress. Stress can reduce testosterone levels due to increasing cortisol levels that inhibit testosterone production. You need to manage stress. You shouldn’t drink or smoke or do other self-destructive things which will also perpetuate the problem. Choose healthier alternatives such as exercising, meditating, or doing yoga.
- Lack of sleep. If you’re getting around 5 to 6 hours of sleep at night, you’re testosterone is reduced by about 15 to 20%. Shoot for between 7 to 9 hours of sleep per night. Focus on your sleep and make it a priority.
- High body fat percentage. Obese men have testosterone levels 50% lower than non-obese men. Excess body fat converts testosterone to estrogen.
- Dad bod. Research demonstrates that excess fat in the midsection including love handles could contribute to 20 to 30% lower testosterone.
- Crappy diet. Certain foods will drop testosterone such as dairy and soy. Do not eat a diet that is high in saturated fats or salt. Make sure you meal prep to prevent poor diet performance. I’ve been using Factor for years. Use code ALPHAM50 to get 50% OFF your first box plus 20% off your next month of orders.
- Excessive alcohol consumption. Drinking alcohol can damage your Toasties and mess with the endocrine system. If you drink more than two drinks a day, you can reduce your testosterone level by 30 to 40%. Beer is made of hops which is a Fido estrogen. The more you drink, the higher your estrogen and the lower your testosterone.
- Sedentary lifestyle. Men’s testosterone levels will not be where they could be if they are not exercising. When you lift weights it will stimulate a man’s testicles to produce more testosterone.
- Smoking. Smoking is one of the worst things for your body. It also affects testosterone levels. Smoking weed will affect your sperm and your testosterone as well. It also increases body fat and is bad for your testosterone level.
- Endocrine-disrupting chemicals. The biggest offenders are grooming products such as body washes, shampoos, and moisturizers. These can lower your testosterone level. Plastic water bottles are also a bad offender. The BPA in plastics can leach into water or beverages and can mimic estrogen which disrupts the endocrine system. This, in turn, makes testosterone robust.
- Deficient in micronutrients. To maximize testosterone levels, vitamin D is needed. Also, zinc is essential. If you’re deficient in either one, it can wreak havoc on your testosterone production. Supplement with both.
