It can be a hard pill to swallow, accepting that you don’t have as much testosterone as you once did. For that reason, many people may prefer to ignore the signs that they may have lower than normal testosterone levels.
These signs may be things such as experiencing a drop in mood and libido, feeling excessively fatigued, weak, and maybe depressed in general.
The likelihood of men experiencing low-T increases with age, and it may be a difficult reality to come to terms with, knowing that the sex-drive you used to have and hadn’t thought twice about in your younger years, seems to be something of the past.
Considering this, it’s no wonder that you’ve probably encountered a lot of talk about testosterone boosters.
Why is Testosterone important?
Testosterone is typically referred to as the male sex hormone, although women do produce this hormone in much lower levels. For men, it’s a crucial part in their masculine development, as well as their physical and emotional wellbeing.
Production primarily takes place in the testicles, and increases roughly 30 times more during adolescent years and early adulthood. It then starts to decrease slightly each year.
Being integral to muscle mass, it enables men to maintain and build strength, and regulate sperm production.
Although this is widely known, along with the interconnection between the hormone and with how much libido or sexual desire a man has; it’s important to remember that testosterone actually impacts everything in a man’s body, bone health, moods, memory capabilities and more.
Missing the signs
One of the common reasons why low-T can go undiagnosed for a long time, is because a lot of the symptoms can be connected to other medical problems.
So instead of immediately attributing it to them to low testosterone, people may assume it’s because of other conditions such as depression, diabetes, high blood pressure, or coronary artery disease.
However, awareness has grown significantly in recent years, removing the stigma and highlighting just how common it is for men to experience low testosterone. More and more men are recognizing that it may well be low-T that’s potentially the underlying cause of their problems.
As mentioned earlier, testosterone production is at its highest when a male is in their teens, and then their early adult years (around their late twenties). Once they reach the age of 30, production starts to decline by about 1% a year. Hence, 10% of men that are aged between 40 to 60 years of age, are found to have low testosterone.
This number rises to one in five being affected by it who are between the ages of 60 and 80. And it increases again to 35% experiencing it for men aged over 80.
Although aging is the biggest cause of the low-T, it does also affect a lot of younger men. Health can very much factor into this, as it’s 60% more common to be experienced by obese men, 47% for men who have metabolic syndrome and a 45% higher likelihood for those who have type 2 diabetes.
Erectile Dysfunction and low Testosterone
Additionally, this will affect the ability to climax, making that also more difficult. Consequently, men who are trying to get pregnant with their partners may find they’re unable to have sex often enough to be able to impregnate them.
For these reasons, increasing testosterone levels becomes pivotal to solving these issues. And it’s because of this – along with many reasons – that testosterone boosters are one of the options men turn to to improve their testosterone level.
What are testosterone boosters and can they help?
Testosterone boosters are designed to literally do what they say on the tin – boost your testosterone. They’re supplements that are typically made up of various micronutrients that are often deficient in men’s diets. I.e. vitamin D, magnesium, zinc, and other important nutrients that contribute to having a healthy level of testosterone.
Because our modern diets make it hard to get enough of these nutrients, this can culminate in testosterone production operating at a weaker capacity.
In this respect, supplementing these micronutrients is designed to help you cover your bases. The goal is to make sure your body has more than enough of what it needs to produce adequate testosterone levels.
Additionally, some boosters may include adaptogens, which have been found to contribute to assisting the body in handling stress; as well as a variation of other ingredients which are linked to improving sleep. Both decreasing stress and increasing sleep contribute to how well you produce testosterone.
Essentially, the way testosterone boosters work is by safely increasing testosterone within the body’s natural range. The keyword here being natural – they are not designed to be an artificial enhancer, but to aid your body in healthily strengthening your body’s ability to produce testosterone.
This in turn means that by taking supplements, you can reap all the benefits that come with having a healthy level of testosterone. Your muscles will grow bigger and stronger, and you’ll notice you’re able to recover quicker from exercising.
You’ll see a healthy increase in your libido, an improvement in your sexual performance overall, and many more positives.
It enables a man’s sexual performance to become amplified through an increased blood flow. Hence, he’ll be able to achieve harder erections with ease that he can sustain throughout intercourse. Ultimately, enabling both partners to share mutually satisfying sexual experiences.
How safe are testosterone boosters?
Testosterone boosters can be similar to pre-workout supplements and fat burners, in that the market doesn’t always have the best reputation. Indeed, you may have seen questionable booster products yourself in shops or online, that have a somewhat suspicious concoction of ingredients listed on the bottle.
This is perhaps more of a reflection of opportunism in the market because low-T is so prevalent, rather than on all testosterone boosters. Understanding the way they work (which has been referenced above), will help you know how and why they are safe.
Because it’s focused on supporting your body to function better, it’s not artificial and therefore, not dangerous. There are certainly many boosters that are genuinely safe and effective. However, as with anything, it’s the quality of a product that determines just how safe it is, along with it’s value.
If you’re unsure of how to begin sussing out which are the high quality products, here are some great ways to decipher the best boosters to use:
See what others are saying
A solid way of finding quality boosters is by opting for one from an established and reputable company. One that has good reviews to back up the results they say they can deliver.
Responsible use
No matter which brand of booster you go for, ensure that you stick to the recommended dose. It’s also a good idea to let your doctor know about what you’re taking, so they can advise you accordingly if you take any other medications or generally have health concerns.
Don’t replace health with boosters
Boosters aren’t designed to replace a healthy lifestyle. If your habits aren’t conducive to living healthily, boosters won’t act as some kind of ‘super supplement’ that takes care of all of your health and fitness needs.
No matter how tempting such a product may seem, there is unfortunately nothing that can achieve that!
Exercise is equally as pivotal for optimum testosterone production, and ultimately, your overall health. Taking your health seriously and doing the work required to keep your body in good fighting shape, means your testosterone boosters can actually compliment and optimise your efforts.
That being said, moderation is key, and it’s recommended to not overdo it to the point of exertion.
On that note, intense levels of dieting or fasting, and excessive calorie counting will also negatively impact testosterone production, because it will prohibit you from getting enough of the nutrients and key dietary fats required. The aim of the game is balance.
If you’re deciding whether to use testosterone boosters to facilitate the work you’re doing on yourself to reach a healthier T level, be sure to do your research and choose the best booster for you.
But also get clearer on exactly why you may need them. Are you noticing physical changes, such as an increased amount of body fat? Do your bones generally feel weaker, or seem more prone to breaks or fractures?
Perhaps you’re noticing that your breasts feel swollen or slightly painful; You may perhaps be experiencing noticeable hair loss, or you’re simply feeling tired all the time.
It could be that the changes you’re noticing are more on the emotional side. So you find that for some unknown reason, you’re unable to concentrate properly on tasks in the way that you usually can. Your memory may seem more elusive, and perhaps there’s just a sense of feeling generally depressed.
If any of these are the case, think about checking in with your GP. It could be that you’re experiencing low-T.
If so, your GP can help you explore a myriad of options to get your health on track; your mind and body in a stronger place to function better as a whole, and carry out the functions that are vital for healthier testosterone production.
Finding safe, reputable boosters may very well be a great support to helping you achieve optimum health and peak performance in your body’s testosterone production.
