Proven Ways to Boost Testosterone Levels Naturally

The 5 Primary Proven Ways to Boost Testosterone Levels Naturally

Written By : Rohit Dwivedi, M.D.   ✓ Fact Checked

Find out what you can do to raise your testosterone levels naturally, including changes to your diet and lifestyle.

(Last Updated on July 30, 2024)

Has your waking up routine changed?

Do you feel fatigued, lethargic, and unmotivated?

Well, low testosterone levels might be the cause.

You already know that testosterone is responsible for your sex drive, muscle growth, energy, and bone density.

Besides, testosterone plays a significant role in mood and cognitive function.

This is the reason you could be feeling sluggish in the morning.

Studies show that low levels of this hormone may cause depression and anxiety in adult men.

Fortunately, your lifestyle plays a big role in the levels of testosterone in your body.

This means that if you are suffering from Low-T, you don’t have to spend heavily on treatments.

How To Boost Testosterone Levels Naturally?

Here some ways you could bring your T-levels back to the roof naturally.

1. Be Active

Science 1 shows staying active can accelerate testosterone production.

Physically active individuals have reported high concentrations of testosterone in the blood.

However, not all types of workouts will get you there.

Most exercises will improve general health and keep you fit, including shedding extra pounds, strengthening joints, improving cardiovascular and mental health.

Strength training

Strength training

Strength training exercises 2 have been seen to be the most effective workouts in raising T-levels.

Strength training, popularly known as resistance training, triggers the production of testosterone directly after a workout session.

However, research shows that this spike in testosterone is dependent on age, gender, and type of exercise.

Both men and women experience a rise in their T-levels following heavy strength training.

However, when it comes to age, men respond differently.

Aging comes with a testosterone decline after the age of 30; thus, men older than 35 years will have a low spike in testosterone levels compared to those below 30 following the same strength training session.

When starting on strength training, it is best to hire a physical therapist or personal trainer if you have never lifted weights or used resistance bands.

Start with resistance bands then progress slowly to the other workout tools.

T-levels can increase by up to 20% 3 through weight lifting if you do it 3 times daily for 11 weeks.

High interval cardio training

Cardio training

On the other hand, high interval aerobic training boosts free testosterone in the blood.

Cardio exercises are great for heart health and general wellbeing; however, low-intensity cardio may not spike your testosterone.

A 2017 study 4 indicates that men who performed high-intensity cardio workouts had higher levels of free testosterone compared to those who completed moderate cardio training.

Since older men take time to recover from high interval exercises, aim for high-intensity cardio exercises, at least 5 times in a week, for about 6 weeks to notice results.

Engage in 6-sessions, each involving 30 sprints followed by a 3 minutes rest period.

While training, take care of the following;

  • Do not over-train-this might actually give you an opposite effect and instead lower your testosterone levels.
  • Drink plenty of water after exercise-dehydrated people produce less testosterone.

2. Maintain a Healthy Lifestyle

Some of your daily habits could be the reason you have dipped testosterone levels.

Maintain positive habits to spike your T levels such as.

Improve your sleeping habits

Sleeping Habit

Studies 5 show that quality sleep is as essential for your testosterone as it is for general health.

It is recommended that everyone should get at least 7 to 8 hours of sleep. Getting less sleep can heighten chances of ending up with lower testosterone levels.

According to researchers 6 from the University of Chicago, testosterone levels increased in participants who slept for much longer.

Manage cortisol levels

Stress has a negative impact 7 on testosterone levels.

When you get stressed up, your body produces cortisol, the stress hormone that inhibits the production of other hormones, including testosterone.

In addition, chronic stress delays muscle recovery after exercise; this is detrimental to testosterone levels.

Strike a balance in your work-life by spending at least 2 hours daily on leisure activities.

Also, develop a habit of meditating through deep breathing, qigong, tai chi, and yoga.

These activities have shown to reduce stress.

Irregular sleep cycles, restless evenings, and night shifts will spike your body’s stress levels leading to an increased release of cortisol levels.

Moderate alcohol intake

Several studies 8 have shown that excessive consumption of alcohol lowers testosterone levels.

Bask in the morning sun

Vitamin D is vital for proper body functioning, and getting enough of it means getting exposed to the sun for a reasonable amount of time.

Research shows that getting some sun can boost testosterone levels by almost 20%.

Shed that extra fat!

As per the  Asian Journal of Andrology 9 report, trans fats play a significant role in lowering your testosterone levels.

Certain fats, such as omega-6 fats can also drastically decrease the size of your testicles.

3. Managing Your Nutritional Diet

You have probably heard of the phrase ‘you are what you eat’.

It is no different when it comes to testosterone.

A healthy and well-balanced diet will increase and maintain healthy levels of testosterone.

Eat more protein

Protein foods

Taking sufficient proteins can help maintain healthy T levels.

Low protein in the body may increase the production of sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG).

SHBG binds to testosterone in the body thus reducing the levels of free testosterone in blood

Therefore, it is important to take enough protein to reduce levels of SHBG.

Up your zinc intake

Zinc is a proven testosterone mineral.

It triggers the release of testosterone production.

Eat zinc-rich testosterone boosting foods such as oysters, beans, almonds, other shellfish, red meat, and poultry.

Increase healthy fats in your diet

Healthy fats such as extra virgin oil are beneficial to reproductive hormones.

Olive oil has been proven to increase testosterone levels and boost luteinizing hormone, which triggers the production of testosterone.

Avoid packaged, processed and fast-foods

One of the risk factors that accelerate low testosterone levels is obesity.

Processed and refined foods cause obesity, which directly messes with T-levels.

Limit processed and refined foods from your diet.

Drink plenty of water

Water

Drinking plenty of water keeps your body hydrated and functioning properly.

Mild dehydration before or during an exercise can critically increase the amount of cortisol in your body.

And, because cortisol reduces testosterone levels, you will want to drink plenty of water to keep your body hydrated at all times.

Avoid refined sugar

SugarHigh sugar content foods lead to a drastic spike in your blood sugar, which in turn causes your levels of testosterone to plummet.

To shed more light on effects of sugar on your testosterone levels, you might be interested to know the following.

The American Diabetes Association reports that people with type II diabetes are twice more likely to develop testosterone deficiency syndrome due to;

  • A chronic elevation in blood glucose is experienced when we consume diets rich in sugars.
  • The pancreas goes on to produce a lot of insulin hence flooding the body with it.
  • As a result of too much insulin, the body develops insulin insensitivity.
  • Insulin regulates the production of testosterone; thus, its insensitivity results in metabolic syndrome and other health issues.

4. Review Your Prescriptions

You might not know it, but some of the medicines you are taking might be the cause of your low testosterone levels.

Some of the prescriptions that have shown to be risk factors include:

  • Glucocorticoid drugs like prednisone.
  • Opioid medicines for instance OxyContin and MS Contin.
  • Anabolic steroids generally used to improve muscle-building efforts.
  • Some antidepressants.

Note:

You should not stop taking any of your medications immediately.

If your testosterone levels are a concern, have a word with your doctor and let him advise on the best way forward.

5. Keep Away From Xenoestrogens

Xenoestrogen means estrogen from outside the body, mainly from products we use, including moisturizers, sunscreens, foods substances, water bottles, chlorine, plastics, and house cleaning products.

Chemicals such as xenoestrogen, if in excess, might confuse the brain with being the real estrogen, which reacts by lowering the production of testosterone.

Unfortunately, substances that disrupt the endocrine system can be found almost in your everyday use.

Here are some ways to reduce the effects of these chemicals on T-levels.

  • Use ceramics and glass to store food and avoid heating food in plastic containers. Also, do not leave plastic containers in the sun, or freeze plastic water bottles. Toxins often change to food under these conditions.
  • Avoid skincare and hair products that contain parabens (methylparaben, ethylparaben, propylparaben, and butylparaben), 4-Methyl benzylidene camphor (4-MBC), and benzophenone.
  • Remove chlorine from your drinking water and use chlorine-free household and laundry cleaning products.
  • Aim for organic foods and peel non-organic foods to reduce exposure to insecticides.

Recap

testosterone

Testosterone is significant to both men and women.

Unfortunately, testosterone levels are negatively affected by our diet and lifestyles.

The good news is, you can naturally raise your T-levels in ways such as living a healthy lifestyle, cutting on sugars, drinking plenty of water and exercising.

These are simple things that anyone with low testosterone levels can engage in on a routine basis and see and improvement in their Low-T levels.

Read next: Is Testosterone Replacement Therapy Right For You? Brace Yourself With The Basics

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