5 Science-Backed Strategies to Increase Your Testosterone Naturally
My sex drive was in the toilet, I was losing muscle, and I didn’t have the typical enjoyment or drive from my workouts. I never tested my testosterone (“T”) levels throughout this time but the writing was on the wall. This lasted for about 4 months and coincided with the birth of my daughter who averaged more hours crying than sleeping.
The triggers included many of the hallmark signs of new dads: sleep deprivation, difficulty squeezing a workout in, short winter days, and my heightened stress response to that newborn scream. It was mentally and physically tough but I knew if I addressed my testosterone levels I’d be on the right path but there was no single answer to how do I increase my T levels? Fortunately, things fell into place when my daughter warmed up to the idea of sleep and the sun stayed out longer. With the addition of some workouts, more meditation, and some supplements (ashwagandha, zinc, and vitamin D), my T levels were back to normal.
When you think of low testosterone you might think about the teen so thin you can see his ribs or the overweight guy in his 7th decade of life. These may be some more overt signs of low T but they don’t paint the whole picture. The muscle-bound guy in the gym could also have low T.
T levels have been decreasing year over year for decades. Low T is hiding in plain sight affecting 4-5 million men in the US alone. And this number is likely underdiagnosed since low energy is typically the only symptom in men under 40 (compared to erectile dysfunction in older men). These signs are the tip of the iceberg in terms of the havoc that low T is creating on the rest of the body.
In another post, I provided 6 other natural ways to boost T levels. In this post, I’ll tell you exactly how to naturally increase testosterone according to solid research but first let’s take a step back and talk about the importance of T.
What Is Testosterone?
Testosterone is a sex hormone (also known as androgen) that all humans have. It’s made in men’s testicles and women’s ovaries. It’s commonly referred to as the male sex hormone although both sexes need testosterone for the body to function optimally (females make less than 1% of the T that men do and it’s quickly converted to estrogen).
The Lesser Known Benefits Of T
Testosterone (and other male androgens like androstenedione and dehydroepiandrosterone) play a familiar role in puberty, muscle production, and sex drive. T also plays a role in less sexy things like mood, bone density, body fat distribution, and red blood cell production.
Having higher levels of T, however, doesn’t equate to road rage, roid rage, or any other hyper-masculine traits often portrayed in the media. Signs of normal testosterone levels include the capacity to work harder and recover better. It also makes the physical effort of work more pleasurable which is thought to be due to adjusted levels of activity in the amygdala.
T Is Declining
This is where the bad news comes in. Male T levels have been decreasing for decades. A 2007 study in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism, found a “substantial, and as yet unrecognized, age-independent population-level decrease in T in American men.” The research compared T levels ranging from 1987-2004 and found a 1% drop every year.
Research published in Human Reproduction Update in 2017 also found a “significant” decline in sperm count of 50-60% between 1973 and 2011. The correlation between the two should be no surprise given the association between testosterone and the reproductive system.
Just as testosterone affects many areas of the body, many areas of our health can impact testosterone.
Here are some of the things that accelerate the decline of testosterone:
Being overweight
Poor diet
Limited movement and exercise
Poor sleep quality (including sleep apnea)
Chronic stress
Low vitamin D levels
Unhealthy microbiome
Medications such as statins and opioids
Signs Of Low Testosterone
Normal total testosterone (a combination of bound and unbound testosterone) levels are between 300-1,000 ng/d and anything lower than 300 is considered low testosterone (or as pharmaceutical marketers now refer to it is as, “Low T”).
The ranges of low T are often debated. Some functional medicine doctors say that healthy T levels shouldn’t dip below 600. Free testosterone (the unbound testosterone) accounts for about 1-2% of the circulating testosterone in your body. It has limited agreed-upon normal ranges which depend on a variety of factors. It’s important to note that these numbers gradually decline with age (the symptoms of which are referred to as andropause) and while the decline is normal, the plummet is not.
Here are the signs of low testosterone:
Decreased sex drive
Erectile dysfunction
Weight gain
Loss of muscle strength
Low mood or depression
Irritability
Fatigue
Difficulty sleeping
Development of breast tissue (gynecomastia)
Less body hair
Hot flashes
Poor concentration
Worsening memory
Reduced sperm count and Infertility
Can’t I Just Do Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT)?
After reading that extensive list you might be thinking of a couple sitting side by side in individual, old-fashioned tubs while a man with a baritone voice speaks about talking to your doctor about ED meds. So can’t you just avoid a future like that by using hormone replacement therapy (HRT) like the commercials?
Yes. Using HRT can improve your T levels but it won’t address the underlying issues. And these issues are more than likely impacting way more than your testosterone. Addressing the issues improves your health beyond just T. It’s also important to note that HRT won’t turn the basement gamer into the gym rat. T doesn’t directly change behavior but, rather, it adjusts the volume on the traits that are already there. It’s said that if you give a monk testosterone he’ll just become more generous.
While testosterone levels are linked to lower rates of insulin resistance and cardiovascular disease, doing HRT then binging Game of Thrones won’t change much. HRT definitely has its place and time so consider getting your numbers checked and talking to a doctor but the best approach is often going the natural way first. It takes some effort but less than you might think.
5 Ways To Naturally Increase T
Lift Heavy Things
Lifting makes you look, feel, and function better. All of these are impacted by testosterone, yet only 30% of adults do some form of strength training.
It's well known that lifting increases testosterone, but how much do you need to lift to see a boost? One study measured T levels of men and women before and 2 hours after a 30-minute lifting session. In that short time, they noted that testosterone levels increased by 21.6% following a single session.
Your rest periods between sets make a difference. Researchers compared the effect of T on rest periods of 60, 90, and 120 seconds. The 60-second rest period group had higher levels of growth hormone while the 120-second group had the highest T level increase.
A 2010 review published in Sports Medicine supports the idea of T as a two-way street when it comes to lifting. Testosterone is both needed to support muscle growth and strength and stressing your muscles through lifting also naturally boosts T levels.
Do this: Lift heavy 2-4 times a week and use both push and pull movements for both legs (e.g. deadlifts and squats) and arms (e.g. chest press, rows, overhead press, and pullups).
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2. Have More Sex
Researchers looked at healthy men over the age of 60 and compared T levels to the number of times they had sex. They found a direct correlation between the two: those who had more sex had higher testosterone levels.
Another study measured testosterone levels in both men and women before and after sex on 11 different evenings. They put simply, “Testosterone increased across the evening when there was intercourse and decreased when there was none.”
Do this: Have more sex.
3. Avoid Phthalates
Phthalates, considered “the everywhere chemical,” are endocrine disruptors that have plenty of health risks but we’ll stick to the impact of testosterone. Phthalates are frequently found in personal care products (soap, shampoo, deodorant), vinyl products, shower curtains, PVC piping, and medical devices (IV tubes, bags, and catheters). The leading source of exposure, though, is foods. Phthalates are in everything from baked goods, oils, and meat to fish and infant formula. And they’re released when plastic is microwaved.
One study published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism studied the effect of 13 phthalates on testosterone in men, women, and children of different ages. They found that a variety of phthalates “significantly reduced T in both sexes and in differing age groups.” Another study looked at the urinary biomarkers for phthalates and BPP in 1,346 adults and 329 adolescents. They also found an inverse correlation between testosterone and exposure to these chemicals.
Do this: Avoid products that contain phthalates including the 8 most common: BBP, DBP, DEHP, DEP, DiDP, DiNP, DnHP, and DnOP. Ask for phthalate-free tubing and bags when these are in contact with you for longer periods (e.g. dialysis, IV fluids). Cook more and eat processed food less since the processing of the food itself is typically where phthalates enter the food. See here for more action steps.
An app I use pretty frequently is the EWG Healthy Living app. It gives a rating for thousands of personal care products, household cleaners, sunscreens, and foods based on the ingredients they contain. See my article here for a deeper dive into common toxins that influence your hormones (and more)
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4. Take Ashwagandha
Ashwa-who? Ashwagandha, aka withania somnifera, is a type of plant used in Ayurvedic medicine. It is an adaptogen meaning it helps your body handle stress, anxiety, and fatigue. In the case of testosterone, it is thought to work by lowering cortisol which is associated with lower levels of T. And the studies are compelling.
A randomized control trial compared males ages 18-50 years old who took 300mg of ashwagandha twice a day and a control group who took a placebo. They put both groups of lifting novices through an 8-week strengthening program. The results are incredible. At the end of just 2 months of training, free testosterone in the placebo group was 18.0 ng/dL compared to 96.2 ng/dL. The group taking ashwagandha also had “significantly” greater improvements in muscle strength (bench press and leg extension) and muscle size (arms and chest). And on top of that, they had a “significantly” greater drop in body fat and less muscle damage from the workouts.
A 2019 study tracking 50 overweight men for 16 weeks found a 14.7% increase in testosterone compared to a placebo group. And another study broke up 150 men into a group of 75 who were fertile and healthy and 75 who were undergoing fertility screening. It found that the supplement improved testosterone, luteinizing hormone,follicle-stimulating hormone, and prolactin in the infertile men, all of which are “good indicators of semen quality.”
Do this: Start with 300-500mg of an Ashwagnhanda capsule and gradually build up to 1,000-1,500mg as needed. See my full supplement regimen for more info.
5. Manage Your Stress Levels
Stress activates the sympathetic nervous system (fight, flight, or freeze) which results in a boost of T levels. If the sympathetic nervous system is not balanced by the parasympathetic nervous system (rest, digest, repair) for long stretches of time then this is called chronic stress Researchers have found that acute stress increases testosterone and chronic stress lowers it.
Researchers in this study measured the testosterone levels of 58 medical students “under exam stress.” Interestingly, they found that there is a high level of testosterone in men’s response to stress while the opposite was true with women.
Do this: While the activation and measurement of stress is black and white (using HRV), the management of it is not. Some things work for everyone: movement, healthy eating, and strong relationships. Other things require some self-experimentation: meditation, HRV biofeedback, and supplementation with things like L-theanine (200-600mg) and magnesium magtein (2,000mg).
Related:
Breathwork 101: What It Is & 5 Breathwork Techniques to Improve Your Health
8 Simple Ways to Improve Your Happiness These Mindfulness Practices
Takeaway
Testosterone is a powerful hormone that impacts muscles, sex, fertility, mood, bone density, body fat distribution, and red blood cell production. And having low levels of T is becoming more common every year. If we used a reverse thinking approach then the perfect storm for low T would be chronically stressed, avoid resistance training, sleep poorly, be overweight, and to have plenty of exposure to plastics. No wonder our T levels are declining. So how do I increase my T levels naturally? Make time to train hard, find tranquility, temper plastic use, consider taking supplements, and track your T for better T.
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