Maintaining a healthy testosterone level is more than just a sexual necessity for men. Apart from helping men maintain a healthy sexual appetite and performance, testosterone is also responsible for many other body functions for men.
As men age, it is natural for their testosterone levels to go down. And with lower testosterone levels, a man’s life will be affected in a number of ways. Here are a number of effects that men can experience if their testosterone level declines.
Lowered sexual drive
Probably one of the biggest negative effects of a low testosterone level is its effect on a man’s libido. When a man’s testosterone level declines, their physical energy is also reduced, and will also affect their sexual drive.
While low testosterone is only one factor for lowered sexual drive, along with stress, depression, sleep deprivation, and medical illnesses, it still contributes to lower sex drive experienced by aging men.
Difficulty maintaining erection
Another impact that low T-levels has in men is the difficulty of achieving and maintaining an erection. Apart from fueling a man’s sexual drive, testosterone is among the many factors that aid a man’s erection.
Testosterone is what triggers the brain receptors that produce nitric oxide, a molecule that helps trigger various chemical responses needed for an erection to occur.
Decreased energy levels
Aside from a decline in your libido, you may also feel more sluggish and less energetic if your testosterone levels are low. This is why men who age tend to feel tired easily, even after enough rest. And because of your sluggish feeling, you might lose interest in exercising or moving too much.
Increased body fat
Because you feel easily tired and less likely to work out, you might undergo certain changes in your physique which can be associated to your less active lifestyle, your body fat will increase.
Some men who undergo testosterone deficiency may even experience gynecomastia, which causes breast tissue enlargement, which can occur in men due to testosterone and estrogen imbalance.
Reduced muscle and bone mass
Testosterone plays a huge role in the development of lean muscles in men. In the same way, it also affects bone mass. That’s why men who have lower levels of testosterone are more likely to have a decrease in muscle and bone mass.
Decreased semen production
Some men may also experience a reduced volume of semen, which plays an important role in the motility of sperm. With low semen volume, a man’s sperm cells may find it difficult to move through a woman’s reproductive tract towards the egg and fertilize it. Thus, this can also affect a man’s fertility.
Hair loss
Aging men are known to go bald as they grow older. This is because their testosterone levels are also declining. But in younger men who are experiencing lower testosterone levels, aside from baldness, they may also experience loss of body and facial hair.
Emotional changes
Apart from physical changes, a decline in your testosterone level can also affect your emotions. Since testosterone also has an effect on regulating emotions, men who have low testosterone tend to feel more down or irritable.
To some men, it can also cause a feeling of sadness or depression, while some may have trouble concentrating. Low testosterone levels can also affect a man’s self-confidence and motivation.
Lack of sleep
Another huge effect of low T-level is how it affects your sleep patterns. It can cause insomnia to some men and cause them to have a low energy level. In the same way that low testosterone can affect your sleep patterns, sleep deprivation can also affect your testosterone levels.
In fact, some men who have low testosterone level may also experience sleep apnea, which disrupts their sleep and increase your risk for certain health problems such as heart diseases and stroke.
With so many health and physical effects associated with low testosterone, it makes sense why many men would like to maintain healthy levels of testosterone in their bodies.
Some might find it a necessity to avoid certain health problems, while some men aim to improve their physical appearance by improving their testosterone levels. Either way, it’s important that you go for healthy ways of increasing your testosterone levels.
One of the best ways of maintaining healthy levels of testosterone is through supplementation. And if you are conscious of the ingredients that you incorporate into your food and health regimen, you might want to go for a natural form of supplementation.
