How to Build Testosterone Naturally

Testosterone is a steroid hormone that is produced in men's testicles and women's ovaries but in smaller amounts. This hormone plays a vital role in the general wellbeing and health of a person, especially men. 

Testosterone is produced by men ever since they are inside their mother's womb. Once they hit puberty, production levels peak, that's why this is the time where they begin to grow beards, gain muscle mass, and get a deep voice.

For men, this hormone has to do with things such as sex drive, fertility, mood, overall energy and vitality, muscle growth, facial hair, fat storage, and pretty much everything else. That's why some people call it the masculine hormone. 

Keeping healthy levels of testosterone is very important if you want to have an overall healthy lifestyle. Once a man gets between the ages of 25 to 30 years old, testosterone levels begin to decrease, bringing up several negative consequences such as weight gain, stress, and erectile dysfunction.

The bad news is that it is a natural process and all men without exception have to go through it. The good news is that there are very simple ways to enhance testosterone production that do not require complicated changes, just a few long term diet, and routine adjustments.

Here are seven ways in which you can improve your testosterone levels naturally.

Key Takeaways

• Regular exercise, especially weightlifting and compound exercises, can significantly boost testosterone levels. Focus on lifting heavy weights and incorporating exercises like push-ups, squats, bench press, deadlifts, or shoulder press. Avoid overtraining and give your muscles time to recover.
• Getting enough high-quality sleep is essential for testosterone production. Aim for 7 to 9 hours of solid sleep each night. Avoid caffeine beverages in the afternoon and limit electronic device use before bed to promote a deep and revitalizing sleep.
• Your diet plays a crucial role in hormone levels and overall health. Maintain a stable, well-balanced diet with mostly whole foods. Include foods like garlic, onion, olive oil, avocado, salmon, tuna, mackerel, oysters, nuts, and pomegranate, which can help increase testosterone levels. Avoid overeating and extreme fast-acting diets.

Exercise and Lift Weights

Working out regularly is one of the best ways to increase testosterone levels in our body. It has been scientifically proved that when we work out we are increasing testosterone levels in our blood.

Weightlifting is the most effective way to boost testosterone levels in the short and long term. When lifting weights, follow these parameters to maximize even more your testosterone levels:

• Lift heavy weights, stay away from machines.
• Use compound exercises such as pushups, squats, bench press, deadlift, or shoulder press. These exercises work several muscle groups in each rep. With more muscle activity, more testosterone production.
• Do not take each exercise to failure. If you want, try to do it only on your last set.
• Rest between one and two minutes between each set.

Another great way to increase your testosterone levels is through HIIT training. This high intensity, explosive exercises not only improve your athletic condition, but also burn fat and increase your levels of testosterone. 

Do not overtrain! Letting your muscles recover is almost as important as working them. Overtraining not only affects muscle growth but decreases testosterone levels.

Focus more on training hard and focused and give some time for your muscles to recover. If for some reason you can’t train, just try to be more active during the day. Simply walking more can help you boost your testosterone. 

Get Enough High-quality Sleep

Sleeping is a vital component of our lives. All the energy we need to complete our daytime activities is acquired when we sleep. In terms of testosterone, almost all of it is produced by our bodies when we sleep, that is the main reason why we wake up with erections.

Is has been proven that men who sleep 5 or fewer hours each night have between 20% to 30% lower testosterone levels than average. Doctors recommend that you get between 7 and 9 hours of solid sleep every night, this not only increases your testosterone but helps you live a healthier life overall. 

Just as the amount of sleep, the quality of that sleep is equally important. Having said this, try to avoid caffeine beverages in the afternoon and stay away from electronic devices at least one hour before you go to sleep.

Caffeine and artificial blue lights from screens reduce your levels of another hormone, melatonin, the one that regulates your sleep cycles. This way you will ensure a deep, revitalizing sleep.

Have a Stable, Well-balanced Diet

What you eat has a direct link with your hormone levels and your overall health. Try to eat a balanced long-term diet, stay away from overeating or extreme fast-acting diets.

Nutritionists recommend that you eat a balanced diet of mostly whole foods with a balance of healthy fats carbohydrates and protein. Some foods that increase testosterone levels are garlic, onion, olive oil, avocado, salmon, tuna, mackerel, oysters, nuts, and pomegranate. 

Lose Weight

Studies show that men who are overweight have lower levels of testosterone than average. Avoid excessive food intake and processed foods because they build up layers of harmful body fat in your organism. That fat affects your levels of testosterone since they actually turn it into estrogen, the female hormone.

Manage your Stress Levels

Having high levels of stress leads to several hormonal imbalances. Long-term chronic stress is highly dangerous and affects your overall health. Cortisol, the hormone directly linked to stress, is inversely proportional to testosterone; when one goes up, the other goes down.

In addition to the increase of cortisol levels, stress can also lead to overeating and weight gain, which we know also reduce your testosterone levels.

Avoid Drug and Alcohol Abuse

Alcohol and drug usage are directly linked with low testosterone levels. This occurs because those substances affect various hormonal cycles in your body, causing lower levels of testosterone, higher levels of estrogen, and a lot of cell damage in your brain. 

Take Vitamins and Supplements

Vitamin D is proved to directly linked with testosterone levels. One way to get Vitamin D naturally is to get at least 15 minutes of sun exposure every day. It can also be found in foods such as salmon or fortified milk or cereal products.

Alongside Vitamin D, other nutrients that enhance testosterone production in your body are magnesium and zinc. Both of them can also be consumed on food such as whole grains, flaxseed, pumpkin seeds, and dark leafy greens.

All of these nutrients can also be consumed through dietary supplements such as multivitamins to ensure that you have proper levels of them.