Testosterone is an essential team player of men’s bodies. Testosterone low or high levels can cause havoc inside a male body. Here are five common symptoms of low testosterone that are found in men.
- Sudden advent of depression
Very low levels of testosterone have been linked with depression in males. This may be due to the fact that a sudden drop in testosterone levels have an effect on extreme hormonal changes.
For instance, when testosterone levels suddenly drop, serotonin also drops and there is a high chance of the stress hormone cortisol to suddenly rise up.
Psychologically, this sudden hormonal change may create a sense of panic or confusion on the person experiencing this. As a result, symptoms of depression become even more common.
A published article in the National Library of Medicine highlights the connection between testosterone deficiency and various non-specific symptoms, such as reduced depression. The correlation between heightened depressive symptoms and declining testosterone levels is intricate, as numerous conditions are independently linked to both depression and testosterone deficiency.
Other symptoms like fatigue, decreased libido, loss of appetite and low moods are also common.
The hormonal change alone doesn’t usually cause depression, rather the collective effect of it is what’s considered to be the trigger for depression.
There are ways to battle this type of depression by simply increasing testosterone levels back to normal. Diet and exercise are usually recommended by doctors.
- Fatigue that won’t go away
A sudden drop in testosterone can be the source of a lot of physical problems, sometimes even mental problems. One significant sign of low levels of testosterone is a constant state of fatigue.
Fatigue is described as a kind of severe tiredness that does not easily go away even after an adequate amount of time has been spent on resting.
This is usually caused by some hormonal changes that happen inside, which can easily affect a man’s overall vitality and motivation.
In such a state, the man will usually also suffer from insomnia and loss of appetite, all of which typically will make a person even more prone to fatigue.
In such a case, doctors will usually suggest the man go through hormone therapy to increase his testosterone levels back to normal again.
Some dietary and behavioural changes may be suggested as well as part of the prevention of a relapse.
- Loss of sex drive
It should not be a surprise that one of the most noticeable signs of lack of testosterone is the loss of sex drive.
After all, testosterone is one of the most important hormones to have in abundance if a man wants to do well in bed.
A sudden drop in testosterone will usually and quite immediately decrease a man’s sex drive. As a result of that, he will notice that he is having a harder time getting and maintaining an erection.
In severe cases, he may even find himself experiencing a mild erectile dysfunction.
Hormonal changes also typically affect his moods in general, make him lose appetite and subsequently drive him to have low energy constantly.
In order to reverse this situation, some nurturing may be needed to bring the testosterone levels back to normal.
A healthier diet, proper exercise, and plenty of rest are usually enough to turn this situation around.
- Rapid weight gain (obesity)
This one may surprise some people, but a significant lack of testosterone really can make men easily gain extra pounds.
How does that relate? Does testosterone regulate fat, you may think? Well, it’s not that simple.
The thing is, testosterone levels in the male body do affect a man’s ability to retain muscle mass. When testosterone sharply decreases, the man will also experience a loss in lean muscle mass.
As a result of that, the body becomes less able to retain its ideal shape when excess calorie enters the system.
This inability to quickly burn the calorie will thus translate into the body creating more fat tissues.
According to a publication in Well T Wellness, a decrease in testosterone levels hampers efficient muscle building and promotes fat accumulation, particularly in the abdominal area. The increased presence of fatty tissue leads to elevated estrogen levels, further disrupting testosterone levels. Low testosterone levels also contribute to a slowed metabolism, potentially resulting in weight gain.
If this issue is not taken care of quickly, this situation may quickly turn to obesity. If the man’s lack of testosterone is very severe, there are hormone therapies that can easily turn the situation around.
Aside from that, a change in diet and lifestyle are usually also recommended.
- Decreased fertility
One sign of lack of testosterone which is not easily noticeable is decreased fertility.
This is almost always a given due to the fact that the male body needs a large amount of testosterone to continue to produce sperm cells.
Testosterone is also needed to maintain the shape and health of the sperm cells.
So, as you can already guess, when a man is lacking testosterone he will almost definitely experience a decrease in his fertility.
According to Fertility Family, research has indicated a clear connection between low testosterone levels and decreased sperm count, leading to male fertility problems. This concerning pattern reveals that sperm counts in men have declined by over 50% in the past four decades. Additionally, low testosterone levels have been linked to a decline in sexual desire and difficulties with erectile function.
However, since it is easy to lose and gain testosterone levels, this is not to say that once a man experiences a loss of testosterone he will continuously become infertile.
There are many ways an otherwise healthy man can bring his testosterone levels back to normal to continue to produce more sperm cells with decent quality.
Usually, diet and lifestyle changes are enough to turn the situation around. But if the case is quite severe, he may be advised to take hormone therapies or undergo fertility treatments.
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- Shrinking testicle
Testicles are primarily where the sperm develops and matures before ejaculation. The testes make over 500 million sperms per day and this factory never shuts down.
This is why you end up ejaculating 200 million sperm per milliliter of semen and still go for the next ejaculation.
But this is the end game. Sperm production starts way ahead. It begins with your brain releasing the gonadotropin-releasing hormone.
The GnRH then informs your pituitary glands to release luteinizing hormones. The LH rushes to the testicle where it stimulates the secretion of testosterone.
Your body sets testosterone levels at a delicate range. Anything less or more is considered harmful to its functions.
A secretion below 250ng per deciliter of blood is considered deficient. Yet levels exceeding 950ng/dL are excessive, especially when the free testosterone hover above 30ng/dL
Testosterone is vital for sperm production. But levels outside the safe range result in reduced testicular activity, hence causing testicle size shrinkage.
- Difficulties in concentration and memory
One of the key functions of testosterone is memory and cognitive function. It’s why men are good in directions and analytical functions.
High levels of red blood cells and muscle mass brought about by testosterone support a greater mental network. So men can focus on difficult tasks in a structured manner.
Sufficient testosterone appears to ignite distributed brain network. It also increases spatial cognition and verbal memory in men.
Interestingly, testosterone appears to affect the hippocampus and amygdala parts of your brain. These are the area responsible for the conversion of information from short-term to long-term imprints.
In contrast, men with T cells are subject to depressive disorders. This is a state of mind when you are sad and helpless.
Low testosterone hinders the brain’s ability to archive vital information. And since men with limited T cells can’t store information well, they suffer from low cognition and poor verbal memory.
Hence limited testosterone hinders proper cognitive function.
