9 Signs of Low Testosterone in Men
Did you know that 1 in 4 men over the age of 30 suffers from low testosterone?
Testosterone is a natural hormone in the human body. Both men and women produce this hormone but men depend on higher amounts.
If the body doesn’t produce enough for a man, he will experience side effects.
These low testosterone levels are usually overlooked because the symptoms are confused with other ailments, such as stress or aging. The reason for this is that this condition slowly advances.
Because the symptoms are often interpreted as the natural aging process, we are going to give you 9 signs of low testosterone in men. This will help determine whether or not you should get a lab test done to determine your testosterone levels.
9 Signs of Low Testosterone in Men
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Lowered Sex Drive
Although there is no such thing as a normal sex drive, a random decrease in libido may cause for concern. This can get confusing for many men because they may see it as a stress or aging factor.
Even though age does play a role in decreasing your sex drive, it should not be a sudden decrease.
Low testosterone often gets blamed for erectile dysfunction, but that may not be the case. While there are studies to show that low testosterone has a part in decreasing sex drive, there is no direct evidence of erectile dysfunction.
If you are experiencing erectile dysfunction, its best to get a doctor’s opinion on the cause. But if you are experiencing a change in your sex drive, it may be a good decision to consider Testosterone Replacement Therapy.
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Low Bone Density
Men with low testosterone levels often experience low bone density, also known as osteoporosis.
It is usually difficult to catch loss of bone density in the early stages because this has no symptoms of pain. However, low bone density does make you susceptible to bone fractures and loss of height.
While some signs of low testosterone in men may be hard to notice, there are still plenty of symptoms that you can see.
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Mood Changes
Many people find it hard to believe that testosterone plays a role in mental health, it is widely common to assume it just affects a man’s desire to have sex. But that’s not the case. The brain cells have testosterone receptors that affect mental health.
This includes men experiencing waves of depression, irritability, increased stress with no environmental changes, and mood swings.
If there have been no changes or limited changes to your environment, yet you feel mentally different, you may be experiencing one of the signs of low testosterone in men.
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Fatigue
Everyone feels drained at one point or another. However, if you are experiencing chronic fatigue that does not go away, it may be resulting from low testosterone levels.
Feeling fatigued early in the morning or randomly throughout the day should be cause for concern. But luckily for you, they are also some other ways to keep high energy levels throughout the day.
While low testosterone levels could be the main culprit, lack of healthy eating and dehydration can also cause fatigue.
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Hair Loss
While most men bald due to genetic reasons, low testosterone levels can cause shrinkage in hair follicles. The reason for this is that DHT is made from testosterone, which is found in skin, hair follicles, and the prostate.
Unfortunately, hair loss doesn’t just occur on the head, it occurs on the face and body as well.
So, if you are having a hard time growing out your beard or you are losing body hair, this may be a sign of decreased testosterone.
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Reduced Muscle Mass
Testosterone is a primary hormone used to build muscle. Reduced muscle mass is one of the crucial signs of low testosterone in men.
While days spent working out may decrease with age, muscle mass should not dramatically decrease. In the same manner, if you are working out regularly and you are still losing muscle mass, this should be a red flag.
Although the muscles can still function properly, strength and size will decrease with low testosterone levels. Strength becomes affected and lifting weights can become harder than normal.
In addition to increasing testosterone levels to increase muscle mass, there are also 10 important tips you should consider when going to the gym.
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Increased Body Fat
There is some scientific confusion on whether or not increased belly fat causes low testosterone levels or whether low testosterone causes increased belly fat.
Regardless of what causes what, they are correlated. That means if you are experiencing increased body fat but have not made changes to your eating habits, you should get your testosterone levels checked out.
Women are supposed to have a higher body fat levels because they have been designed to support life. Men in comparison naturally have lower body fat. This is why increased body fat is one of the important signs of low testosterone.
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Sleeping Problems
Because low testosterone levels can cause fatigue, it also affects your sleeping. This includes insomnia, trouble going back to sleep once woken up, sleep apnea, or constantly waking up throughout the night.
Sleep apnea is a breathing disturbance during sleep. This can cause you to stop breathing for a few seconds while asleep.
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Memory Loss
Testosterone is used by the brain to regulate the stress hormone Cortisol. As a man ages, testosterone levels decrease which contributes to issues in regulating stress.
This results in foggy thinking and impaired memory in men. Men are more likely to experience memory loss and experience it earlier in life.
So, if you are experiencing moments of confusion or forgetfulness, this may be because of low testosterone.
Overview: Signs of Low Testosterone in Men
While many of these symptoms may be the result of something different, a collection of these symptoms link to low testosterone.
It is always better to get a doctor’s opinion to avoid further complications and to catch it in the early stages. It is also smart to take care of yourself from the inside out to prevent any unnecessary concern.
This means eat healthy food and drink plenty of water. Be sure to check out our site for more great health and fitness tips!
