Testosterone is a hormone most men have heard of. After all, isn’t it THE hormone that makes a man, a man?

Because of its well-known links to muscle mass and sex drive, testosterone drives a lot of worry in men.

As you might expect, the internet is aware of this and is littered with potential ways to increase testosterone, often using photos of enhanced athletes in perfect lighting to lead you down a sales funnel to the latest supplement.

While some supplements can help, there are much more powerful and reliable ways to increase testosterone levels (T levels) naturally.

Today we’re going to look at what a few of those are, with the science to back them up.

1)  Exercise and lift weights

Exercising, especially resistance training, has been shown to increase T levels in both the short and long term (1). One study stated that men who exercise clearly have a much more anabolic hormonal environment for building muscle, as well as more healthy semen production (2).

2) Get out in the sun, or at the very least supplement with Vitamin d3

Vitamin D, produced by the body when exposed to sunlight, or taken as a supplement, has been shown by research to increase T levels in men, among other benefits (3). One particular study demonstrated that 3000 IU of Vitamin D3 taken per day for 12 months increased T levels by a whopping 25% (4).

3) Lose some body fat

Men who carry more body fat have lower levels of testosterone. Some research suggests that obease individuals can have as much as 50% lower levels than those who aren’t obease(5).

Being leaner has many advantages, and while challenging for some to accomplish, it’s likely you will have an easier time staying lean and building muscle once you’ve got there.

4) Improve sleep quality

Sleeping well is just as important as diet and exercise. If you’re not sleeping well, this is going to undermine all of the efforts you’re making elsewhere in your life.

While the amount of sleep needed varies per person, it’s not by as much as you would think. Most adults need 8-9 hours to perform optimally. Mr “I get by fine on 5 hours per night” is wrong, and is going to be significantly impacting his health.

One study showed that getting 5 hours of sleep reduced T levels by 15%, while other studies suggested that for every aditional hour of sleep you get, T levels increase by 15% on average per hour(6,7).

5) Avoid estrogenic compounds

The environment we live in is not the environment we evolved in. To combat this, sometimes we need to take additional measures to perform at our best in the modern world (vitamin supplements to combat the decline in nutrient density in food, for example).

Another example of this is avoiding estrogenic compounds. These compounds contain chemicals similar to estrogen, and lower testosterone levels as a result. Things like plastics, BPA and chemicals in our cosmetics and cleaning products are examples of this(8).

Without going into the details too much, here’s some general advice. Look to swap out your deodorants, cleaning products, toothpaste and sunscreen for natural, chemical free alternatives.

Swap plastic bottles for glass, or better yet, get a refillable metal flask.

6) Have sex

A healhy sex life is fantastic for reglating sex hormones and testosterone levels, get in there (9)!

So now you know some natural ways you can increase your testosterone levels, look to implement these before you seek alternative measures.

References

Braun, A., Chang, D., Mahadevappa, K., Gibbons, F., Liu, Y., Giovannucci, E. and Christopher, K., 2011. Association of low serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels and mortality in the critically ill*. Critical Care Medicine, 39(4), pp.671-677.

Dabbs, J. and Mohammed, S., 1992. Male and female salivary testosterone concentrations before and after sexual activity. Physiology & Behavior, 52(1), pp.195-197.

Goh, V. and Tong, T., 2009. Sleep, Sex Steroid Hormones, Sexual Activities, and Aging in Asian Men. Journal of Andrology, 31(2), pp.131-137.

Kraemer, W., Staron, R., Hagerman, F., Hikida, R., Fry, A., Gordon, S., Nindl, B., Gothshalk, L., Volek, J., Marx, J., Newton, R. and H�kkinen, K., 1998. The effects of short-term resistance training on endocrine function in men and women. European Journal of Applied Physiology, 78(1), pp.69-76.