Let’s be frank, ageing isn’t fun for everyone. All the late nights and bad habits from your early 20s may feel like they’re coming back to haunt you. Increasingly, we’re becoming aware of the problem of low testosterone (or ‘low T’, as it’s known), which affects many men of all ages.
As you age, your body changes. Those changes are often instigated by surges and declines in hormone levels. For example during puberty, a surge in testosterone helps to deepen your voice, lower your testicles, starts body hair growth and other physical signs of growing up. However, there are some symptoms you can look out for, if you think you may be experiencing low T ahead of your time. These include:
- Decrease in libido, energy and muscle mass
- Weight gain and reduced bone density
- Loss of body hair
- Moodiness and depression or other mental health issues
Dr Siobhan Dawson*, an Integrative Psychiatrist, says, “I see clients in my practice who complain of reduced vitality and energy, reduced libido, depression and insomnia. In some cases, it is related to low testosterone.” Although testosterone naturally starts to decrease after the age of 30**, there are some lifestyle factors that can exacerbate this drop off and cause it to become a problem:
- Stress: increased stress and burnout symptoms can be accompanied by a drop in testosterone, contributing to feelings of depression and fatigue.
- Diabetes and insulin resistance: obesity and a sedentary lifestyle can also affect testosterone.
- Steroid abuse: while controlled use of anabolic steroids can help treat problems associated with testosterone production, misuse and abuse of them can result in many of the same symptoms as low testosterone, such as enlarged breasts and reduced sperm count.
As Dr Dawson says, these can be treated (and the root cause should always be treated first), and solving the primary issue will often solve the lower testosterone levels too. Dr Dawson suggests a few ways to mitigate these lifestyle factors that can influence low T:
- Stress: you can manage stress better with techniques like mindfulness, balanced exercise and getting enough sleep. Bio-identical hormones may even be considered to enhance and encourage higher testosterone production.
- Diabetes and insulin resistance: improve gut flora balance and seek advice from a nutritionist. Weight loss is essential so try weight training and a balanced exercise programme. Exercising in nature can have the added benefit of improving your mood.
- Steroid abuse: after discontinuing steroid use, hormone replacement therapy (HRT) can raise lowered hormone levels to a natural level, and can in some cases be stopped at that point. For others, HRT will have to continue until the patient is ready to let their testosterone lower naturally, according to this article on low testosterone.
The most important thing to remember is to take notice of the signals your body is giving you, and talk to your healthcare professional if you’re feeling anything that may be cause for concern. It’s always better to catch things in the early stages, than to wait for complete collapse before getting help.
*Dr Siobhan Dawson is an Integrative Psychiatrist practicing in Cape Town. She is co-founder of Anassa Transformative Wellness Retreats
**Younger Than 50? Yes, You Can Have Low Testosterone: https://www.everydayhealth.com/hs/low-testosterone-guide/low-testosterone-younger-than-50/
Resources:
- 17 Signs of Low Testosterone in Men (And What To Do About It): https://steroidly.com/signs-of-low-testosterone/
- Low Testosterone: How Do You Know When Levels Are Too Low?: http://www.webmd.com/men/features/low-testosterone-explained-how-do-you-know-when-levels-are-too-low#1
Anabolic Steroids – Topic Overview: http://www.webmd.com/men/tc/anabolic-steroid-abuse-topic-overview#1
