Attention men, today we're talking about testosterone, the male sex hormone. Do you know what it's actually good for? Is it true that the hormone makes muscles grow and increases virility?
In this article, we debunk the biggest myths about the hormone, which women can also learn from. We'll show you other surprising functions testosterone has!
Table of contents
1. The 3 biggest myths about testosterone
1. Testosterone makes you aggressive
False - Men who are aggressive and argumentative are considered testosterone-driven. It is also true that men in challenging situations have elevated testosterone levels .
A study by the University of Göttingen found that men have elevated testosterone levels in competitive situations, which rise again when they win. [1]
The same study also shows that the hormone also rises sharply in situations of high concentration , thus sharpening the senses . For example, when playing chess—less aggressive, right?
2. Testosterone makes muscles grow
That's right – the hormone has an anabolic , muscle-building effect . Protein metabolism is stimulated , and thus more muscle proteins are produced – your muscles grow better.
Nevertheless, you should n't start increasing your testosterone with supplements . If you take more of them, your body's compensatory mechanism will be activated, and your natural testosterone production will be reduced .
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3. Testosterone is a purely male hormone
False - Both men and women produce the hormone in their bodies and it causes the same behavioral patterns in both sexes or is released under the same conditions.
The difference : Men produce up to 10-20 times more . Another difference: Testosterone acts as a sex hormone in men, is produced primarily in the testes, and is responsible for sperm production and libido.
Take-Home Message #1: Testosterone is equally important for men and women and is responsible for muscle building. However, it is released in much higher quantities in men, especially when they are personally, athletically, or mentally challenged.
2. The surprising effect of testosterone on the brain
Despite all the obvious effects of the hormone, its influence on the brain is often underestimated. The sex hormone has several important functions in the brain.
Testosterone can easily cross the blood-brain barrier . Therefore, its concentration in the bloodstream also determines how much of it is available in the brain.
Firstly, the aforementioned anabolic effect is triggered in the brain . This is where your muscle growth begins, so to speak.
On the other hand, testosterone influences the transport of messenger substances through the body, which have a significant impact on your mood and thus on your behavior .
Testosterone could therefore also be called the " mood hormone ." The effect of this sex hormone on the brain becomes particularly apparent in old age.
When levels drop , many men suffer from depression and mood swings . A closer look at the processes reveals why.
Testosterone plays an important modulating role in the serotonin system , our built-in happiness system, so to speak. Without serotonin, we would always be downcast, anxious, and depressed.
Research on this topic is still in its early stages, but a study in the Biological Psychiatry Journal has produced groundbreaking results. [2]
The study shows that testosterone increases the binding potential of serotonin in the brain . This simply makes you feel better. But the hormone can do even more!
The findings of a study conducted at the University of Münster indicate a positive influence on brain function, more specifically on spatial imagination. [3]
The higher the testosterone level in male and female test subjects, the better they solved spatial recognition tasks.
Take-Home Message #2: Testosterone controls physical and mental fitness in men. It triggers the signal for muscle growth in the brain, has a positive influence on your spatial awareness, and positively impacts your mood. A deficiency is often the cause of listlessness, weakness, and depression.
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3. It's all about the right amount - About deficiency and testosterone supplements
How do you recognize a testosterone deficiency ? The symptoms of a deficiency are diverse and can affect physical, mental, and sexual well-being , as a comprehensive study by the Center for Male Infertility in Ohio has now shown. [4]
The study found that these include sleep disorders , depression , loss of muscle mass , reduced beard growth , erectile dysfunction and much more.
Therefore, it's quite difficult to definitively diagnose a testosterone deficiency. If several of these symptoms apply , you should consult a doctor for a more definitive diagnosis.
Saliva tests from the internet are often very inaccurate . Generally, unless there is an acute deficiency, there is no need to supplement.
On the contrary, as already mentioned, supplementation reduces the body's own testosterone production through compensatory mechanisms.
Although the supplements increase levels in the short term , in the long term they destroy the body's natural production .
If there is a strong suspicion of a deficiency, supplements can be considered together under medical supervision.
So, supplements are bad for testosterone , but high testosterone levels are good for your mood . The solution to this dilemma is natural optimization. You'll read how in the next section.
Take-Home Message #3: Unless you're deficient in testosterone, you shouldn't use supplements, as this will suppress your body's own production. A natural increase in levels is better!
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4. How to boost your testosterone levels naturally!
There are several ways to increase the body's own testosterone, each of which has been more or less well researched and proven.
Hack 1: Get enough sleep!
The first hack is definitely the most effective and is called: Get enough sleep! If you don't get enough sleep, your hormone balance will be completely disrupted , because the largest quantities of hormones, including testosterone, are produced at night.
So don't skimp on your sleep and give your body enough time at night to produce testosterone . A positive side effect: If you get enough sleep, your overall performance will increase!
Hack 2: Power workouts!
Short but very intense power workouts that target as many muscle groups as possible simultaneously . The same applies to short sprint sessions compared to more moderate, longer running sessions. Why? Short, intense training stimuli challenge you and your body more.
A study published in the National Institutes of Health shows that intense exercise causes more testosterone to be released to build muscle. [5]
Hack 3: Vitamin D!
Last but not least, the " sunshine vitamin ," vitamin D, helps increase testosterone levels in the blood. Vitamin D, or rather, vitamin D deficiency, is currently a much-discussed and important topic. But back to testosterone.
Another study by the US National Library of Medicine found that vitamin D supplements can positively influence the amount of testosterone in the blood. [6]
Even in subjects with normal vitamin D levels, the supplements led to an increase in testosterone. The sunshine vitamin is therefore the only supplement that has been proven to have an impact!
Take-Home Message #4: Good sleep, intense workouts, and plenty of sun. This sounds like the perfect recipe for boosting your testosterone levels naturally. The numerous positive side effects of such a lifestyle on your body and your mental power will definitely do you good, too!
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5. Conclusion
Although testosterone is produced by both sexes, the male body produces about 10 to 20 times more testosterone than the female. It has a decisive influence on muscle growth and can even affect men's mood.
For example, depression often occurs in older men as testosterone production gradually declines. However, additional supplementation is only recommended in extremely exceptional cases, as this causes the body to produce even less of its own testosterone.
6. Sources
[1] http://www.larspenke.eu/pdfs/Lefevre_Lewis_Perrett_Penke_in_press_-_fWHR_and_reactive_T.pdf
[2] http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17178554
[3] http://www.biologicalpsychiatryjournal.com/article/S0006-3223(14)00709-4/abstract
[4] http://www.webmd.com/men/features/how-low-testosterone-affects-your-health?page=2
[5] http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21058750
[6] http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22220644
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