How to Naturally Increase Testosterone

Testosterone is one of the main sex hormones in a man. It is responsible for the development of masculine features.  It regulates a man’s libido, muscle mass, bone mass and strength. It also affects the production of sperm and red blood cells in the body.

Naturally, as a man ages, their testosterone levels start dropping.  When testosterone levels drop, it leads to many issues. These issues include a lower sperm count, reduced libido, erectile dysfunction, loss of body hair, loss of muscle and strength, among other things.

 Testing Your Testosterone Levels

If you want to check your testosterone levels, you can head over to your doctor’s office. Alternatively, you can test yourself at home using a home testing kit from myLAB Box. This is an easy to use testing kit that is discrete, so you do not have to worry about other people finding out what you are doing. When using myLAB Box, you will receive your results within minutes. If you are sexually active, you can also order an std test kit and carry out std testing at home.

If the myLAB Box test results show that your testosterone levels are low, you can opt to take a natural approach to regulate your hormone levels. This includes adopting natural habits and lifestyle changes. Here are some steps that you can take:

8 Ways To Naturally Increase Testosterone

1. Eat More Protein, Fat And Carbs

Eat a balanced diet comprising whole foods. It should have a healthy balance of fat, proteins and carbs. According to research, higher levels of fat and cholesterol have a negative effect on testosterone. Eating carbs helps to ensure that you have enough energy and hormones for resistance training.

You also need to eat foods that are rich in various minerals like magnesium and zinc. This can be found in foods like cauliflower, cabbage and broccoli. Magnesium prevents a protein from binding with testosterone. Zinc helps your body to produce more of the hormone. It also boosts your immunity.

You need to eat enough proteins. When there is inadequate protein intake, your body produces a substance that binds testosterone. This lowers your hormone levels.

Avoid dieting or overeating, as this can disrupt regular hormone production. 

2. Exercise

Include exercise in your daily routine. Exercise helps your body to increase the hormone in 2 major ways.

1.         Working out causes increased production of  testosterone
2.         Working out increases muscle mass and decreases body fat

Lifting weights boosts production of testosterone in the body. Other strength training exercises you can do include bench presses, squats, and deadlifts. High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) can also boost production of this hormone. HIIT involves short bursts of exercises followed by a recovery period. While cardio exercises are good, cardio does not boost your hormone levels the same way strength training does.

However, avoid overtraining, as this can decrease hormone levels. Give yourself at least 2 days of rest in a week.

3. Get Adequate Sleep

Lack of enough sleep causes the body not to function properly, including not producing enough chemicals and hormones in the body. According to a study that was conducted by University of Chicago, when sleep for a sample group of men was restricted for 1 week, their testosterone levels fell by 10-15% during the day.

Therefore, aim to get at least 7-8 hours of sleep every night. If you are having problems sleeping, then consult a doctor.

4. Reduce Stress Levels

High stress levels over a long period of time leads to the production of the hormone cortisol in the body.  A small dose of cortisol in the body is healthy. However, maintaining a high level of cortisol for prolonged periods of time in the body is not recommended. Cortisol reduces testosterone. As one hormone goes up in the body, the other one goes down. Therefore, if you want your testosterone levels to go up, it means that cortisol levels in the body should be low.

For this to happen, you need to eliminate or reduce stressful situations in your life. Some of the things you can do to reduce stress includes eating a balanced healthy diet, having fun, laughing more, meditating  and getting a good night’s sleep.

Eating pomegranate also helps to lower cortisol and blood pressure in the body and puts you in a good mood.

5. Use Herbs

There are herbs that can boost testosterone levels in the body.  One of the most popular and most researched herbs is the ashwagandha. It has been shown to increase testosterone levels of infertile men and sperm count. It also lowers cortisol levels in the body and increases testosterone.

The use of ginger is also recommended. Research has shown that it increases not only testosterone, but also other key sex hormones in men.

Other useful herbs include horny goat weed, tongkat ali and shilajit. Onions and garlic raise the level of a hormone that is used to trigger the production of testosterone.

6. Get Enough Vitamin D

Having enough vitamin D in the body contributes to increased levels of testosterone in the body. Some of the ways to prevent having a vitamin D deficiency is by being exposed to the sun for at least 15 minutes daily. In addition, eat foods that are high in vitamin D. This includes salmon, mackerel, tuna and fortified cereals.

7. Reduce Alcohol Intake

 5 days of regular consumption of alcohol is enough to cause a noticeable drop in testosterone levels.  Heavy drinking can throw your hormones off balance. It can also lead to shrunken testes, thinning hair on the chest and beard and increased production of the female hormone estrogen. In general, ingesting too much alcohol is also not recommended for someone who has an STD. Therefore, after carrying out STI and STD testing at home and the results come out positive, it is advisable to stay off alcohol for a while until you get better.

8. Check Your Medications

If after using the myLAB Box testing kit at home you find out that you have low testosterone levels, it is important to check if any of the medications you are taking could be the cause of this. There are some medications that lower hormone levels. This includes medication for lowering cholesterol in the body, as they work by partly lowering testosterone.

Go with your medications to your doctor and raise your concerns.

Why Get Tested?

There are some men who have low testosterone levels but they do not show any symptoms. That is why it is important to test. Use myLAB Box to easily test your hormone levels at home. This is a stress free solution for people who do not want the hassle of going to the doctor for a test.

If you are experiencing symptoms that indicate you could be suffering from low testosterone levels, it is important that you consult a doctor or use myLAB Box testing kit to test yourself at home.  Some symptoms could be caused by other illnesses, such as thyroid issues or depression or it could be side effects of some medication that you are taking. That is why, if you suspect that you could have been exposed to an STD, it is also important that you carry out std testing at home using an STD testing kit to rule out other conditions.

Anyone who has any reason to be concerned about their testosterone levels should get tested. Use myLAB Box to test yourself at home. You can also consider what lifestyle changes you can make to help improve your situation. While at it, you can also consider using home std tests to ensure that both you and your partner are safe.

Women can also use myLAB Box to test their testosterone levels. Maintaining healthy levels of the hormone is also advisable for women.

Rule Out Other Causes of Infertility

If you are trying for a baby, it is likely that you are in a serious monogamous relationship. You and your partner can do an std test at home to find out your status. Apart from having low testosterone levels, having an std can also affect your fertility. Testing for an STD does not need to be a hassle. You can easily do this using an STI or STD test kit or home blood tests kit.  Order an Online STD test and know your status in the privacy of your home. This will help you rule out other causes of infertility.

Conclusion

It is important for a man to maintain a healthy testosterone level. However, due to aging or illness or other conditions, the hormone levels might drop. Use myLAB Box home testing kits to determine whether your testosterone levels are low. In case your hormone levels are low, you can take the steps outlined above to naturally help boost your hormone levels. In addition, take advantage of online STD testing to find out whether you have any STD.

Once you identify the cause of your symptoms to be low testosterone levels and you take steps to increase the hormone levels, your testosterone levels will return to a normal level.