Managing testosterone levels becomes more important the older you get. For men, maintaining normal testosterone levels helps prevent declines in strength, sexual performance, excess weight gain, and other undesirable effects. 

Testosterone production increases gradually once males hit puberty. The increase in testosterone leads to increases in size, deeper voices, pubic hair, increased muscle mass, and other developmental markers. 

You can do things to slow the decline of hormone levels as you age. It can help you fight the effects of aging and maintain a better quality of life the older you get. Here are six ways you can increase your testosterone levels starting now. 

Lose Excess Weight

If you’re overweight, your body has a more challenging time producing the amount of hormones you need to feel your best. Testosterone levels are generally lower in people who are obese or severely overweight. 

If you want a boost in your testosterone levels, you should do your best to lose any extra weight you carry. Any meaningful weight loss will likely result in a decent rise in healthy hormone levels. As a result, you’ll feel better, have more energy, and reduce stress on your bones and organs. 

Losing weight is hard, so make goals and take things slowly. If you’re obese, it’s going to take some time, so have patience and stay consistent. 

Avoid Stress

If you’re in a stressful job like sales, emergency medicine, or running a small business, it can lead to a spike in cortisol that can hamper natural testosterone production. 

Your body releases more cortisol as a reaction to stress. However, high cortisol levels impact the entire endocrine system. 

Staying away from stress or discovering effective ways to reduce stress through exercise, meditation, etc., can create a pathway for your testosterone production to rebound.

Proper Sleep Increases Testosterone Levels

People who suffer from a lack of sleep experience lower testosterone levels. Whether it’s a short-term lack of sleep on a recent trip to Las Vegas or a more chronic lack of sleep because of having a baby or demanding work, you’re likely to have lower levels that impact other areas of health. 

Getting more sleep to increase testosterone levels back into a normal range is vital. However, this is an easy strategy you can use before you start thinking about other methods to increase hormones in your body.  

Most experts recommend getting at least seven hours of sleep each night. In addition to normalizing testosterone levels, better sleep gives your body the time it needs to rejuvenate, heal, and give you the energy you need for the next day. 

When you sleep more, you’re more likely to eat healthy foods and manage stress effectively. 

Focus On Your Diet

Eating a high-protein diet and avoiding junk foods will increase your testosterone levels. Stay away from sugars and unhealthy fats. In addition to potentially gaining too much weight, a bad diet suppresses natural hormone production.

Instead, eat more protein to boost your testosterone levels and promote overall health. As a result, you’ll feel full for longer during the day and prevent unhealthy snacking. 

Exercise!

Exercise is a fantastic way to boost your natural testosterone production. Research suggests that regular exercise, especially high-impact exercise like weightlifting, positively impacts testosterone levels. 

If you want to increase bone health, maintain muscle mass, and retain mobility as you age, you should lift weights or engage in regular resistance training. 

You don’t have to start training like a professional athlete. Any substantial improvement in your health and wellness will improve how you look, feel, and your hormone levels. Start from where you are today and track your progress as you go. If it makes you feel better, you can join a class or hire a personal trainer to show you how to lift weights safely. 

Research Peptides & Testosterone Production

Peptides are short chains of amino acids designed to trigger certain bodily functions. For example, one research peptide called gonadorelin increases testosterone production according to recent studies done on animals. 

Gonadorelin is made of ten amino acids and is a relatively low molecular weight compound. It stimulates the pituitary gland to release the luteinizing hormone to treat infertility, hypogonadism, and menstrual cycle irregularities.