Testosterone is a hormone responsible for the development of male sexual characteristics before birth. It stimulates the activity of secondary male sexual features during puberty, along with your system’s development as it relates to reproduction. This hormone is mainly produced in the testes, but a small level is also produced by the adrenal glands.
What are the average normal levels of testosterone in men?
Normal T levels in men range between 270 to 1070 ng/dL, with an average level of 679 ng/dL. Testosterone levels peak at 20 years of age and slowly decrease as a person ages. A higher-than-average level of testosterone poses some advantages, such as effective regulation of blood pressure and low risk of suffering from obesity. However, it also presents some drawbacks, such as increased aggressiveness and a higher probability of engaging in risky behaviors and activities.
Conversely, there are many factors that negatively affect testosterone levels, such as hypogonadism or the inability of the body to produce enough testosterone. Age, stress, alcohol consumption and temperature are a few. Studies have shown that in warm months, such as Miami’s summer, testosterone levels reach their lowest.
But what are the most common problems caused by low testosterone levels?
Sexual dysfunction
Even though testosterone is not the only element that controls a man’s libido, it can decrease your ability to experience satisfying sex. Both low sex drive and erectile dysfunction can be the result of low testosterone levels. Low testosterone has also been linked to lowered sperm count and infertility.
Alterations in physical appearance
Low testosterone levels also impact a person’s body. Healthy levels of this hormone help increase muscle mass and body hair. In turn, low levels of testosterone can result in changes at the physical level, including reduced muscle strength and muscle mass and increased breast size due to breast tissue swelling.
Apart from these effects, low testosterone levels can also reduce body hair, increase body fat, and decrease bone density, resulting in bones becoming susceptible to fractures. Weight gain can be another consequence of this hormonal disorder.
Mood changes
Low testosterone can also impact a person’s mood and sense of wellbeing, resulting in increased fatigue and hot flashes. All of these can lead to an inability to concentrate or maintain recall. It can impede motivation and self-confidence, thereby causing sadness, depression and irritability.
Alterations in sleeping patterns
Even though people with low T levels feel fatigued, sometimes they’re unable to sleep and suffer from insomnia or other sleep pattern disorders. The reasons for this have not yet been discovered.
If you are experiencing any of these problems and have reasons to believe your testosterone levels are too low, you should seek the help of a facility that can help in solving the problem.
Sources
Medical Definition of Testosterone, MedicineNet.medicinenet.com
Seasonal variation of testosterone and waist to hip ratio in men: the Tromsø study, PubMed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
Testosterone: How Do You Know When Levels Are Too Low?, webmd.com