8 Tell-Tale Signs of Low Testosterone in Men
Been feeling tired, weak, low on motivation, or lacking your usual drive? Now is a good time to get familiar with the signs of low testosterone.
If someone were to ask you right now what testosterone does, you would probably name some of the commonly understood things. It builds strength and muscle mass and improves sex drive, right? It’s the hormone that gives men their more masculine traits.
But that’s not all it does. And when men age, their testosterone levels start to drop and they start feeling less and less like themselves every day.
There are a number of different signs of low testosterone and we’re going to walk you through them here.
What is Testosterone?
Testosterone is a part of a class of male hormones called androgens, or steroids. It’s androgenic, which means it causes physical male characteristics, and anabolic, which means it develops muscle.
Testosterone is produced in the testicles and the adrenal glands and it’s involved with a lot of different processes in the body. It controls the development of male sex organs and the secondary sexual characteristics, like penis size and facial hair.
The boost of testosterone that comes during puberty is also the cause of the various growth spurts boys experience.
Testosterone is very important for sex drive, red blood cell production, sperm production, fat distribution, and muscle mass and strength.
Signs of Low Testosterone
There are a lot of different things that can happen when testosterone production slows.
1. Low Sex Drive
As we mentioned, testosterone is a key ingredient in a man’s libido or sex drive. Some men might start to experience less of a sex drive as they get older naturally. However, someone with low testosterone will probably experience a dramatic drop in this desire.
2. Erectile Difficulty
Testosterone also helps men achieve and keep an erection. It won’t cause an erection on its own, but it does cause the receptors in the brain to produce nitric oxide, which helps to trigger the necessary chemical reactions that do cause an erection.
If a man doesn’t have enough testosterone, they will have a hard time achieving an erection. They could also deal with spontaneous erections as well.
But, like we said, this is only one of the many factors that allow for men to have proper erections. There is inconclusive research about whether or not testosterone replacement therapy will help erectile dysfunction. You can discover more about hormone replacement therapy here.
There are a lot of other health issues that play a part in erectile issues. These issues could be:
- Diabetes
- Issues with the thyroid
- High blood pressure
- High cholesterol
- Smoking
- Alcohol
- Depression
- Stress
- Anxiety
If you suspect that any of these issues are causing erectile dysfunction, talk to your doctor today.
3. Less Semen Volume
Men with less testosterone often experience less volume in their semen.
4. Hair Loss
For most men, balding is a perfectly natural part of aging. This is another aspect that testosterone has an effect on, as it also helps to produce hair.
There is a large portion of balding that men inherit through genetics, but lower testosterone will also cause low body and facial hair as well.
5. Fatigue
Men also report a change in their energy levels as well. If you experience extreme fatigue, getting tired despite getting adequate sleep, or finding it more difficult to get yourself moving throughout the day, you might be dealing with a loss of testosterone production.
6. Less Muscle Mass and More Body Fat
Studies show that testosterone probably affects muscle mass, but it doesn’t seem to play much of a part in the strength or function of those muscles. Still, as testosterone does have a lot to do with the production of musculature, low T can sometimes show up as a decreased muscle mass.
Additionally, men with low testosterone tend to experience more body fat. Particularly, they develop enlarged breast tissue.
Both estrogen and testosterone exist in both men and women, so when one of those hormones gets out of whack, the other is more prevalent. This is why men start to develop the appearance of breasts when their testosterone levels drop.
7. Decreased Bone Mass
Women are usually the ones associated with osteoporosis or the thinning out of bone mass. However, if a man has low testosterone they could very easily experience this as well. Older men tend to have a lower bone volume, making their bones more easily broken.
8. Mood Changes
This is one of the most obvious changes in men with low testosterone. Testosterone is a hormone that very easily triggers different mood and mental states.
In addition to this, the other aspects of low testosterone often cause less self-esteem, which only makes a foul mood or mental illness worse.
Men with low testosterone more often deal with depression, irritation, and a lack of focus.
The Drop in Testosterone
When women deal with menopause, they experience a quick drop in their hormone levels. But men usually deal with these drops in smaller increments over a longer period of time.
The older a man is, the more likely he will experience low T levels. And these symptoms can happen with T levels as low as 300.
Low Testosterone
If you notice that you have three or more of the above-mentioned signs of low testosterone, it would be a good idea to talk to your healthcare professional for information on what to do next.
Sometimes the fix can be as simple as a change in diet and exercise, but sometimes medication or hormone replacement therapy is needed.
For more information about living a healthy lifestyle, visit us today!