Signs You May Be Suffering From Low Testosterone
After age 30, testosterone levels in men can decline somewhat, and this is often not problematic. But if your testosterone levels get too low, it can cause a range of symptoms and interfere with your daily life, overall wellness, and relationships.
If you suspect youre dealing with such symptoms, the team at Arlington Family Practice in Arlington, Massachusetts, can test your testosterone levels and treat your symptoms. Read on to learn some of the common symptoms of low testosterone, which can improve significantly with proper treatment.
Does Low Testosterone Make You Tired
- Mantality Health
- · June 21, 2020
Another day has gone by where you are feeling drained.
You blame it on work and those long grueling hours, and labor-intensive periods. After you get a proper meal and rest, you still feel tired. Its not your workday, its your testosterone.
Does low testosterone make you feel tired? Actually, yes. It can be one of the main reasons as to why you are feeling tired.
The Reasons Low Testosterone Can Make You Tired
The alarm clock goes off and yet you can barely pull yourself out of bed because low testosterone levels have once again kept you from getting a good nights sleep. The circles under your eyes are getting darker. Your productivity level at work is waning, and you find yourself feeling grumpy, moody, and depressed more often than not.
It is a fact low testosterone can make you tired.
The first question is why is this happening? The second is what can you do about it?
The answers may surprise you, but what we really want to do here at Kingsberg Medical is enlighten you so that you can take the proper action in your life to restore energy and vitality.
Why can low testosterone make you tired?
The body has many different hormones, each with its own functions. While many of these vital chemical messengers do play a role in providing the body with energy through proper metabolic responses, testosterone is one of the leading players in this process.
When testosterone levels decline, red blood cell production and fat metabolism also decrease. Reduced red blood cells lead to anemia a leading cause of fatigue. If the body cannot properly metabolize the fat that is consumed, the food that you eat will wind up as stored fat rather than utilized for fuel. Together, both of these issues reduce stamina and leave you feeling tired.
How can low testosterone make you feel tired if you are going to sleep at a decent hour?
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Why A Healthy Testosterone Level Is Important
Testosterone isn’t just a reproductive hormone. It plays a role in a number of other body systems, impacting muscle and bone development, hair growth, behavior, cognition, and more.
There are several risk factors for a testosterone imbalance, including obesity, pituitary gland tumors, and congenital disorders like Klinefelter syndrome. Talk to your healthcare provider if you are concerned about how your testosterone level may be impacting your health.
Reduced Red Blood Cell Count
Testosterone plays a key role in your bodys creation of red blood cells, which are essential for delivering oxygen to organs and removing carbon dioxide from your body.
Research shows that older men and women with low testosterone have lower red blood cell counts and an increased risk of developing anemia.
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Do You Consult A Urologist Or Endocrinologist For Low Testosterone
A primary care physician may refer an individual to a urologist, who specializes in diseases of the male reproductive system, or to an endocrinologist who specializes in hormone-related diseases.
According to a 2018 , urologists seemed to adhere more consistently than other specialists to established guidelines for the screening and treatment of low testosterone in males.
Decreased Lean Muscle Mass
For the development and growth of muscle mass, testosterone is vital. One of the reasons why men are able to develop a larger body frame of muscle mass compared to women is because of testosterone.
However, the reverse is also true. When men start to notice a decrease in lean muscle mass despite efforts of trying to maintain or build muscle, it could be indicative of low testosterone.
Unfortunately, because the effects of low testosterone also impact metabolism, a loss in muscle mass may also be accompanied by fat gain at the same time.
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What Are Symptoms Of Low Testosterone
You may not immediately recognize symptoms of low testosterone such as fatigue, weight gain, low libido, and depression since they can be attributable to many other conditions. Some people may simply think it is normal to feel tired or have similar symptoms simply because of age, but this is not always the case. Testosterone levels naturally drop with age over time, and troublesome symptoms may also appear more gradually. This gradual appearance is one reason that low testosterone may sometimes go undiagnosed. If you are experiencing any of the symptoms below, they could be a result of low testosterone.
How Do I Know If I Have Low Testosterone
Your doctor will use a blood test to measure the testosterone concentration in your serum and confirm if it is below the normal range. If you are having symptoms consistent with the effects of low testosterone, it is important you talk to your doctor about what they may mean. Common symptoms of low testosterone can include:
- erectile dysfunction or decreased sexual desire
- reduced muscle mass and increased body fat
- depressed, irritable feelings
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Can Low Testosterone Cause A Decline In Cognitive Function
It is one thing to experience lapses in memory and occasional mental fogginess when you are over the age of 70 but it can be troubling to experience these things when your age is decades younger than that. And almost as often as doctors are being asked does low testosterone make you tired, they are being asked if having Low T level can make a man become more forgetful and lose some of his mental focus.
When your body is no longer producing normal levels of free and total testosterone, it affects the healthy function of all of its organs and systems in undesirable ways. This extends to your cognitive function, which is centered in one of your most critical organs, your brain. It is not unusual for men with inadequate testosterone levels, regardless of their age, to feel as though their memory is slipping and to find it harder to concentrate and stay focused. And its because one of the consequences of developing a hormonal imbalance like Low T is that your brain, along with your other vital organs, are not getting with what they biologically require in order to function optimally.
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Causes Of Low Testosterone In Men
What causes your testosterone to dip downwards? As it turns out, there are both direct and indirect causes of low T levels in both young and older men:
- Testicular failure â resulting from genetic and metabolic disorders, as well as autoimmune diseases and testicular trauma â is a direct cause.
- Indirect causes of low testosterone include excessive exercise, malnutrition, synthetic steroid abuse, and hormonal imbalances in the pituitary gland.
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Sex Steroid And Related Assays
All but 1% of venipunctures were obtained before 1100 h in fasting subjects at the baseline visit. All blood was prepared immediately after phlebotomy and stored at 70 C. All samples remained frozen until assayed at the Oregon Health and Science University General Clinical Research Center by a single technician. Pooled serum controls were included in every assay. Total testosterone was measured using a solid-phase 125I RIA . All testosterone assays were completed in duplicate, with the average value used for analyses. Testosterone assays were repeated when there was a 40% or greater difference between initial assay duplicates. In a subset of the MrOS cohort, the results of testosterone assays using RIA were highly correlated with results obtained using mass spectromometry .
Bioavailable testosterone was calculated using mass action equations and approximated the sum of free testosterone plus albumin-bound hormone. This calculation used sex hormone binding globulin measured by using an immunometric assay with a range of 0.2180 nm/liter intraassay CV 3.3% and total assay CV 5.3% albumin was measured using a Beckman LX 20 analyzer .
How To Treat Low Testosterone Levels
If you are concerned about low testosterone levels then it is advisable to visit your GP. They may order a blood test to measure your hormone levels and if it turns out they are particularly low, the GP can then refer you to an endocrinologist who specialises in hormone problems.
In cases where testosterone levels are very low, hormone replacement therapy can be offered to relieve symptoms. This can be given in tablet form, patches, gels, implants and injections.
Often the symptoms of low testosterone dont require treatment though, and instead a mixture of diet and lifestyle changes can improve things. This includes:
Lack of zinc can also cause a dip in testosterone levels one particular study found that 4 weeks of zinc supplements prevented a decline in testosterone levels in sedentary men. Therefore, increasing your intake of this important mineral could help to even out your hormone levels.
Foods such as meat, legumes, shellfish and dairy all offer plenty of zinc but for a bit of extra support you could turn to our Balance Mineral Drink. With a helpful combination of magnesium, vitamin D, calcium, potassium and, of course, zinc, this product may help to relieve symptoms relating to low testosterone levels such as fatigue. It also maintains normal muscle function and bone maintenance, both of which can suffer when testosterone levels fall.
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Signs And Symptoms Of High Testosterone In Men
Men with high testosterone can experience a variety of troubling symptoms and possible health consequences. Excess testosterone can lead to more aggressive and irritable behavior, more acne and oily skin, even worse sleep apnea , and an increase in muscle mass. With too much testosterone pumping through your system, you may have a lower sperm count and shrunken testicles.
Low Testosterone And Fatigue
Its normal to feel extra tired every once in a while, but when you experience it chronically, it might be time to check your hormone levels. Fatigue that interferes with your daily activities, work production, and interest in sex could be a sign of low testosterone levels.
Your testosterone levels naturally decrease as you age, and usually go down about 1-2% each year after age 40. But notable fatigue accompanied by symptoms such as increased body fat and lost muscle mass may indicate theyve dropped more significantly and need a boost.
If your low energy levels are due to a shortage of testosterone, treatment could make you feel like yourself again.
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How Do I Talk To My Doctor
Talking about low testosterone with anyone can be intimidating, and even awkward, so it can be hard to know where to start the discussion with your doctor. It is important to remember that this is a common condition in older men and your doctor has a lot of experience in this area. There is nothing to be embarrassed about and speaking with your doctor openly and honestly about your concerns is the first major step towards feeling like yourself again. If you don’t know where to begin, to get some tips on opening the conversation with your doctor.
Changes In Mood Or Mood Swings
Some evidence suggests that people with low testosterone levels are likely to experience a lack of focus, irritability, and depression.
One found that testosterone replacement therapy significantly improved depression symptoms and overall quality of life in those with low testosterone.
For more research-backed information and resources for mens health, please visit our dedicated hub.
Females may also experience specific low testosterone symptoms, such as the following.
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What Can You Do About Low Testosterone
As you get older, your hormone levels naturally change. For women, production of the primary female hormone estrogen drops in menopause, causing a range of physical changes.
For men, although the decline isnt quite so sudden or significant, its common for testosterone levels to gradually decrease over time.
If you think that you might have low testosterone, its best to bring this up with your healthcare provider or schedule an appointment with a urologist.
Theyll be able to check your testosterone levels, as well as your levels of luteinizing hormone , prolactin, hemoglobin and other related hormones, with a simple blood test.
If your total testosterone is below 300 ng/dL, your healthcare provider may suggest using testosterone replacement therapy to increase your testosterone levels.
When To See A Doctor
If youre experiencing physical symptoms like sudden weight gain or decrease in your sex drive or sexual performance and other mental and emotional symptoms, you should talk to a doctor about testing your testosterone levels. There are many effective treatment options to restore your testosterone levels to the normal range, if your testosterone levels are abnormally low. But even if you discover you dont have low testosterone levels, understanding those test results will often provide some reassurance and help your healthcare provider better understand and manage your symptoms.
Many of these symptoms, especially as men get older, can be due to other factors such as stress, anxiety, pressure, work, aging, relationship issues and even other medications, says Dr. Hakim. Ultimately, a multispecialty approach is important to assure the best outcomes and patient satisfaction.
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Low Testosterone: Signs Symptoms Causes And Risk Factors
Testosterone is a hormone that your body produces. When you have low testosterone , it means your body isnt producing enough of this hormone. Although both men and women produce testosterone, men produce it through their testicles. This T-hormone affects the sexual development and appearance in men. It stimulates the production of sperm and his sex drive. It also contributes to building muscle and bone mass.
As men age, their testosterone production starts decreasing. In fact, around two out of 10 men are over 60 years old have low testosterone, according to the American Urological Association. In men who are in their 70s and 80s, this figure increases to three out of 10 men with low testosterone.
What Is The Connection Between Testosterone And Energy Levels
Having healthy levels of testosterone helps you maintain a strong sense of vigor, motivation, and health. If your testosterone levels drop, whether its due to getting older or a condition that lowers testosterone levels, you might start to experience higher levels of fatigue.
Sometimes, low testosterone can cause dramatic effects like leaving you exhausted all the time, or you might just feel more tired than you used to be. This effect often remains even when youre able to get enough sleep.
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What Does Testosterone Do
Testosterone is a hormone produced mainly by the testes in men. Women produce testosterone from their ovaries, but at much lower volumes. Testosterone production increases significantly when a boy reaches puberty, and plateaus until around the age of 30, where it may gradually begin to decline.
In an adult man, low testosterone is typically defined as anything under 300 ng/dL. Ng/dl is nanograms of the hormone per deciliter of blood, which is typically how testosterone is measured in blood tests. Testosterone variance is normal in men, with normal levels stretching anywhere between 300 and 1000ng/dL. When testosterone levels dip below the lower bounds of that normal range, men may begin to experience various symptoms which can be uncomfortable to deal with.
Testosterone plays many important roles in the body, including increasing sex drive, promoting bone density and muscle mass, and distribution of body fat. It is also involved in the production of sperm and red blood cells. Testosterone is known to affect mens moods, and while high levels can promote energy, drive and aggression, low levels can leave men feeling sluggish, moody and depressed.
What Happens When A Mans Testosterone Is Low
When your T levels drop below 300 ng/dl, you can expect to come across some or most of the following typical symptoms:
- Feeling fatigued all the time
- Difficulty achieving an erection
- Reduced muscle mass
However, as awful as all of these symptoms are, theyre simply some of the most widespread ones.
There are several other signs of low T that can begin to manifest when your levels of this hormone drop too much.
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How Can Low Testosterone Harm Your Health In The Future
Many adults dont spend enough time thinking about their health until something goes wrong with it. Busy with the ongoing responsibilities of their jobs and families, they just keep doing what many people do, which is to just keep going day after day and if they are health conscious at all, getting in to see their PCP once a year for a check up. And that might be their only opportunity to ask their doctors a question such as does low testosterone make you tired?
Yet they probably arent asking about the other health repercussions of having Low T levels, including the long-range effects that this disorder could have on their future wellbeing. And unless their primary care providers happen to be hormone medical specialists, a circumstance that would be unlikely, then these important health topics will probably not be brought up by their regular doctors.
Dont neglect your present and future health by only getting the answer to a single question like does low testosterone make you tired get answers to all of the questions that men have about Low T by contacting Nexel Medical and speaking with one of our knowledgeable clinical advisors.