When most people hear “testosterone” they think “libido in men.”

That’s accurate--testosterone is the primary male sex hormone. But there’s much more to it than that.

Plus it’s not limited to just men—women have it in their bodies too, but at much lower levels.

Let’s look at all that testosterone does for BOTH men and women, and how you can help safely and naturally boost your levels if you are running low.

Testosterone—the complete picture

A normal healthy adult male produces about 4-7 mg of testosterone a day. Women, on the other hand, make approximately 300 mcg (about 1/20th of a man’s production) in their ovaries and adrenal glands each day.

Testosterone is necessary for healthy libido levels in both men and women. But it is also crucial for these important health benefits:

• Healthy pain response

• Red blood cell production

• Proper sleep habits

• Healthy bones 

• Maintaining strong muscle mass

• Consistent high energy levels

So it’s easy to see how low testosterone levels can affect you in many ways.

Men have reported symptoms of low testosterone including changes in sleep patterns, emotional changes, lack of motivation or confidence, sluggishness, increased bodyfat, reduced muscle and increased susceptibility to fractures.

The most common symptoms in women are weight gain, fatigue, mood swings, depression, anxiety, difficulty concentrating and hair loss.

But it doesn’t end there—because it can have an impact on a man’s lifespan too!

A study done by the University of Washington and Veterans Affairs Puget Sound Health Care System found that study subjects who had low blood serum testosterone levels tended to have a higher mortality rate compared to men who had healthier testosterone levels.

Running low is common

Decreases in testosterone levels are common as men and women age, but there are several factors that can accelerate that process including:

• Chronic stress
• Poor nutrition
• Low vitamin D levels
• Lacking exercise
• Certain prescription drugs (especially statins and antidepressants)

Support healthy testosterone levels!

Clearly, testosterone is vitally important to both men AND women, and it’s wise to make sure yours is where it should be.

If you are experiencing any of the symptoms of low testosterone that I mentioned above, start by asking your doctor to do a test to see where you stand.

In addition, here are seven tried and true strategies you can use to help raise and support healthy testosterone levels:

Start with your diet

Your diet affects literally everything about you, and healthy hormone levels are no exception.

Especially important for testosterone production are healthy fats (eggs, real butter, coconut oil, avocado, olive oil and nuts); high-quality proteins (beef, lamb, chicken, turkey, wild-caught fish, and bone broths); and healthy carbs (vegetables, legumes, brown rice, and sweet potatoes).

On the flip side, avoid foods that are not only health wreckers in general, but also contribute to decreasing testosterone levels.

These include sugar in all forms (especially soda and high fructose corn syrup); refined carbs (white bread, pasta, white rice, pastries, etc.); unhealthy fats (vegetable oils, margarine, butter substitutes and shortening); excessive alcohol intake, and ALL forms of processed/fast food.

Try intermittent fasting

An eating practice that has been shown to be extremely helpful in boosting testosterone levels (as well as helping with weight loss) is intermittent fasting.

There are many versions of intermittent fasting, but arguably the easiest is to restrict your eating times to an 8-hour window each day.

So, for example, you can have breakfast at 10am, lunch at 1pm and dinner at 6pm.

Allowing your body 16 hours of resting fast each day encourages your system to rely less on glucose for an energy source and instead burn ketones and fat stores for energy. It also gives your liver a break, and healthy liver function is crucial to proper hormone levels.

Amazingly, intermittent fasting has been shown to increase testosterone by 200 percent and possibly even up to 400 percent!

Reduce stress

Chronic stress is harmful to your health in countless ways, and you can add disrupting your hormone levels onto that list.

When your body is under stress, your resources of pregnenolone (your body’s “molding clay” for all hormones) get used up to make stress hormones—leaving little to none available for any other hormones, including testosterone! 

There are many ways to reduce stress—meditation, prayer, deep breathing, acupuncture, diffusing essential oils (lavender essential oil is particularly helpful), going for a walk, spending time in Nature, and even adopting a pet. 

Get sweating

Studies have shown that both strength training (weights) and interval training (boosts of aerobic activity) help increase serum testosterone levels.

Plus regular exercise is a great stress reducer too!

And let’s not forget the other impressive benefits of exercise—weight loss, lower blood pressure, lower cholesterol and triglycerides, muscle toning, reduced depression, less pain and better sleep.

Get enough vitamin D

One of the most important nutrients that can help boost testosterone levels is vitamin D3.

Support your healthy vitamin D3 level by getting 20 minutes of unprotected sun exposure on as many days as you can, and supplementing with an outstanding formula like Optimum DK Formula with FruiteX-B.

Optimum DK Formula provides a therapeutic 5,000 IUs of vitamin D3 in every dose, plus its partners vitamins K1 and K2, and the mineral boron.

Consider alternatives to your meds

If you are on statins or antidepressants (or any other medications that can lower testosterone), it’s time to talk to your doctor about alternatives.

For example, fish oil formulas like VitalMega-3 have been shown to safely help lower cholesterol levels and blood pressure, as well as ease depression!

If your doctor won’t listen to you or refuses to discuss your concerns, find another doctor who will.

I understand that it may be scary or intimidating to question what your doctor has said but remember this: Doctors take just one basic course in nutrition in their 4 years of medical school, but they spend an entire YEAR or more on pharmacology and surgery.

So quite frankly, it just doesn’t even occur to many of them to look at anything else but drugs for answers.

See if you can locate an integrative physician in your area—one who is trained both traditionally and holistically. That way you’ll get the best of both worlds.

Get enough sleep

Regular healthy sleep is crucial to maintaining healthy hormone levels.

Some of the measures I mentioned above can help with sound sleep—exercise, stress reduction and having a healthy diet.

Try going to bed at the same time each night and strive to consistently get 7-9 hours of sleep.

You can also try engaging the power of melatonin in our Soothing Zzzz’s gummies.

Now you are on your way to a healthy testosterone level and all the awesome health benefits that will provide!

To your health,

Sherry Brescia