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Your battery has been depleted and you feel tired. You’re currently at one bar of charge and feel unhappy with how your lower work performance is affecting your professional life. Your dwindling supply of energy has caused you to feel overpowering fatigue and you struggle to stay afloat.
Sadly, this is the reality for many men suffering from low testosterone — especially since fatigue and low energy levels are some of the most common symptoms of this condition.
Your fatigue will quickly begin to dictate your life and force a new rhythm on you as you grapple to navigate around work projects and personal goals.
The struggle is real for many of us. But luckily, there are ways to counteract that draining fatigue that forces a new pace upon our lives. It’s time to take control — evaluate your options and start managing your testosterone.
How Do Testosterone & Energy Levels Correlate?
Testosterone levels steadily decrease as you age, meaning you’ll likely encounter low T side effects as you grow older. The change in your serum testosterone can trigger a wide range of symptoms, some of which include fatigue and low energy levels — potentially leading to lower work performance and interfering with your personal life.
An exploratory study that asked men to report their motivation behind using prescription testosterone found that 28.7% claimed to be taking testosterone for low energy. The same study found that 52.3% of men indicated that said prescription helped boost their energy levels.
But how do testosterone and energy levels correlate exactly?
Testosterone is involved in the production of red blood cells, also known as erythropoiesis. Red blood cells are responsible for transporting oxygen to the tissues within your body, eventually turning oxygen into energy.
However, when your testosterone levels are low, erythropoiesis is impaired, which leaves you feeling deprived of energy, fatigued, and your battery charge depleted.
Hence, when experiencing chronic fatigue, it’s always a good idea to have your healthcare provider check your hormone levels.
Lower Work Performance with Low T
Fatigue and decreased energy levels are some of the most profound symptoms of hypogonadism that can significantly impact your life — taking control of the steering wheel and driving your performance and endurance downhill.
Long-term fatigue and lethargy can hurt your productivity and creativity, as well as your cognitive and physical abilities. This is why low testosterone is sometimes associated with lower work performance and a decline in your professional accomplishments.
But it can also reach past your professional circle and adversely impact your family life and your relationship with your spouse. This is because fatigue in itself can trigger many other emotions and symptoms, ranging from moodiness and irritability to headaches and difficulties concentrating.
Testosterone Management & Fatigue
After your bloodwork confirms that your serum testosterone is below normal, it’s time to explore your options to manage your levels and navigate fatigue symptoms. From prescription drugs to lifestyle changes, you can easily tackle your low T from multiple angles.
Here’s what you can do.
Adopt a Testosterone-Friendly Lifestyle
Prescription drugs are not your only solution when it comes to hypogonadism. In fact, more often than not, there are numerous factors that come into play — contributing to low testosterone together. This leaves you with many lifestyle choices you can adjust to bring your testosterone back into the upward realm.
Generally, when we think of a healthy lifestyle, we’re programmed to think about cardiovascular health, sharp cognitive function, and fluid mobility but the truth is that your way of life can also support or hurt the production of testosterone.
Eating a versatile and balanced diet is the foundation of your health, supplying your body with vital nutrients and keeping your body mass index (BMI) in check. Overweight and obese individuals tend to experience more health complications overall and are also more likely to suffer from low testosterone.
One study conducted on young males found that the group who was obese produced about 50% less testosterone when compared to their peers with healthy weights. Therefore, maintaining your weight, staying active, and eating healthy are all crucial elements that contribute to testosterone health.
Research further shows that stress can tamper with your testosterone production but it can also affect your sleep — which can throw your hormonal balance off even more. A study performed with healthy males found that testosterone levels drop in sleep-deprived individuals, suggesting that getting sufficient rest at night helps maintain healthy testosterone levels.
But there’s more you can do, including limiting your consumption of alcohol, which can significantly impair the production of the male sex hormone. According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIH), alcohol abuse impacts all aspects of the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal (HPG) axis. It’s, therefore, capable of playing a negative role in male reproduction and can trigger a reduction in testosterone levels.
Taking Testosterone to Boost Your Levels
Besides adopting a healthy lifestyle and opting to naturally support your hormonal balance — and depending on your levels exactly, your healthcare provider may suggest you take prescription testosterone. This prescription can help boost your levels quickly and counteract your fatigue.
Prescription testosterone includes oral testosterone, subcutaneous injections that can be taken weekly or bi-weekly, or testosterone patches and gels that you take daily.
Your doctor will recommend which prescription might work best for you and will continue to monitor your symptoms while you’re on testosterone replacement therapy (TRT). Depending on your choice of therapy, your testosterone levels can increase within a couple of days or a few weeks’ time.
With your hormones back in check, symptoms like fatigue and low energy will slowly begin to subside. You’ll feel more energetic, motivated, and ready to charge.
Don’t Let Fatigue Dictate Your Life
It’s easy to fall into a rut and let fatigue take control — specifically because fatigue as a symptom can be vague and have many possible causes. But exploring and addressing the root cause of your low energy levels can help flip your life upside down.
If low testosterone is the source of your fatigue, managing your levels can be a life changer. Plus, it’s easy and effective.
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