Testosterone is a hormone found in humans and other animals. Primarily, the testicles produce testosterone. It is most often associated with sex drive and plays a vital role in sperm production. Apart from sperm production, testosterone is responsible for developing bone and muscle mass. Testosterone production starts increasing significantly during puberty and begins to dip after the age of 35.

Having low testosterone levels can lead to a variety of symptoms including decreased sex drive, less energy, weight gain, feeling depressed, moodiness, low self-esteem, less body hair, and thinner bones. Most of these conditions are interrelated. For instance, low testosterone levels result in depression and decreased sex drive and less energy, while being depressed leads to less sex drive, less energy, and eventually low testosterone levels.

So, to begin with, optimal testosterone levels help in decreasing body fat as it helps in regulating insulin in the body. It increases the metabolism of the body which helps in efficiently burning fat. Testosterone is known to increase muscle mass. Therefore, increased testosterone levels can break the vicious cycle of low testosterone levels and high body fat and replace it with the virtuous cycle of increase testosterone level and increased muscle mass with fat loss. The benefits of testosterone levels are not only virtuous physically, as optimal testosterone levels help in improving cognitive ability in older men.

Here are some harmless ways that will guide you as to how to increase testosterone level in your body:

Cholesterol can be good for testosterone
The majority of testosterone in our body is bound to proteins. Only the unattached, free testosterone is considered as bioavailable and is utilized by the tissues in the body. This testosterone is derived from cholesterol. So, a diet with a balanced cholesterol level, incorporated with whole eggs into a moderately carbohydrate-rich diet, can improve the lipoprotein profile thereby increasing the testosterone level of the body.

Eat healthy meals but don’t overeat
Dietary fat is one of the answers to the question of how to increase testosterone level in our body. Fat has been associated with heart diseases since time immemorial. A diet, rich in monosaturated fats, can increase the testosterone level in the body. Consuming anything in excess can do more harm than its intended purpose. A fatty diet (that involves consuming unsaturated fats) can add on to the unhealthy weight, which will eventually decrease the testosterone level. Hence, if you’re wondering how to increase testosterone levels in your body, you should maintain a healthy diet and lifestyle.

Consume foods that are known to increase testosterone levels in the body
Zinc is one of the important nutrients in the daily diet that is important for testosterone production. Good dietary sources of zinc include raw milk, raw cheese, beans, and yogurt. Being a vegetarian, it can be difficult to obtain dietary zinc. This is largely because of conventional farming methods. The fertilizers and chemicals while cultivating crops depletes the soil of the nutrients like zinc which had to be absorbed by plants. Vitamin D is also a steroid hormone. It is essential for the healthy development of the nucleus in the sperm cell. Thus, getting the optimum amount of vitamin D in your daily diet can help to increase testosterone levels in the body.

Reduce stress
When under a lot of stress, the body releases high levels of a stress hormone known as cortisol. Considering the biological standpoint, testosterone is related to mating, competing, and aggressive behaviors, so cortisol is known to reduce the (excessive) effects of testosterone in the body. If you’re wondering how to increase testosterone levels in your body, you can start by learning stress controlling techniques. Relaxation skills such as deep breathing, positive visualization, meditation, laughter, and yoga can control the cortisol production in the body and help one keep stress at bay.

Strength training
Strength training is one of the popular ways to increase testosterone level in the body, provided you are doing it intensely enough. Strength training involves increasing weight and lowering the number of reps. Exercises in strength training, such as deadlifts and squats, focus on increasing muscle mass. Increasing muscle mass points to increasing tissue size, which triggers more production of testosterone in the body.

High-intensity workouts are better than longer duration workouts
Another point that affects the testosterone level is the duration of a workout. To increase testosterone levels, decrease the workout duration and increase the intensity of the workout. Workout sessions of more than an hour are known to increase cortisol levels, which will result in a decrease of testosterone levels. So, to increase the testosterone level in your body, keep your rest periods short and workout time less than 60 minutes.

Get enough sleep
Lack of sleep reduces muscle growth and fat loss, which is indirectly related to a reduction in the testosterone levels. Sleeping for at least 7 to 9 hours per night is known to increase testosterone level in the body.

Push away that alcohol
Enjoying happy hours at a bar can wreak havoc on your testosterone levels if you are a regular. Alcohol is known to hamper testosterone growth if consumed on a regular basis. Limiting yourself with just a pint of beer or a glass of wine will not interfere with the testosterone growth in the body.