5 Lifestyle Changes to Improve Hormone Balance in Men

If you are finding that your mood is up and down, you don’t seem to have as much energy as you did a few years ago, or that your sex drive is not as strong as you desire, your problem may be a hormone imbalance. Most often, this will mean you are running low on testosterone. While you may think this automatically means you’ll be on various types of medications and other treatments, that’s not always true. In fact, if you just make a few lifestyle changes along the way, your hormone balance may improve substantially. If you’re wondering which changes will make the most difference, here are five you may want to do right away.

1. Eat Plenty of Protein

To keep your hormones in balance, there are plenty of testosterone boosting foods you can eat throughout the day. Some of the most effective are ones that contain lots of protein since this will give your body plenty of crucial amino acids that aid in the production of testosterone. By adding more protein to your diet, your body can produce hormones that will help regulate your appetite as well as your energy and stress levels. In addition, doing so decreases the amount of cortisol in your bloodstream, enabling you to feel more relaxed and not reach for that bag of chips or box of candy.

2. Exercise Regularly

Starting and maintaining a regular exercise routine several times per week will also help to keep your hormones balanced. When you have Low-T, you may be surprised to learn that even if you have tried to eat well and exercise, it’s likely you won’t be able to gain as much muscle or lose as much fat as you would prefer. If you are not aware that Low-T may be the cause of your problem, you may be inclined to give up on exercising and eating healthy, which will only make your problem worse over time. By getting a physical exam from your doctor to ensure your testosterone levels are optimal, you can combine strength-training exercises such as lifting weights or doing push-ups with cardio activities like jogging or riding a bike to keep your hormones in perfect balance.

3. Sleep Eight Hours Each Night

Of all the ways you can increase the odds of your hormones staying in balance, sleeping eight hours night after night is arguably the most important. A study conducted in 2015 showed that men who fail to get an adequate amount of sleep regularly were more at risk of developing diabetes and becoming obese. When you sleep undisturbed at night, this allows your body the chance to relax and generate more and more hormones, especially testosterone.

4. Manage Your Stress

Although it can be hard to do in today’s world, it is vital that you learn to manage your stress in order to balance out your hormones. When you are always under stress, this has your body produces too much cortisol and adrenaline. When this happens, the result may be problems with depression, fatigue, and possibly cardiovascular problems. To help keep your stress levels down, you can do such things as:

• Listen to music
• Mediate early or late in your day
• Enjoy a new hobby
• Change jobs

Should you find your stress hard to manage, you should also consider speaking with a counselor or other trusted individual. Talking about what’s bothering you can help keep your stress levels low as well.

5. Give Up the Cigarettes

If you are a smoker, your heart, as well as your hormones, will thank you for giving up the cigarettes. According to a 2018 study, regular use of tobacco products each day, especially cigarettes, results in a sharp rise in thyroid hormones, pituitary hormones, and steroid hormones like cortisol, meaning your stress won’t go away anytime soon. Prolonged tobacco use has also been linked to Low-T and ED, so if you want to keep your sex life alive and well, ditch the cigarettes.

Bottom Line

Each of these lifestyle changes is very simple to make, even giving up cigarettes. Once you commit to doing so and living a healthier life each day, your hormones will become balanced, and you’ll feel better physically, mentally, and emotionally.