Can Low Testosterone Cause Anxiety and Depression

Are you feeling quite anxious lately? Do you get upset about trivial matters? Do you sometimes feel depressed?

While there can be many reasons for this behavior and but one of the chief reasons can be low testosterone levels.

The truth is that low testosterone levels are more harmful to you than you might think.

Most people know that low testosterone can affect men physically. But what many people don’t realize is that low testosterone can also have a big impact on men mentally.

So if you want to know about the relationship between low testosterone and anxiety, read this article

Symptoms of Anxiety

Before looking at the relationship between anxiety and testosterone, you should first know how to tell whether you are suffering from low testosterone induced anxiety.

The first thing you need to answer is whether you have suffered from any panic attacks, like dizziness, nausea or feeling that you can’t breathe at times. These attacks are not uncommon and can last for a few moments to minutes.

Another symptom that is linked with low testosterone is depression. When you look at some of the physical symptoms of low testosterone such as; weight gain, erectile dysfunction, fatigue, low libido, and low muscle mass it is no surprise that depression is a symptom of low testosterone.

When many people suffer from anxiety and depression, they fight to get rid of the symptoms.

However, if you think that low testosterone levels might be the real reason, you should immediately take measures to increase your testosterone levels.

Low Testosterone Levels and Anxiety

One thing to always remember is that any set of hormonal imbalances can cause a lot of changes in your body. The nervous system and endocrine system rely on each other and communicate through nerve signals.

They are well interconnected and a small issue in any one of them can cause problems in the other too.

What studies are now showing is that optimum levels of testosterone reduce activity in the Amygdala which is the part of the brain associated with fear and the fight or flight response.

Self-confidence and feelings of well-being are basically tied to your hormones. When testosterone levels are low, your self-confidence is hampered which can lead to anxiety.

Another way of seeing this is that whenever something is wrong with your hormones, it affects your neurological health. The problem is that low testosterone is an insidious problem and it often goes undiagnosed.

For example, if a person is suffering from anxiety, he won’t bother to think that low testosterone is causing it. He would just take medications which will control the problem on a temporary basis.

Bottom Line: When testosterone levels are low the body and mind will not function at its best.

Related Studies on Low Testosterone and Anxiety

Now let us see whether studies support the fact that low testosterone causes anxiety. The following are some studies that show how they are connected:

1) One set of researchers found out that anxiety was one of the main symptoms of low testosterone in men with andropause (Low testosterone as a normal sign of aging).

The interesting thing was that these researchers didn’t recognize HRT (hormone replacement therapy) as a permanent cure for anxiety.

In the study, some elderly men suffering from anxiety underwent hormone replacement therapy. The data suggested that therapy may temporarily benefit elderly men with depression and anxiety.

2) Another study was done which was a case study of a 34-year-old man suffering from depression, anxiety, poor concentration, insomnia and decreased libido. When his testosterone levels were checked, it was found out that they were 185 ng/dl and the normal levels start from above 260 ng/dl.

So the patient was given 200 ml injections and the result was a miraculous recovery. This study was quite shocking because no one thought that testosterone would give this recovery.

The researcher said in the conclusion: “With this study, it has become clear that low testosterone was the reason behind the patient’s anxiety.”

3) Some research was done which included patients with low-to-normal testosterone levels who didn’t respond to anti-depressants. Half of the patients were given a testosterone gel and the other half was given a placebo gel for eight weeks.

The results of the study showed that the patients who were given a testosterone gel showed dramatic improvements in their anxiety levels, whereas the placebo group didn’t show much improvement.

What Should You Do Now?

The above studies clearly show that low testosterone levels can contribute to anxiety. Now you might be wondering what you should do when you suspect that low testosterone could be the cause of your anxiety.

The first thing to do is to check if you do actually have low testosterone. There are now home salivary kits on the market that allow you to check testosterone levels in the comfort of your own home.

To read my article about what normal testosterone levels are and how you can test them at home click here.

There are also some simple things you can do to boost your testosterone levels and lower anxiety.

Following are some ways you can boost your T-levels:

• Lift Weights –According to a study at the Baylor University in the U.S., testosterone levels are the highest in the first 48 hours after weight lifting. The harder you train, the more your testosterone levels will peak. So you should do exercises like squats, compound lifts, pushups, and pull-ups. Just don’t overtrain as this can lead to a reduction in testosterone levels.
• Don’t Avoid Saturated Fats –Are you avoiding some saturated fats to stay healthy? You shouldn’t this because the truth is that saturated fats improve heart health and increase testosterone levels. The sex hormone is formed from cholesterol which is present in saturated fats. So you should definitely eat saturated fats.
• Get Appropriate Sleep –Sleep is quite important if you want to boost your T levels. During sleep, the different body organs reform themselves. Sleeping less than the standard 7 hours per day can dampen your growth hormone, lower testosterone levels and reduce your muscle building potential.
• Get Sunlight –A report from the Boston Hospital states that exposing your skin to sunlight for just 15 to 20 minutes can boost your testosterone levels up to 120%. The research also showed a massive increase of 200% when the genitals are exposed to the sun. So would you still use sunscreen?
• Ashwagandha – Did you know that there is an herb that can increase your testosterone and also lower stress levels? This herb is called Ashwagandha and it has been shown to lower stress, improve sperm, boost the immune system, improve sleep quality and much more. You can read more about the benefits of ashwagandha by clicking here.

Conclusion

As you can see there is a very real link between low testosterone and anxiety. The way to tackle this is to increase your testosterone by lowering estrogen, exercising right, reducing stress, and using supplements proven to boost testosterone

However, the proof is in the pudding but one thing I can guarantee is that if you increase testosterone to high levels this will lead to a big increase in confidence and a lowering of anxiety.

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