Low Testosterone in Men

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Low testosterone levels can affect your libido and cause physical changes, sleep issues, and trouble with emotional regulation. Treatment can increase testosterone levels or treat symptoms.

Testosterone is a hormone found in humans. Men have much higher levels of testosterone than women. Production increases during puberty and starts to decrease after age 30.

For each year over age 30, the level of testosterone in men starts to slowly dip at a rate of around 1 percent per year. A decrease in testosterone level is a natural result of aging.

Testosterone helps maintain a number of important bodily functions in men, including:

Because testosterone affects so many functions, its decrease can bring about significant physical and emotional changes.

Testosterone is the hormone most responsible for sex drives and high libidos in men. A decrease in testosterone can mean a decrease in libido. One of the biggest worries faced by men with declining testosterone levels is the chance that their sexual desire and performance will be affected.

As men age, they can experience a number of symptoms related to sexual function that may be a result of lowered levels of this hormone.

Erectile dysfunction (ED) is not commonly caused by low testosterone production. In cases where ED accompanies lower testosterone production, hormone replacement therapy may help your ED.

These side effects typically don’t happen suddenly. If they do, lower testosterone levels may not be the only cause.

A number of physical changes can happen to your body if you have low testosterone levels. Testosterone is sometimes referred to as the “male” hormone. It helps increase muscle mass, leads to body hair, and contributes to an overall masculine form.

Decreases in testosterone can lead to physical changes including the following:

• increased body fat
• decreased strength/mass of muscles
• fragile bones
• decreased body hair
• swelling/tenderness in the breast tissue
• hot flashes
• increased fatigue
• effects on cholesterol metabolism

Low testosterone can cause lower energy levels, insomnia and other changes in your sleep patterns.

Testosterone replacement therapy may contribute to or cause sleep apnea. Sleep apnea is a serious medical condition that causes your breathing to stop and start repeatedly while you sleep. It can disrupt your sleep pattern in the process and raise your risk for other complications, like having a stroke.

On the other hand, changes in the body that occur as a result of sleep apnea can lead to low testosterone levels .

Even if you don’t have sleep apnea, low testosterone can still contribute to a decrease in the hours of sleep. Researchers aren’t yet sure why this happens.