Manifestations of Male Hormone Health

The core of the male hormone is testosterone. The most direct criterion for judging its health is neither large muscle circumference, thick beard, strong sexual desire, nor the number on the test sheet that is infinitely close to the upper limit of the reference value. It is that your four dimensions of energy, metabolism, emotion, and reproductive function are in a stable and comfortable state for a long time, and there are no persistent abnormalities that cannot be alleviated by rest.

Last month, I went with my friend Fa Xiao, who has been working out for half a year, to check his hormones. He always felt that his testosterone was low - after all, my brother who worked out with me had developed obvious chest muscles in three months. He had been training for half a year and his dimensions were increasing slowly. He didn't even grow a few beards. When browsing short videos, he kept seeing content about "men with low testosterone have no energy." The more I watched, the more panicked I became. The results of the blood test showed that total serum testosterone was 492ng/dL, which was completely within the normal reference range for adult men. The endocrinologist glanced at the list and told him to go home, saying that there was nothing wrong and he should not be anxious.

Regarding the judgment of hormonal health, fitness circles and clinical circles have always had different standards. Most fitness enthusiasts assume that the higher the testosterone level, the better. After all, testosterone is directly linked to muscle synthesis and exercise performance. Many people will deliberately try to increase testosterone levels by doing leg exercises, taking zinc and magnesium supplements, and abstaining from sex. Some even risk using exogenous hormones. ； However, endocrinologists in regular hospitals generally believe that as long as your testosterone level is within the reference range corresponding to your age and you do not have any symptoms, you are healthy. There is no need to deliberately pursue a value close to the upper limit.

Have you ever gone through that phase? I worked overtime for a week or two in a row and slept less than five hours a day. When I woke up in the morning after drinking two glasses of ice cream, I was still groggy. I could get distracted eight times during a half-hour meeting. I couldn't help but feel irritable even after saying a few words to my colleagues. When I got home from get off work, I slumped on the sofa and didn't even have the energy to play games. I didn't even have a morning erection for a week or two. Don't blame yourself for poor willpower or physical weakness first. This is most likely an alarm sent to you by short-term fluctuations in testosterone. If you adjust your work and rest, take a good rest for a week or so and then return to your normal state, that’s absolutely fine. It means your hormone regulation ability is normal. ； If this state continues for two or three months and still does not improve, then you really need to check your hormone levels.

Many people think that having a thick beard, heavy body hair, and a big Adam's apple means high testosterone and good health, but this is not true. The amount of body hair and the thickness of the beard are mainly determined by genetics. The core is the sensitivity of your hair follicles to androgens. Some people are born with hair follicles that are sensitive to androgens. Even if their testosterone is at the lower limit of the normal reference value, they can still grow a full face of beards. Some people have a family inheritance of less body hair. Even if their testosterone reaches 800ng/dL, their faces will still be clean, which has nothing to do with health. I met a 28-year-old boy before. He read an online advertisement saying that his lack of beard was due to low testosterone. He bought thousands of supplements and ended up with acne all over his face and endocrine disorders. When he went to the hospital for a checkup, it turned out that his testosterone level was normal, but he took supplements that caused problems.

Oh, yes, there is another point that many people are embarrassed to talk about, which is reproductive function. In fact, normally speaking, as long as you have a normal sexual desire, can maintain a regular sex life, and do not have low sexual desire or difficulty in erection for more than three months, then there is no problem at all. It is normal to have a bad state once or twice. It may be because you are too tired and stressed recently. Don't label yourself as "low testosterone" at the first sign. The greater the psychological pressure, the easier it is for hormone levels to become chaotic. It is a completely vicious cycle.

There is also a group of scholars who study health management who believe that maintaining testosterone in the higher range of one's own genetic level can indeed make people have better energy status, lower body fat rate, and can also reduce the risk of osteoporosis in middle-aged and elderly people. Therefore, as long as it is through healthy lifestyle adjustments, such as regular exercise, ensuring 7-9 hours of sleep, and controlling the body fat rate not to be too high, it is completely fine to increase testosterone levels.； But it should be noted that you should never use exogenous hormones in pursuit of high testosterone. It will inhibit your own testosterone secretion, which will not be worth the gain and will affect your health.

To put it bluntly, hormonal health is a very personal matter in nature, and there is no unified “standard answer.” Don't compare yourself to others, don't think you are unhealthy just because they have big muscles or beards, and don't use the reference values ​​of a 20-year-old boy to make demands on your 40-year-old self. The most reliable criterion is always your own feelings - if you feel energetic when you wake up every day, your weight does not rise and fall inexplicably when eating normally, you do not feel depressed and angry at every turn, and you are not uncomfortable during sex, then even if your testosterone value is just above the reference line, you are still in a healthy state, and there is really no need to mess around.