In this article, we will discuss three completely random things that can lower your testosterone (T) levels.
While in the past we have discussed various things that can lower your testosterone levels include poor diet choices, xenoestrogens, soy, beer, and a lack of exercise. etc., we will now present you with 3 unusual events/activities that can lower your testosterone levels.
Let’s jump right in and look at random things that can lower your testosterone levels.
1. Your Losing Sports Team Can Impact Testosterone Levels
The bad news for sports fans comes after it was revealed that Italian soccer fans saw their testosterone levels drop by up 25% after Italy lost the 1994 FIFA World Cup Finals in a penalty shoot out to Brazil [R].
Conversely, if your preferred team wins, your testosterone levels can be elevated by proxy [R].
“We know spectators have a strong affiliation with athletes,” said a PhD candidate researcher, Paul Bernhardt. “For example, they speak about teams in personal terms, like `We won.’ Since the testosterone effect occurred in athletes, we figured it would occur in spectators as well.”
The researcher based his thesis on the aforementioned 1994 FIFA World Cup and a small study conducted on fans of fierce college basketball rivals Georgia Tech and the University of Georgia in 1991.
According to the study’s abstract [R]:
“Basking in reflected glory, in which individuals increase their self-esteem by identifying with successful others, is usually regarded as a cognitive process that can affect behavior. It may also involve physiological processes, including changes in the production of endocrine hormones.
“The present research involved two studies of changes in testosterone levels among fans watching their favorite sports teams win or lose. In the first study, participants were eight male fans attending a basketball game between traditional college rivals. In the second study, participants were 21 male fans watching a televised World Cup soccer match between traditional international rivals.
“Participants provided saliva samples for testosterone assay before and after the contest. In both studies, mean testosterone level increased in the fans of winning teams and decreased in the fans of losing teams. These findings suggest that watching one’s heroes win or lose has physiological consequences that extend beyond changes in mood and self-esteem.”
In Bernhardt’s research, he found that testosterone in the saliva of the losing team dropped by 20% while the testosterone levels of the winning team rose by 20%.
2. The Lunar Cycle Affects Male Testosterone and Cortisol Levels
The recent study conducted by Tunisian and Qatari researchers found that testosterone and melatonin levels in the blood of subjects were lower during a full moon, while cortisol levels were elevated.
The researchers also believe that solar radiation reflected by a full moon can alter brain and hormonal activity in men.
We have written at length about the effects of testosterone on the male body from regulating mental health to a wide range of physical outcomes.
‘Our study confirms for the first time that the lunar cycle affects the hormonal and haematological profile of humans,’ said Ismail Dergaa — the study’s co-author
However, it was suggested that further study was required to determine whether the moon’s gravitational pull could have “tidal” effects on the body, according to the Daily Mail.
This would mean that men’s sleep quality during a full moon would be marginally impaired while their alertness or stress would be elevated.
The findings would also indicate that women weren’t alone in experiencing circalunar rhythms in their bodies.
Other Lunar Cycle Studies
In the past, other studies have shown that men might also be subject to monthly hormonal fluctuations dictated by certain forces.
These studies examined testosterone levels in the saliva of patients instead of the blood.
A 2002 study found [R]:
“In this study a circalunar rhythm of testosterone related to the menstrual cycle with a maximum peak in the periovulatory phase was confirmed in women and an analogical circalunar cycle in men was described.
“A positive correlation of the salivary testosterone levels and the performance in visual-spatial tests in women and a negative dependence in men was found. The outcomes showed a significant statistical difference between the results of the test during the high-testosterone and the low-testosterone phase in both sexes.”
3. Music and Testosterone
One study observed the changes in testosterone and cortisol among both male and female college students when listening to certain sounds and visual stress [R].
They concluded that male testosterone levels dropped, while female testosterone levels rose, with both sexes’ cortisol levels falling when exposed.
The study noted:
“There was a significant difference between the sexes in the way music affected T. Music decreased T in males, whereas it increased T in females. As for C, no sex-related differences were found under any of the conditions studied. C decreased with music and increased under other conditions. THE MAIN FINDINGS: Our data suggests that the effects of music and stress on T differ between males and females.”
Another study found that men with higher testosterone levels, on the whole, were less favorable towards “sophisticated” music including Classical, Jazz, and avant-garde [R].
The researcher noted: “The main finding was a significant negative correlation between testosterone level and a preference for sophisticated music including classical, jazz and avant-garde music in males.”
The researcher hypothesized as to what could be driving the results.
“People with high testosterone level, especially males, are well established as exhibiting high dominance motivation and antisocial or rebellious behaviour, such as rule violation.
“The young generation tended to think that the purpose of listening to classical music is to please authoritative figures, which is in sheer contrast to rebellious attitude,” the researcher continued.
However, it is important to note that the study was conducted in Japan and the results were collected from a small sample of college student.
The researcher added:
“One important limitation of the present study is that we recruited only Japanese university or vocational school students with a relatively homogenous cultural background.
“The influence of testosterone on personality and music preference should be tested and validated under various other cultural and social environments”.
Another publication, when analyzing the same study, concluded that men with higher testosterone preferred more unsophisticated music such as Rock as it was associated with aggression [R].
Male testosterone levels dropped when exposed to “chill-inducing” music and music they didn’t like, according to another study [R].
“The testosterone (T) levels declined in males when they listened to both types of music. In females, the T levels increased in those listening to chill-inducing music but declined when they listened to music they disliked. However, these differences were not significant. The 17-beta estradiol levels increased in males with both types of music, whereas the levels increased with chill-inducing music but declined with disliked music in females,” the study found.
So maybe there’s a reason why metal and hip-hop are blasted in many hardcore gyms.
Low Testosterone — A Societal Shifter
Falling testosterone levels are a fact of life for all men as they age. After the age of 30, a man can expect to lose 1% of his testosterone every year for the rest of his life.
But the natural reduction all men can expect to suffer pales in comparison with the society-wide collapse in testosterone levels that has occurred over the second half of the twentieth and the first quarter of the twenty-first century.
Men today have considerably less T than men of the same age even a single generation ago.
A 2007 study in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism showed a significant reduction in the testosterone levels of men since the 1980s. A 60-year-old American man in 2004, for example, had 17% less testosterone than a 60-year-old American man in 1987.
These findings were corroborated in a study of Danish men, who displayed a two-digit decline between the 1920s and the 1960s.
So how can you tell if you have low testosterone?
Click Here to Purchase a Home Testosterone Test Kit
The easiest and most definitive way is to have a blood test. A normal T level range for men is 300 to 1,000 nanograms per deciliter (ng/dl), whereas for women, it’s between 15 and 70 ng/dl. If as a man your testosterone is below 300 ng/dl, you have low testosterone.
But this is putting the cart before the horse, because before you decide to have a test you will experience some or all of the following symptoms, assuming you actually do have low testosterone.
You’ll have good reason to ask the question ‘Do I have low T?, because in some very obvious ways you’ll feel like less of a man.
The main symptoms include:
- Reduced libido
- Erectile dysfunction
- Fertility problems (inability to conceive)
- Fatigue/Low Energy
- Depression/Lowered Mood
- Weight Gain
- Muscle Loss
Boys with low T may develop slower, with little or no body hair, under-developed muscles and smaller penises; and men with low T will have difficulty building muscle, no matter how hard they try.
In extreme cases of low T, usually referred to as hypogonadism, men may also develop breast tissue (gynecomastia) and osteoporosis (reduced bone density).
Hypogonadism has a variety of causes, which include:
- Certain genetic disorders
- HIV
- Pituitary disorders, including pituitary tumours and injuries
- Inflammatory diseases
- Obesity and also rapid weight loss
- Nutritional deficiencies
- Steroid use
Obesity, in particular, is an increasingly common cause of hypogonadism.
Stored fat is highly estrogenic and can wreak havoc on your T levels.
In fact, losing fat is one of the quickest ways to remedy low T — as well as chronic inflammation.
Thankfully, we offer a range of exercise and diet plans that can help you lose weight, restore your T levels, build muscle – and feel the best about yourself you’ve ever felt.
Don’t hesitate to email us at [email protected] for personalized coaching and a client questionnaire if you’d like DEDICATED tailor-made personal training on strength training, building muscle, losing fat, developing athleticism, and more — all to your liking, lifestyle, habits, and taste!
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