Stress, Anxiety, and Testosterone Levels
You already know stress and anxiety take a toll on your body and overall health, but you probably didn’t know it also has a seriously bad effect on your testosterone levels.
There is a negative correlation between the “stress hormone” cortisone and testosterone, meaning when cortisone goes up, testosterone goes down[1]. And not only is cortisone linked to your testosterone levels but it’s impact can have a near instant effect when cortisone spikes.
Not feeling “in the mood” after a bad day? That could be cortisone taking its toll on your testosterone level with its immediate effect. Long-term stress can be even more damaging because your body keeps up the levels of cortisone to try to deal with your stressors. On a biological level, your body goes into “fight-or-flight” mode, and reproductive vigor is just not an immediate priority. Your body’s resources are being diverted elsewhere, and you’re simply not able produce testosterone at a maximum level.
Reducing the stress in your life or at least working on your ability to cope with that stress is a fundamental key to maximizing your testosterone production.
- Hoogeveen, A.R. and M.L. Zonderland, Relationships between testosterone, cortisol and performance in professional cyclists. Int J Sports Med, 1996. 17(6): p. 423-8.
Disclaimer
The views expressed in this blog are personal opinions and they are not intended to be, or replace, medical advice by a healthcare professional. While we have put in an extraordinary amount of time, energy and effort to give you the best information possible, based on the best research we could find, different people may have different views of the research discussed. You should always conduct your own research and seek advice from a healthcare professional before taking or discontinuing any of the consumables mentioned.