How to Increase Testosterone Levels

While both men and women have testosterone, it is most essential to men's health. Not only is testosterone the primary sex hormone in men, it regulates the body's physical appearance and affects numerous systems. Increased testosterone can have multiple effects, including improved mental and physical energy and increased strength, metabolism and erectile function. There are several factors that can cause a drop in testosterone, including lack of sleep, a low-fat diet, smoking and stress, but there are also several steps that can be taken to increase low testosterone levels.

Instructions

• 1

  Sleep at least eight hours every night. Getting eight hours of sleep is essential to the health of all of your body's processes, including the production of testosterone.

• 2

  Quit smoking. Smoking is detrimental to the body's overall health, resulting in poorer testosterone production.

• 3

  Eat a proper diet with enough fat, animal protein and vegetables. Testosterone production increases with the intake of healthy fats, like those found in fish, olive oil, nuts and avocados. These should comprise thirty percent of your daily diet. Animal protein, which can be obtained through meats and eggs, also causes a marked increase in testosterone production and should comprise a third of your daily diet. Fill in the rest of your diet with vegetables such as cabbage, broccoli and cauliflower, which help increase the testosterone levels in your body.

• 4

  Avoid soy products. Soy increases estrogen levels and decreases testosterone.

• 5

  Do daily weight-lifting to cause bursts of testosterone in the body. Concentrate on compound exercises that use numerous muscle groups, such as squats and pull-ups.

• 6

  Supplement your diet with herbs that help increase testosterone production. Muira Puama, a plant indigenous to the rainforests of Brazil, Fo Ti, which is used as a treatment for impotency in some countries, Tribulus Terrestris, a native plant of India, and Acetyl-L-Carnitine, an essential nutrient, are all known to help raise testosterone levels.