Hormones are crucial as well as strong roles when it comes to activating DNA signaling for triggering protein synthesis & neurotransmitters, that will eventually be connected to sleep and mood.
Many ancient cultures placed a high value on dreaming and the stages of sleep. Even some cultures believed that when a person slept, their soul entered another world. The idea that sleep slows down the body and brain to the point where it is almost dead was perhaps more prevalent in Western history.
The main hormone vitamin sleep is called: “Melatonin,” and the hormones convert to DMT. (Taoist emphasis that it’s a soul hormone)
However, our body detoxifies during sleep by removing free radicals and Detoxification is crucial since free radicals can chronic inflammation by suppressing Mitochondria and hormones productions, including Testosterone, Thyroid, as well as Melatonin. (we’ll deep dive into)
According to research, people who are sleep-deprived report increases in negative moods (anger, frustration, irritability, sadness) and decreases in positive moods. More than %60 percent of the daily testosterone release in men occurs during sleep.
This is caused by lack of sleep can negatively impact our stress hormones and adrenaline. Lack of sleep leads to higher cortisol levels correlated to Anxiety, Depression, and an overactive Amygdala.
Let’s learn more about Sleep, Melatonin, and Testosterone. After you read that articles, you’ll have strong knowledge about the things you might didn’t know.
Overview
- The effects of sleep loss on testosterone levels were clear. Male testosterone levels dropped by 10–15% after five hours of sleep, showing us that sleep is directly correlated to testosterone levels.
- Hypothalamic neurons release some neurotransmitters during sleep, such as GABA and galanin, while inhibiting dopamine, histamine, norepinephrine, and adrenal hormones. That’s why avoiding adrenaline stimulating beverages such as Caffeine before sleep is vital for Melatonin hormone production.
- Anti-aging and Fat-Burning hormones called “Human growth hormone” can be secreted when you are deep into your deepest sleep state(Delta Brain Waves), and growth hormone surge is largely sleep-dependent hormones. (Indirectly affects Testosterone level by fat burning ability)
- Ton’s study showed that blood testosterone levels would fall when cortisol is administered into circulation while the body is at rest. Evidence that increased cortisol levels by over-exercise may eventually lead to decreased circulating testosterone levels, lowering libido, and impairing sleep quality. Cortisol also counteracts Melatonin production.
Understand Testosterone And The Brain
Guys, low testosterone is associated with depressive symptoms as well as poor energy functions.
Testosterone appears to activate a distributed cortical network called the ventral processing stream when performing stressful tasks. This is important because we’re living in a stressful environment.
Optimizing Testosterone enhances spatial cognition in younger and older hypogonadal men. The main reason Testosterone can affect mood is that it impact The brain areas such as the hippocampus, amygdala, as well as hypothalamus.
On the other hand, the hippocampus is responsible for mood regulation and stimulates to release of BDNF protein which is also linked to depression. The hippocampus is crucial in regulating memory, learning, and emotions, and the areas of the brain’s “high energy” demand.
Hippocampus is also part of the brain that generates new neurons like BDNF. Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor(BDNF) is a protein that regulates the brain’s growth of neurons and synapses.
Erectile dysfunction is one of low testosterone levels’ most well-known side effects. Thus, testosterone is important for how the brain responds to sexual thoughts and stimuli and for well-being and sleep. Low testosterone causes low libido, body and facial hair loss, difficulty concentrating, depression, and irritability.
Related: Take The Stress Out Of Erectile Dysfunction
Mitohoncondria And Testosterone
Most individuals are unaware that all your steroid hormones, including testosterone and estrogen, are formed by your mitochondria. It has been discovered that low testosterone levels are linked to higher metabolic risk and chronic inflammation(source)
Optimizing mitochondrial function naturally can enhance Testosterone levels, and thus testosterone supports oxidative stress and inflammation in the brain.
Hormones and pathways that stimulate growth are met. Testosterone, HGH, IGF-1, and mTOR is one of the more important ones for cellular repair and augmentation.
How Can You Optimize Your Mitochondrial?
You can optimize your Mitochondria by creating the right kind of stress. That stress can actually trigger by exercise, a Cold Shower, or Calorie Restriction (and fasting) that eventually stimulate mitochondrial biogenesis—the production of new mitochondria—in cellular stress.
Regardless, Chronically elevated stress hormones called cortisol might hurt Testosterone if it’s too much.
Human studies have shown that blood testosterone levels decrease when cortisol is supplied to the body in a rested state. That’s why not mild, but high cortisol might be detrimental to Testosterone.
Do not overtraining, because it can cause high cortisol as well as suppress the immune system by reducing the amount of L-Glutamine in your blood. If so, make sure you are getting enough L-Glutamine amino acids as well as Vitamin C to protect against overtraining side effects as well as immune functions.
Suggestions: Why I Like The Choose Glutamine & Besides Muscle Benefits
When you get old, your testosterone and your mitochondria level decline. There are free alternative strategies that I wrote about for improving Mitochondria functions.
Suggestions: Free Alternative For Optimizing Mitochondria, And Longevity
Why is Sleep a Crucial Factors For Testosterone and Vice Versa?
Testosterone is ignored by the community, believing it just plays sexual behaviors for a long time. However, Testosterone also inhibits inflammation, regulates and transmits nerve impulses, stimulates the release of other hormones, and enhances cognitive function, sleep, glucose, and protein regulation.
Protein synthesis is crucial because muscle size, as well as brain chemicals, is fundamentally affected by the Testosterone hormone. (Neurotransmitter’s synthesis by Amino Acids & Proteins and Proteins synthesis affected by Testosterone)
The REM Stage Of Sleep Most Influences Testosterone Levels.
REM sleep is so important, and why a good sleep regimen that includes enough quantities of REM sleep is critical to feeling cognitively and emotionally well and functioning well throughout your waking life.
Enhancing sleep will support optimum levels of Testosterone, Growth, Dopamine, and Melatonin hormones.
You can change your brain’s gray matter and stimulate new neuron growth, even in the eighties and nineties by changing your optimizing Melatonin, Healthy diet such as Dry Fasting & Intermittent Fasting, Stress, and boosting mitochondria function.
Suggestions: Does Intermittent Fasting Increase Longevity?
Note: Do not extend your Intermittent Fasting over a period of time; just two times a week is enough for most people. (Depend on your current situation, age, and insulin sensitivity level). An extended period of time Fasting can skyrocket the Cortisol Hormone; for that, start with slow and eventually build.
There is some ingredients you can use when you have sleep deprived state. Quercetin is one of them.
Quercetin is an antioxidant and anti-inflammatory benefit since it offers far better health benefits, such as reducing anxiety-like behavior caused by sleep deprivation.
In animal studies where the subjects didn’t get enough sleep, quercetin’s strong antioxidant properties are likely one reason why the mood-related behaviors of the animals were enhanced.
The study indicated quercetin reduced the effects of sleep deprivation on memory function, depression-like behavior, and prefrontal cortex brain cell loss.
In a 2016 study, researchers show quercetin may lower mice’s manic-like behavior after 24 hours of paradoxical sleep deprivation.
Avoid Carbohydrates For Optimum Testosterone
Researchers believe combining protein with carbohydrates may increase levels of the brain chemicals tryptophan and serotonin, which are connected to synthesis of Melatonin and eventually better sleep.
The problem is that refined carbs cause your blood sugar to spike quickly, which can leave you feeling tired as well as deplete Magnesium and B1 vitamins, which are crucial for Testosterone production. Plus, refined carbs cause inflammation by creating Free Radicals, eventually damaging mitochondrial functions.
We can say that our Testosterone levels are partly influenced by insulin resistance, and people who have insulin resistance tend to have lower testosterone levels. One study found that just 75g of sugar intake induces a 25% reduction in testosterone levels for up to two hours.
Can Testosterone Affect By Ejaculate?
The hormones prolactin and endocannabinoids are both elevated during masturbation. After ejaculating, the erectile and ejaculatory potential of men decreases for about an hour following an orgasmic increase in prolactin, but not testosterone which is a typical element of the male sexual response.
Masturbating also releases dopamine, the neurotransmitter that causes sexual pleasure, and endorphins.
Over time, your body needs more brain chemicals released than stress-relieving endorphins and dopamine. For that reason, it’s better to try “masturbation fasting” or “No Fap” for a while for optimizing arousal, and dopamine sensitivity.
The same applies that pornography consumption which is bad for your gray matter stimulates too much dopamine & negatively affects your sleep by addictive properties. (also Dopamine production impairs Serotonin available in the Brain which makes it hard to fall asleep.)
The Tips Help You Better Sleep
- EMF: Evidence also suggests EMFs can interfere with the body’s sleep cycle. EMF exposure and blue lights may affect melatonin production, so switch off smartphones, Wi-Fi, and other electrical devices before going to bed
- Optimizing the body clock is an important step regarding good quality of sleep. That way, avoid the blue light at night as much as possible or use blue-blocker glasses through the night because blue light inhibits the production of the sleep hormone melatonin. Melatonin is one of the most essential natural antioxidants and melatonin also increases the production of glutathione and other antioxidants like superoxide dismutase and catalase in the human body.
- Moderate your caffeine, and avoid nicotine before sleep because it stimulates adrenalin and dopamine, which lover the production of serotonin and melatonin. Also, exercising before sleep can negatively affect sleep quality.
- Supplements: After 9 PM, our body uses serotonin in the blood to convert melatonin. This conversion process needs vitamins like B6, magnesium, vitamin c, and zinc. Without enough magnesium, your risk of depression skyrockets, along with feelings of anxiety, aggression, irritability, and brain fog. Low levels of the mineral also prevent your brain from working efficiently. On the other hand, a magnesium supplement has been shown to boost learning and memory while preventing age-related cognitive decline and improving sleep.
- Researchers release new studies seemingly every day that prove just how beneficial meditation is for your brain. People who are regularly meditative tend to have good-quality sleep.
Light pollution in cities has become ten times more intense over the past 30 years, and our testosterone levels are half what they used to be. There is a relationship. The right thing to do is to darken cities at night so humans and other animals can all get proper sleep. It will save our insects and, ultimately, our soil. If your light is not red at night, turn it off. Birds and other nocturnal animals will thank you.
– Dave Asprey
Control Your Stress With These Techniques:
- The best way to ensure lower your stress is regular meditation.
- Researchers showed that mindfulness-based therapy is effective for reducing stress (source)
- Techniques like cognitive behavioral therapy are effective for stress and anxiety. (source)
- Qigong exercises help you get more relaxed and lower your stress level. (source)
- Expressing gratitude will help you overcome negative emotions like depression and anxiety. However, the study showed gratitude also helps you get less stress from difficult situations (source)
- Adaptogens help you lower your stress hormone level. (source)
- Optimizing your magnesium level might help you handle stress too.
These are some of the things you can follow.
Summary
We can’t ignore the importance of sleep for optimizing testosterone and well-being. Also, testosterone affects melatonin production, which also supports sleep quality.
Most individuals overestimate their sleeping hours.
Tracking your sleep, on the other hand, will provide you with real statistics on how much you’re sleeping and whether you need to adjust your routine to better your brain health and performance.
You can use sleep trackers, such as smartphone applications and wearable devices, which may evaluate your sleep amount, quality, and time spent in different stages, such as deep sleep and the dream state known as rapid eye movement (REM).
Also, you might be else to consider to change lifestyle, fitness routine, hydration schedule, sleep regimen, stress-management
protocol, and supplement programs step-by-step and slowly. When tackling a big goal, break it down into smaller tasks. Tackle them in a specific order. You can choose which mission you want to tackle first, based on the available time to complete them.
I hope you enjoyed this article.